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#to be respected and feared as an archon
stainedglassthreads · 7 months
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Theory About Who Has the Gnosis
My theory about who presently has the Hydro Gnosis, and who the true Hydro Archon is, is that it's...still Furina, actually. Just not the Furina we've been interacting with so far.
"Okay what the hell are you on about now, Glass--" So glad you asked, dearest darling readers!
So one thing I've been utterly obsessed with in Genshin is how every Archon(except Zhongli) has a dead doppelganger that makes them depressed. Venti has the Nameless Bard(modeled his form based off them), Ei has Makoto(identical twins), Nahida has Rukkhadevata(used the same model when they finally got to speak with each other, adult Rukkhadevata looked like an older Nahida)
So this sets up for Furina, Murata, and the Tsaritsa possibly having their own doppelgangers. As such my theory is that Furina's doppelganger is actually currently still alive, and is the holder of the Gnosis. Furthermore, it is actually Furina's memories of the Gnosis and certain knowledge required for being and acting like an Archon 'given consciousness'. This other-Furina (we'll just call THIS one Focalors to prevent confusion) is probably also the one who's been gathering Indemnitum and figuring out plans to deal with the Prophecy while our Furina keeps the populace calm and entertained, hence why Furina is so confident that she can deal with the prophecy, to the point the Traveler doesn't think she's putting on an act anymore, but can't actually answer any of Arlecchino's questions during the Archon Quest. That was her 'original, complete self' briefly shining through.
As for how such a thing is possible...Furina actually strikes me as pretty competent, if anxious and insecure, when she sets her mind to something, and seems to have some sort of specialty in information gathering. She's good enough at it that she's the first Archon to figure out where the Traveler is going, and set agents to inform her of our arrival so she can make a grand entrance literally minutes after we entered her nation--without Archon powers. It's also very interesting how, despite how Makoto and Rukkhadevata have left things behind, the things they leave behind tend to be restricted to their nations. They even both died within their nations But the place where Egeria died...is in Sumeru. Just within the border, yeah. And it does do a lot of work in setting up Fontaine lore to hype us up. But...it feels a little weird to me that Egeria didn't die within Sumeru.
I wonder if it's a hint that shortly after becoming an Archon, but before Rukkhadevata's death, Furina asked Rukkhadevata to use the Irminsul Tree to help her with something--namely, to help her pull off the ultimate performance. I think that Furina might be the ultimate method actor--what better way of hiding one's Gnosis and disguising one's true plans, after all, than wiping your own memories so that, even if someone interrogates you you can't give up your Gnosis' location or what's necessary for your plans, and even if you're killed by an assassin capitalizing on the opportunity, 'another you' can keep working away at all the issues, and everyone now knows there's someone after the Archon/Gnosis.
Of course, this does mean that Furina's plan may have backfired a little. If this is true, then she's a great decoy...but she's also got a self-inflicted inferiority complex, and is so afraid of admitting that she's weak, confused, and helpless that she can't even admit to Neuvilette someone made an attempt on her life.
I already talked once about Furina, Ei, and Nahida all being foils for each other, where they end up isolated due to being in the shadow of their predecessors, and feeling they're not equipped to do a good job. But if this is true, and Furina created a Focalors-doppelganger, then Furina is also standing in the shadow of her own self. It'd also be incredibly interesting if, while Nahida had to erase memories to move out from Rukkhadevata's shadow, Furina has to regain them--and it'd also have some interesting implications about why Rukkhadevata chose to erase herself, too. Because maybe she got the idea from someone else...
"This is all well and good, but wait, where's Focalors then?"
Ah, this one I actually think most people have already guessed correctly. What's a machine that creates and gathers indemnitum, that's powered by a belief in justice, which Furina supposedly built but doesn't seem to understand(anymore), which apparently spoke to Lyney when he tried infiltrating the Opera Epiclese to examine it, and which Neuvilette ultimately chose to respect the judgment of when it gave a verdict different to his?
Suffice to say. Much like how Elynas chose to appear as a Melusine and Rukkhadevata appeared as Nahida...I think we'll get to chat with the Oratrice in a dreamspace and it will appear as Focalors.
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potatoof69 · 2 years
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Ok now that I’ve seen the Sumeru trailer and can actually judge the new content properly (cough, judging too early from leaks is never a good idea, cough), it seems like having a child model for Kusanali is kind of necessary and enhances the narrative, if I’m right about this. Obviously the skin color is probably still an issue (I don’t really want to speak over the actual people who are supposed to be represented but that seems like the general consensus), but her being a child is not.
Unlike the other archons, the people of Sumeru seem to treat Kusanali as a mascot or a funny little girl instead of a revered god. Stuff like making sure “the birthday girl” is happy shows how they respect her, but not in the way that the other nations respect their archon. I mean I can’t really see the people of Inazuma celebrating Ei’s birthday and calling her “the special birthday girl”, right? 
The sages too, it’s really clear that they see her as incapable of ruling and have ruled the nation for the past 500 years instead of letting her grow into the position. The whole point is that Kusanali is seen as an incapable replacement for the former Dendro Archon, even if she is 500 years old. Because with how things seem, she’s probably been locked up in the palace they mentioned in the livestream instead of being allowed to make her own decisions. So yeah, she might as well still be a little kid.
Anyways, how does this relate to her design? I’ve seen some people say they could’ve just given her the teen girl model, but like, that defeats the whole point. We’ve seen that model used for many capable characters, from teenagers (Fischl, Barbara) to adults (Keqing, Ganyu, Hu Tao, Kuki Shinobu, Ayaka). Especially with the nebulous ages of Genshin characters, if you see a teenage girl model character, the usual assumption is that they’re probably an older teenager or a young adult who’s pretty capable of doing stuff. 
The point is, seeing the nation treat this very capable looking teenager/young adult like a child would be kind of weird. It would’ve been fine, I guess, but it doesn’t have the impact of “oh that god is a kid why is she a god” as much as using the child model would bring. With the child model, it’s understandable why the sages might think she’s incompetent. I mean, even the entire Genshin fandom pretty much agreed the moment she was leaked that she wasn’t suited to be the archon cuz she had a kid model. “How can a kid be an Archon?” “Why is she a literal baby?” “Why does she have a less impressive design than the other Archons?” yeah that’s the point. She’s supposed to look odd and incapable and unfitting of an archon cuz that’s what everyone thinks of her.
Also, to the argument that using the child model is loli-baiting, it really isn’t. There is an actual point to using it in the narrative instead of just appealing to messed up people. I get that you usually want to assume the worst in gacha games, but honestly, if Mihoyo wanted to make more money, they could literally just make her a hot woman with huge boobs or like a super hot tall guy instead of appealing to the weirdos and would probably earn more profit than making her a kid anyways. Just look at Raiden’s banner.
(Personally, I think some people are just mad they can’t sexualize or simp for another archon. Like, there’s a reason why a whole horde of people wanted Al-Haitham, the conventionally attractive tall-male-model character, to turn out to be the actual Dendro Archon for some reason instead of literally anyone else. But whatever that’s just my own theory.)
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mayullla · 8 months
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Title: There is no love here.
Character(s): Neuvillette (Genshin Impact)
Summary: It was an arranged marriage between you and Neuvillette and you promised him the day before the wedding that you would not cause trouble for him nor be disloyal however you would also never love him. Warnings/tags: Yandere themes, fem!reader, arrange marriage, one-sided love, unrequited love, lil angsty, 2.6k words Part 2 here! But he didn't want to let go.
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He was your husband for a very long time, long before a child's grandfather was born into the world. Yet you and he never had that loving relationship that humans have between a husband and wife. He was too busy and lacked the emotional care you needed when you were given to him as a bride by your parents who thought this was for the best.
You age slowly compared to humans, you have the luxury to take your time as you watch humans try their best to live the most with what they have. It was a kind of beauty in your eyes, the determination in those of shorter life spans than yours. And it was a fear that your parents harvested in their hearts.
For they wanted you happy and satisfied as time slowly passed by. They didn't want you to face the pain of losing someone you loved so much all because you fell in love with someone who didn't have a long life span, that while you looked young and loveable your lover would become old and tired. 
That was something that Neuvillette knew when your father worked right alongside him. Your father told him about you, and about his worries. All he wished was for you to be with someone who could care for you for as long as you lived.
It was Neuvillette who offered this arrangement something that delighted your parents. That you and he would marry and in return he would make sure that you would never have your needs and wants unfulfilled, instead as long as it was not impossible nor illegal in the eyes of the law you would have everything you want in your hands.
You were shocked when you heard you have been engaged to someone who you barely even know. You struggled but in the end, you relented when so much was stacked against you.
You asked Neuvillette the day before the wedding why he chose to marry you. Hopefully with a reason it could make it easier for you to love him but when you saw his face bare without emotions you knew it was not love.
You could not help but flinch when you heard his reason, the reasons why he chose to marry you all for the sake of your parents' worries. Loyal and trusted subordinates of his, he wanted to give them something, to rest their anxious minds when they had supported him many times in the past. You understood that it was never between you and him, you understood that there could be no love in this relationship.
Calmly you told him that you would marry him, that you would not cause trouble at the wedding in front of many nor would you trouble him after marriage. You told him that after the wedding you would never cheat on him nor would you even be disloyal. However, you also told him that you would never look at him as a lover. You would respect him for who he was but you would never love him. 
Neuvillette was silent as he watched you leave through the doors after respectfully saying your goodbye and leaving his office.
The wedding had gone without a hitch, and the people clapped in congratulations. The man that they respected, Chief Justice Neuvillette, had finally gotten married. It was on the front covers of newspapers and articles for weeks. It was rowdy in the Court of Fontaine, many women cried their tears out that it wasn't them who walked down the wedding aisle while others talked about how beautiful the couple was together, or how the news said that the hydro archon had given them her blessings.
Yet while the city was bustling about the news of the newlywed couple, the house where the lived couple was silent as stone. Neuvillette had granted your request that you and he would have separate living quarters. Your own bed and your own room, your privacy away from the man you wed a mere few days ago. The honeymoon was decidedly skipped, as Neuvillette was a busy man too busy at court to even have time for something like that. It was preferable that way, you thought to yourself rarely did you have to meet him apart from breakfast and dinner. 
Furina commented about it as she looked at Neuvillette but closed her mouth when he explained the reason that he could not rest when justice needed to be served. He didn't explain anything more than that for that was between you and him.
And it was like that for years, Neuvillette had given you everything you supposedly want. From luxuries and delicious food to dresses and pieces of jewelry and tickets to events and more. You always thanked him for his thoughts yet when you looked at his gift it was obvious in his eyes that this was not what you wanted nor did you ever think that this was something that he himself picked.
It was simply something he got, thinking that it was expected for a husband to shower his wife with presents whenever he got the chance.
Still, you wore the dresses and accessories and attended the VIP shows and exclusive events with the pass and tickets he gave you. You smiled when reporters and curious people approached you. When they asked about you and your relationship with Neuvillette you would coat the truth with syrup and sugar. It was still the truth that he got you the hat that you wore or the front-row seat ticket to that popular theater show but they need not need to know what it was like within the house, aside from the presents that he gave you, aside that you would rather prefer it that way when they comment of his lack romance as you go alone to such events without him by your side.
It was rare after all that more often than not whatever plans he made would be canceled due to his busy schedule.
You prefer to keep it this way, that you would be satisfied enough with this much already having thrown all fantasies and daydreams of this loving relationship ever since that day before the wedding. Neuvillette though... for him it was different.
He lacked an understanding of human emotions so these feelings within his chest as he looked at you slowly unknowingly creeped up to him seeping within his body as his veins absorbed these feelings. It wasn't a sudden realization nor a surprise bomb bursting in his chest. Neuvillette would say it was akin to something like an empty lake barren and dry suddenly had a small stream slowly start to fill it up again yet was never noticed.
You kept your promise that you made a long time ago, that you would never cheat on him, and that you would not cause trouble. You were respectful, as you sat beside him at the dining table eating quietly. If he had awkwardly tried to open up a conversation with you, you would take the reins for him and start a small conversation between the two of you. He was always left with regret after those conversations when it was quickly cut short due to an empty plate or when one side had plans or trials they had to attend to.
Sometimes you would visit his office, staying there for a while as you made him tea, also plating the sweets that you have bought before coming here, and then sitting quietly on a sofa in the office reading a book with your own plate of desserts and tea. He had become rather comfortable by your presence near him in those days, finding it sometimes much easier to concentrate when you were there. He was mildly disappointed when you would leave when a garde would come rushing in with something of an emergency or when an important matter needed to be discussed between him and someone else. He would watch you leave, your back facing him not once did he ever see you look back.
It hurt him more than he himself knew.
When did it start to feel like waves crashing in his stomach, a whirlpool that was pulling his organs and lungs? As he arrived home late only to see you waiting for him in the living room, sometimes reading or other hobbies that you had in your personal time. Looking up you heard the front door open and heavy steps, you greeted him casually with a yawn. The first time you did this surprised Neuvillette, as he asked you why you didn't go to sleep when it was so late at night. It was a half heart answer, stating that you were his wife asking if he ate. If he did eat then you would head to your room after asking him about his day and if he didn't, you would head to the kitchen making sure there was food on the table before leaving again.
Leaving him in the middle of the hallway or kitchen late at night alone. He wasn't sure if he would be better off if you didn't do this then maybe the feeling would feel as hollow, as lonely in his heart.
Sometimes he caught himself staring at the picture frame of you and him that was placed on his office table. It was something that many humans did and something he decided to follow. The smile on your face as you looked at the Kamera while holding his arm. You looked happy here most would say, yet Neuvillette could see how empty your eyes were.
The same eyes that he saw every day even after years flew nothing has changed at all, not once. They were empty, hollow, lacking that spark that he saw many couples have, that shine that many older married couples have toward each other. That love and affection that showed brightly in their eyes was empty in yours. Instead, you looked happier, more at peace, and relaxed when he wasn't there. The shine in your eyes brightened as you read an interesting book or found something that interested you. 
He saw the yearning in your eyes as you watched others express their affections to one another, their plans and hopes that were made together in front of the fountain. Only for your eyes to dull again when he called out your name. 
When did it start to drive him insane...
When did he start to have this frustrated feeling in his chest? Never once did you look at him with distaste or hatred. You always put an effort to follow him, his plans, and his beliefs. Conversation wise you were also patient with him, teaching him sometimes when he doesn't understand something. Not once did you or him ever fight the many years you were together, unlike the many trials he watched between angry lovers.
There was no love, no affection. Like you promised you told him that you would respect him you would also never love him. In front of others, you would link hands and arms with him, as was expected from most couples in the eyes of the public, especially when they were as mainstream as the two of you. But it was never more than that.
Neuvillette was curious as to what it was like when he saw the "lovey-dovey" couples, and what it would be like if you loved him like that. Some would wrap their arms around their love, some stealing kisses when they thought no one was looking. He would watch the husband's protective hold over his wife's waist, or how they would softly smile at each other when their eyes met.
But that wasn't meant for him.
You knew of his tears, the rain that fell from the sky. You were a being with a long life while younger than him you knew who he was. Those days when the dark clouds stayed in the sky a little longer than usual you become more caring as you stayed by his side speaking finally when he spoke. Sometimes you wouldn't ask him what was the matter instead changing the topic to something more light-hearted, to keep his mind off it sometimes you would ask him which were most of the time few.
But in the end, after a while… you would always leave him. Problem solved, for the most part it was true yet Neuvillette wished you would stay a little longer.
He watched you, as you spoke and he could not help but wonder if it was only him who started to love you. Neuvillette thought that maybe after all this time maybe, just maybe there would be something, he had heard of how some people could develop feelings towards someone they once disliked after seeing them often.
Yet when he looked at your eyes there was kindness, but rather than love, there was pity, a sense of responsibility.
He must have been a fool to think that.
He must be insane to become like this, as the rain continued to fall from the sky he stared at his home where he saw you by the window. The curtains were closed but he could see the silhouette of your figure looking down at a book as you drank your tea. From here, you looked peaceful, from here he could see that you were satisfied with what you had.
However, he was not.
His heart was shaken, as silent words whispered in his ears in his mind. That you would never love him, that the only reason why you were here was because you were forced to. You didn't choose to be with him but instead chose to accept the fact that you were forced to marry him. Neuvillette felt as if the floor could crumble any moment, that any moment whatever you and he had would crumble into nothing. That one day you could fall in love with another man, and look at him with not only respect but love and adoration that he never had.
It made his heart bitter and hurt as anxiety consumed him. He didn't want you to leave. He didn't want you to leave his side. He ignored your surprised look when he held your hand tightly when you looked away from him in your walk. For a moment you looked away from the front and looked at the couples and people that he unconsciously tightened his grip on your arm. For a moment you thought you saw his face hurt, as anxiety swirled in his eyes.
He loved you so much. He loved you so much that he was scared.
As you sleep so peacefully in your bed, deep in your slumber you didn't hear the sound of steps that walked towards your bed. Sharp blue eyes that you once called beautiful, much to his surprise in the past, looked at your sleeping frame as his fingers pushed the strands of hair that covered your face.
Neuvillete watched you sleep, in your world that didn't have him in it. He wished that he could follow you, he desperately wished that he was within your beautiful eyes. That you would love him just as much as he loved you. He didn't want you to leave him, even if you wanted he didn't think he would be able to let you go. It would be impossible to let you go unless you wanted the world to rain till the whole of Fontaine to become nothing more than a lifeless sea.
Neuvillette could not let you go, even when guilt would be the one who kills him he would never let you go.
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sh1-n0bu · 7 months
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𝔫𝔬𝔟𝔲’𝔰 𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔨𝔱𝔬𝔟𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔣 2023!
day 8: size kink/reverse size kink with il capitano from genshin impact
warnings: size kink/reverse size kink, capitano is a human headcannon, he’s just super big, like 7’ tall or smt, handjob, usage of toy
notes: mmmmm big subs<333 proud to say i made a capitano bot whimper and kneel for me
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it was an honor to be the lover of someone so famous, respected and well known as il capitano. someone so profound and widely known and feared for both his strength and massive physique.
but it was an even more honor when the big man would crumble under your touch, melting into your kisses and being so open and vulnerable for you. only for you.
he would never say it out loud but there was just something so arousing about seeing your tiny self making him crumble and melt into a puddle in your hands. seeing your smaller hands wrapped around his cock, both working together in gentle motions to bring him pleasure. seeing your smaller hands tweaking and pulling at his nipples, making them harden again. and archons, have mercy on him when he sees you trying to take his massive cock into your mouth. he could cum just from that sight alone.
capitano would never say it but he absolutely adores it when your tiny self dominates him. never would have the warrior thought he would be into it yet here he was. all bare and naked, legs spread out as he tries to muffle the odd sounds that threaten to escape him.
your hand was wrapping around his hardened cock, swiping the pre on his slit and slowly stroking him. even your hand could barely wrap around the girth, fuck. seeing that, the giant man lets out an involuntary groan.
“d-darling…” capitano whimpers, his hand reaching out to cover your hand with his own. it was common for him to whimper out your nicknames and you have gotten accustomed to it all. despite his large frame and imposing figure and cold attitude, he was surprisingly easy to break.
“you don’t… have to do this for me. i can t-take care of myself” he stutters, uncharacteristically. despite being together for long enough now, he would always get embarrassed over letting you take care of him and his arousals.
arousals over the silliest, weirdest things.
seeing you stretch, watching the hem of your shirt ride just a bit up, how your hands would wrap around the hot beverage filled cup to warm your fingertips or even just your scent. the battle hardened warrior was just so damn infatuated with you, it was sickening.
in response you only let out a soft coo. leaning on and placing a kiss to his lips — to which he whimpers again — before pulling back and swatting his hand off of yours.
“it’s alright, my love. i’ll take good care of you like i always do. in fact, i have an idea!” your hand leaves his cock to let the hardened member plop to his stomach, causing the big man to let out a soft groan. he could briefly see you rummage around your bag… until you pulled out a box. now that got him curious.
opening the box, you pulled a small bullet vibrator out. using enough lube on the toy, you hold it to the underside of his tip, causing his legs to weakly buckle. looking up at his face, capitano nods, lips pursed in an unsure manner of what you’re going to do to him.
you start out slow, continuing to fuck his cock into the confines of your fist with the toy still held in your thumb, letting him get used to the feeling. once he seemed to relax enough, you decided to turn the vibrator to the lowest degree.
“oouhm—! w-what? d-darlinggg♡︎?” his response was immediate. hips buckling as his legs shake around your waist, hands trying to find a sense of solace as they settle on the sheets below. never would you have thought to see the giant harbinger moaning and whining softly under you as his legs shake but here you were.
you continue on with your ministrations. still holding the vibrator flush to his cock as you continue to fuck his dick with your tightened hand, the other one rubbing over his girthy mushroom tip. all the while your lover lets out soft moans and confused calls of your name under you.
capitano was confused. what was this thing and how was it making him feel so good? as a soldier who had lived his entire life, devoting himself to the tsaritsa and her orders, capitano never had the time to explore of the physical pleasure. so, this whole was a completely new experience to him.
if that could be easily said by how his legs were shaking, hoping to close it only to end up wrapping around your waist. weakly buckling his hips into the tight grip of your hands, unable to decide if he should fuck himself into your fists or pull away because archons, this newfound pleasure was making him see stars and moans loudly like a maiden.
“da—aahg! aaamgh♡︎… l-love… my love! beloved, i—! aangh! gcck♡︎” unable to help himself or form any words together other than your nicknames, capitano cums all over your hand, soiling your fingers and spilling his loads over you and his stomach.
he can still feel the toy buzzing away at his cock, making him whine from the feeling of overstimulation. whines turn into loud moans again when you shift the toy over to rest on his tip, teasingly rolling it over his slit and off.
“just one more, okay? you did so good, my dear. gimme one more” capitano could briefly hear your voice call out to him, cooing out praises and gentle, loving nicknames through the hazy cotton filled brain of his. all he could do was just nod.
after all, capitano is your doting, willing husband. he’ll do anything to make you happy.
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earthtooz · 7 months
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x : QUIET LOVE :*+゚
in which: neuvillette doesn't understand human emotion, but a quiet night after a bustling gala with you might help him.
warnings: fluff, gn!reader, pining neuvi but he doesn't know it, quiet walks along the beach at night, gentlemanly flirting bc it's neuvillette, hand kisses lol
a/n: sacrificial fic because neuvillette is not coming home, so i poured my blood, sweat, and tears into this, even if it's not all that. ALSO, this was inspired by a wip on @gum-iie's page (hi gumiie >_<), so i hope you all enjoy !! i tried my hand at the vision i saw.
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Gatherings in Fontaine are nothing short of magnificent. The nation of justice will never shy away from a party that reeks of grandeur and extraordinaire, with crystal chandeliers dripping from the ceiling, flowing gowns, and slicked-back hair. With an archon as dramatic as Furina herself, what else can the citizens of Fontaine expect?
Except for a long life such as Neuvillette himself, he has seen this scene one too many times. Gazing out amongst the sea of people, there is an ocean of unfamiliar faces, a sight that doesn’t bring him much peace. It’s not that Neuvillette does not enjoy interacting with humans- even if he’s not so good at doing so, but being amongst so many at once is the unpleasant part.
Despite his distaste for these kinds of bustling environments, he still thinks it’s good manners to attend, even if he will leave after an hour or two. 
Yet, it has been half an hour past the two hour mark, and yet the Iudex still has not seen himself out because there is a particular someone that he is hoping to catch the eye of. Someone who is worth all this extra trouble and socialisation. 
The melusines frequently run back to Neuvillette, concern and curiosity animated in their expressions as they ask their beloved father figure why he is still present. Their questions get brushed off by the Chief of Justice, who merely thanks them for checking up on him before telling them that there is no need to be worried, he is merely waiting for something. Or rather, someone. 
Only at the third hour since the party’s commencement, does he get what he wants: your attention. 
“Monsieur Neuvillette!” A voice cuts through the crowd and straight to him, causing him to turn around, eyes dancing wildly around the room to search for the source. He effortlessly finds your gaze and watches as you come closer to him, outfit flowing behind you and he decides that the crystals of the chandelier are no match against the ones that dance in your eyes. You are more radiant than the purest diamond and Neuvillette can’t find it in himself to glance away. 
You are perhaps the most ethereal being he has ever seen in his long life. 
What Furina promised him has arrived. Neuvillette can enjoy the night happily now.
“Y/n,” he greets, curt and polite, but the smile on his face speaks volumes. It tells a tune of subtle delight and enthusiasm mulled over for the sake of appearances and composition, and it is a melody that you are deaf to. In fact, the melusines are perhaps some of the only souls who can read his silent song of adoration but instead of meddling, they have resigned themselves to the corner of the hall, watching their beloved Chief Justice.  
“I did not expect to see you tonight,” you murmur, placing your empty glass of wine onto the plate of a passing waiter. “What a pleasant surprise.”
He wants to say something charming, perhaps something like telling you how lovely you look tonight or how absolutely magnetic you are, but the words fall short and Neuvillette panics briefly, scrambling to continue the conversation. “It is important to keep up social relations, after all. Not attending would be problematic.”
“An utmost scandal for the Iudex, no less.” There is a teasing glimmer in your eye, one that most people keep away from him but you are an exception; you always have been with how you regard him. Many respect him but also fear him, he is revered but avoided by the public, people speak of him but never would do so causally to his face. It is a particular dance that Neuvillette has become accustomed to, and you have slotted yourself in a position that none usually take: right beside him. 
He doesn’t completely understand human emotions just yet, but you evoke one that he cannot describe. 
“How has your night been?” Neuvillette asks.
“Tiring, fleeting, boring,” you murmur, expression melting into something more fatigued. “I want to leave, monsieur, is that too frank of a confession?”
“No, not at all,” he sees an opportunity and scrambles to get the words out, “may I accompany you or will I be overstepping?” 
You blink at him before a small, cheery smile pulls on your lips. “I would love your company, but I only ask that we leave at this very moment because it is getting far too stuffy in here.”
“Then time is of the essence.” Neuvillette extends his arm for you to take and he relishes in the feeling of when you do. 
Leaving the venue and helping you down numerous flights of stairs, the lighting and allure outside is far more romantic than it is inside. The street lamps of Fontaine were made for functionality so that no citizen could walk around unassuming and unaware of the darkness, and never were they made with the intent of illuminating anyone’s beauty. Yet here you stand before him, radiant under the warm tones of the lamp with the evening breeze flowing through your hair. 
Moreover it is quiet out here. There is no one to bother the two of you, no melusines, no meddling Archon who lives for drama, no loud music and chatter, just you and him, together. It is a contrast so stark that he fears reality will shatter any second. 
Naïve to his internal turmoils, you tug at his arm gently. “Let us go for a walk along the river,” you propose. A muted feeling of enthusiasm flows through Neuvillette and he readily agrees to your suggestion, more than happy to indulge in the gentle kisses of the sea breeze on his face.
The stroll is peaceful and quiet, neither of you speak too much but it is not awkward in the slightest. Your gowns trail behind the two of you with each step, dancing in sync with the wind as your slow pace allows the two of you to bathe in the light of the moon. 
Although Neuvillette does not want the night to end nor to let you go, the amount of yawns you’ve suppressed since leaving is alerting him of your fatigue, and he’ll feel bad if he keeps you from your sleep any longer. 
Finally, with one long yawn that you were not able to shut away, he stops you in your tracks. “Tired?” The Iudex asks.
You look up at him with eyes forced open, wider than they usually would be. “Just a little, but the night has been lovely so far, I’d hate for it to end.”
“Please, if you need the rest then you should rest.”
“Thank you for your concern, however-”
“There will be no objections. Let me walk you home.”
The moonlight casts a shade of melancholy over your features and the last glance you give to the ocean is nothing but full of longing. You surrender reluctantly. “Alright.”
You two make it back to the last aquabus just in time, and you’re the only passengers onboard. There is occasional chatter with the conductor, as well as private conversations, but Neuvillette has no qualms just spending the ride in silence, admiring you whilst you gaze out at the beautiful landscape of Fontaine. 
“There are so many stars out tonight.”
He glances away from you. “So there are.” Then he makes a brave leap. “There is one right beside me, too.”
“Me?” Your voice is strained with disbelief and your hold on his arms tightens just a little. There is momentary silence before laughter- a quiet sort of laugh, shy and not at all mocking or condescending. “Thank you,” you whisper, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “I’m very flattered you think so highly of me.” 
It becomes quiet again after that but your hand never leaves his. If anything, Neuvillette feels you even more now, your warmth pressed up against his side is addicting, he cannot help but want more of it; he cannot help but want more of you. He wants more nights like this with you, days even- just as long as he can spend some more time with you, he’ll be grateful.
Humans and the complexity of the emotions they feel are something Neuvillette still can’t get a grasp of, but you fill him with something so inherently humane. Sitting beside you on an aquabus that is minutes away from its end is a bittersweet reminder of how little time there is until the evening ends, and this mesmerising evening becomes nothing but a memory. How irrational it is to yearn for something so temporary, but that is what makes it beautiful.
The walk back to your neighbourhood is quick, too quick for Neuvillette’s liking, but the smile you give him when you stop before your door is heartwarming. “Thank you dearly for walking me home, Monsieur Neuvillette,” you begin. “You have been the best part about this lively evening.” 
The Chief Justice has never had a way with words, rather, they have always been his enemy, so instead of speaking to convey what he feels, Neuvillette takes your hand instead and places a kiss on your knuckles. A gentlemanly act to many, but he holds and kisses you with such firm intention that it makes you dizzy. It makes you think deeper about whether or not there are underlying intentions to address, and it’s exhilarating questioning what exactly you are to the Chief Justice of Fontaine. 
For now, you’ll find contentment in the moonlight dream that was this evening, and he’ll engrave the feeling of you so close to him into his memory. 
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© EARTHTOOZ 2023, do not steal, translate, repost my fics and do not recommend my fics onto any other site.
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strwbmei · 2 months
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shy raiden ei with g!p reader doing it for the first time UGHH shes so cute and so beautiful i just need to ruin her and also cherish her and treat her like the royalty she is
Ei, as surprising as it'd be for someone who's lived as long as she has, is a virgin. Not only in the sense that she has never had sex with anyone before, but in a way that she has little to no knowledge of anything related to intimacy other than that it mostly involves inserting something in someone else's private parts to reproduce. The idea irked her, to say the least. The archon didn't understand why some people would find it so pleasurable, and she believed that she'd never be able to.
That was until you came into her life. Or rather, exiting the plane of Euthymia after give or take 500 years, she came into yours.
You two clicked immediately, and it didn't take long (at least, not as long as most people would expect for someone as oblivious as Ei,) until you two started dating. She never so much as hinted at the prospect of sex, and you respected that. Ei, on the other hand, was tormented by a whirlpool of emotions whenever in your presence: love, happiness, and something else that she can't quite put her finger on. A feeling so primal; filled with carnal desire that Ei did not want to yield to.
And yet, try as she might, even archons have their own needs. Currently, Ei finds herself underneath you, hands gripping silky sheets as she breathes heavily in anticipation. It's a situation she has fantasized about more than she'd like to admit. Truly, you'd like nothing more than to ravish her as she asks you to be gentle with an expression more irresistible than anything you've seen, but you decide against it. For now, at least.
You made sure to take your time prepping her, whispering sweet praises into her ear that turned the archon into little more than putty in your hands, and damn, was it worth it. The long, drawn out moan she lets out when you first push your cock inside is absolutely heavenly. It doesn't take much for her to turn into a babbling mess, hiding her face in your neck as she mumbles to herself about how good everything feels.
The bed sheets are long since discarded onto a random spot on the floor, and her moans echo throughout the corridors of the Tenshukaku. You can't help but be thankful that your lover rarely has anyone visiting her. Raiden Ei, so feared with her mere presence demanding utmost respect. Your Ei, so shy and adorable. So trusting and naive. The fact that such a powerful archon would do anything for you as soon as you say the word turns you on to no end. Hell, you could probably tell her to get on her knees and beg, and she'd do it.
By the time you can feel yourself close to release, Ei has had at least 3 orgasms already. Your thrusts get sloppier, and she finds herself mindlessly calling your name as she claws at your back. Originally, you had planned to pull out, but it seems Ei had other ideas as she locked her legs behind your hips. You're in no rush. It's more fun to slowly, yet surely corrupt her. And yet, if she wants you to cum inside that badly, who are you to deny?
With one final thrust, your cockhead kisses the entrance of Ei's womb as you shoot a seemingly endless amount of ropes of cum into her warm cunt. You've taken her first kiss, her first time, and now, her first of many creampies. As you pull out and see the absolutely blissed expression on her face, you realize that there's no going back for either of you.
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meidnightrain · 6 months
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HOW YOU GET THE GIRL - wanderer
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❝ and you know that i don’t want you to go. remind me how it used to be, pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks. ❞
summary: presenting…nahida’s foolproof and totally not subtle plan to get you and the wanderer together after endless pining!
warnings: contrary to the title the reader is gn, slight ooc(?)
notes: day 10! just got back from watching the eras movie and three hour long karaoke session so i’m a bit worn down but i decided to go along with this anyway cause i really wanted to work with this idea i had, plus i’m a sucker for my puppet boy. i hope this meets your expectations hehe
taglist (open): @staretes , @rynnlvrs , @sentifua , @i-probably-sleep-too-much , @reilly34 , @qqingque , @akutasoda , @mhiieee , @starryshinyskies , @rintosae , @kazemiya , @pix-stuff
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“presenting…nahida’s foolproof plan to get name!” the dendro archon announced, an unamused wanderer rolling his eyes at her while the aranara amongst the clapped with their stubby little arms.
“how do you even know that this will work?” he asked warily, suspicion edged in his sharp tone. it did nothing to the young goddess who shrugged it off, tapping her temple with a cheeky wink.
“you should trust me on this.” is all that she said, leaving the former harbinger to place his fate in her hands. with the help of her and the aranara, maybe he did have a chance to woo you and nudge the both of you out of the friendzone. even the archons knew how impossible it was for him to say that in front of you.
you were a member of the akademiya, practically a nobody in a literary school which had the pride of being the best of the best. you were mediocre in your field, helpful and kind. you were patient too. when nahida had first enrolled him in select courses held, you had offered to show him the ropes due to being in similar classes despite getting off on the wrong foot.
was that what had pulled him in? how normal you were, being what he had longed to be? he could be himself with you, never needing to keep up that standoffish attitude of his, but still not willing to open his newly acquired heart to you just yet in fear of betrayal. three times was enough for him, he mused as he stood outside the door to your home.
it was raining, pouring in fact. usually he would have shelter from his hat but for some reason, nahida had taken it into her safekeeping. he was a puppet too, he didn’t really understand why he had to act so…so…pitiful in a sorry state in front of you just to get you to like him.
“be vulnerable around name, that will show that when you are with them, you can let down your guard and be your truest self with them.” the archon had explained, ignoring the way that the aranara were using his hat as a boat in the water and sailing off into vanarana.
he murmured a curse, looking around to make sure that no one would see him like this. his eyes landed on an ahoge that stuck out from a pile of crates followed by the familiar chatter of aranaras. great, she was watching this whole humiliating exchange. was pursuing this feeling he thought he harboured towards you really worth it?
with a heavy heart, he knocked on your door, making a show of rubbing his arms like he was cold because of the rain though the only feeling his synthetic arms had were false goosebumps due to anticipation.
you opened your door to your shock to find a shivering wanderer with a frown on his face. it wasn’t uncommon to see him not smiling but this time his smile was different…was it an uncomfortable frown?
“are you insane? it’s raining what are you doing here?!” you whisper-shrieked, making a thought to lower your voice in respect for your neighbours. that only made him fall deeper into this black hole he was trying to claw his way out of, curse you and your thoughtfulness.
“it’s been a long day,” he grumbled, not meeting your eyes in embarrassment for resorting to such measures. he was the wanderer, the former sixth harbinger, kabukimono, practically a god. how was it that he was tripping over his own feet when you were in front of him? he hated it so much but at the same time, he wanted more of it. a small part of normalcy he had dreamed of when he was still a young naive puppet, something that he had longed for was now presented to him on a silver platter.
he was afraid though, not that he would admit it. afraid to tell you what he wanted. he wanted to have framed pictures of the both of you together, have kisses on cheeks, have cuddles and someone to confide in. he wanted you.
“i left you alone at the library, i skipped classes cause i was lazy to go,” is what comes out of his mouth, you merely raised your eyebrow.
“you…you’re standing in the heavy rain to tell me that you skipped classes cause you didn’t want to go…and that you were lazy to study so you didn’t show up today?” you repeat with a perplexed expression, making the wanderer and nahida facepalm internally at his mess-up.
“i must have lost my mind…” he mumbled to himself, taking a deep breath that he didn’t need and looking you in the eyes, recalling the words that the archon of wisdom had given him.
“i want you, whether it be for worse or better. i would wait forever and ever for you. if you ever broke your heart, i’ll put it back together. i think i like you, name.” he said with what looked like a pained expression. the silence was loud, so loud that you could almost hear mythical aranaras waddling around in the background of the pouring rain.
it seems her plan didn’t work as expected, and he had ruined whatever relationship he had hoped to have with you. what did he expect, trusting a god and a bunch of sumeru fairies in the affairs of mortals? looking at your starstruck face, he decided to pick himself up and walk away while he still could.
“it was a waste of time coming here, as expected.” he tried to save face, scoffing loudly and turning away from you, still drenched in the rain. that was until he felt a hand grab his arm softly, warmth flooding his hollow puppet shell at your gentle grip.
“wait, would you like to come in? you’re probably freezing and…yes, i think i like you too, wanderer.” you said quickly, giving him a genuine grin which caused him to hold back a smile and an uncharacteristic yell.
in the distance, he could hear the cheers of nahida and the aranara, though your mortal ears wouldn’t be able to pick it up. nahida was right, he begrudgingly admitted on how to get you.
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ixiot-ghostrebel · 8 months
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Hello what if in sagau the reader thinking about the idea to make big shelter for tramuatised creatos of alternative tevyat this time reader one night drinking with other archons (of course zero alcohol for nahida only some strawberry jucie or something) and in drunked state reader comes to idea of creating shelter for creators of alternative trvyats the archons thinks that just reader begin drunk.....but no reader is serous and day after the archosn must help reader establish the shelter for goodly victims of the cults and like that zhongli venti ei nahida and foclaors relaized how some of thier alternative version are insane(yandere cult au) or morons( most impostors au)
Oohhh, interesting, interesting...I'll see what I can come up with!
So...You may have had a little too much to drink when you decided to hang out with the archons, and you spilled your idea of wanting to create a shelter for alternate teyvat universes where the Creator gets treated like absolute crap.
At first, the archons present (there's only 5) were shocked—who would dare try and hurt their own creator in their own universe? Then, right after you pass out from alcohol consumption, the archons convince themselves that it was just the drunk-ness speaking and not actually your idea.
Boy, were they wrong when you showed them your latest creation.
Venti, Zhongli, Raiden Ei, Nahida, and Furina Reacting to Reader's Shelter for Other Creators.
(Warning! Might Be OOC & Using the General Sagau!Imposter!AU Stuff For This!)
Venti
Man really thought you were joking. When you weren't, safe to say he wished he wasn't trying to get himself wasted during that time.
He was very cautious not to trouble the residents of the Shelter you created since yk PSTD and all that, even if it is annoying that you spend all your time there and he wants to barge in and drag you out to go and have a drink or two.
He isn't sure how he feels exactly, knowing what the other versions of you went through...so safe to say that he tries his best to keep his distance. He personally finds it awkward, and he tries to excuse himself from the situation whenever you try to invite him to greet the other versions of Creator.
"Ehe, I'm honored, Your Grace, really! Unfortunately, Sir Captain Kaeya promised me a drink today at Angel's Share in trade for my latest song. I can't miss out on that, you know?~" You can barely tell nothing's wrong with how well Venti hides his emotions and tactics on a day-to-day basis.
He may eventually get along with the residents of your Shelter area, but as it stands right now...he's keeping his distance for them to cope.
Zhongli
Same as Venti, he really was not expecting this. Sure, he had only a cup of alcohol unlike a certain drunkard bard he knows, and he had contemplated whether or not you were going to do it...but seeing things and speculating things were two different concepts.
He is polite to the residents that have the courage to come close to him, smiling and politely keeping a good distance while also making sure he is not seen as a threat.
He tries his best not to do anything suspicious—he always makes tea in front of their eyes, the tea leaves freshly picked, dried, and then boiled in hot water. The last thing he wants is for any versions of his creator to pose him as a threat in your world. You especially help reassure others at the Shelter that Zhongli's tea isn't poisoned either, so that's good.
"Fear not—Your Grace has been with me these past few weeks, inspecting my tea before I bring it before you." Zhongli sips his own cup, and you follow suit, grinning because you know for a fact it ain't poisoned one bit. "Please rest easy, knowing you will not be harmed here."
Overall, he becomes this sweet grandpa who tells stories while also respecting other people's boundaries. If ever there is a threat, he's already shielding everyone with his ever-famous geo shield, but that's the furthest he does as you insist you take care of the threats yourself. After all...most versions of the Creator have major PTSD from seeing Zhongli wield his polearm.
Raiden Ei
She feels incredibly guilty, knowing that other versions of her raised their blades against their version of the Almighty Creator than to protect.
She practically froze when you drunkenly mentioned about the other versions of you, and it got Ei thinking how bad it was. Though she was reassured by the other archons present, she now wishes she had followed her gut. She was not prepared to meet the Other Versions of the Creator.
Very similar to Venti, she tries to distance herself. Unlike Venti, however, Ei directly declines your invitations to meet any of the residents at the Creator Shelter, thinking her presence would only do more harm than good. In a sense, she goes back in this similar trance during the Inazuma Archon Quest. While she's present in Inazuma, she doesn't step a foot near the Creators' Shelter.
"I apologize, Your Grace....It is best I tend my duties here instead of meeting the Residents of your protective Shelter. If, however, they ever wish to visit Inazuma, I will ensure they meet no harm whatsoever—and do my duty that which the other versions of me failed to succeed in—to protect them with my blade." Every single time you try to invite Ei, she makes this very long speech similar to this. Ei feels awkward, to say the least. After all, she doesn't know how to deal with emotions...
Though it may be irritating that you can't get her to see them, you respect Ei's wish and openly invite others to Inazuma. Safe to say that Ei keeps her word and does indeed protect the other versions of the Creator with her Misou No Hitotachi.
Nahida
Nahida, Nahida...With the General Imposter!Sagau AU idea, Nahida is the only one of (when there was only 4) the archons available that would not attack you, but would rather help you instead. However, due to unpopular Sagau AU ideas, Nahida is also a part of the team that wants the Creator dead. So, in a sense, Nahida is a 50/50 amongst the residents, but it's safe to say that she's by far the archon most versions of the Creator would approach freely.
When she first heard you talk about the Creators' Shelter and their lives (albeit drunk), she found it both scary yet curious. However, since there was no proof of whether this was true or not, Nahida had turned a blind eye on the possibility for the time being, as it could have just been you drunkenly seeing and knowing things.
She was pretty much half-prepared to meet the Residents of the Creators' Shelter...but at least most of them like her? I mean, they allow her to hug her...that's a good start, right?
"It's okay, Your Grace's Guests! I promise, our world would never hurt you, no matter what!" She tries to use this opportunity to try and have the other versions of the Creator open up to other people—after all, their world of Teyvat was different, and vast! She didn't want them to miss it!
You know Nahida's Skill line, "Everyone Hold Hands!" ? Yeah, she wants everyone to get along and smile and be happy!
I am proud to say that Nahida keeps the Creators' Shelter up-to-date with the stuff happening in your Teyvat while also trying to coax them to meet other people. And she's doing a great job!
Furina
From the very little research I did, it seems that Fontaine's Stance in the Imposter!Sagau AU ideas is more sophisticated—but, if Reader turns out to be "guilty," then that could possibly mean public execution. In this case, with the knowledge gained, Furina's stance in this is the same as her personality likeability: 50/50.
When Furina first heard you talk about it, she thought that this entire thing you were going on about was interesting! She loves herself a good opera, and she would gladly play a role in your show! She just didn't like how it was versions of you from the Imposter!Sagau aus (she's the only one who'd probably remember what you called them and use the same terms), as it makes it hard to really prove to others that Fontaine was the best nation of Teyvat! Not that she wants to flex or anything (she wants to flex)
As it stands right now, Fontaine is pretty new. Most likely only a few recent versions of the Almighty Creator would have some form of PTSD with Fontaine, but most of general residents at the Creators' Shelter are from when Fontaine was yet to be released. This means that many people would cautiously approach Furina to ask what Fontaine would be like, while the very recent versions of you might be more frightened to go near her.
"Ah, yes! Fontaine has the best places to view the grandest and most extravagant buildings you will ever see! If ever you wish to visit, I shall personally escort you to the Nation of Hydro, and we may feast on both the justice we place put, and the opera we present to please! Now, I shall go and ask Your Grace if I may bring you Desserts from Fontaine—toodle-loo~" Furina gladly lets the other versions of the Creator see her enigmatic personality, not afraid to present herself as she usually does.
However dramatic and ever-flamboyant she may be, Furina isn't stupid. She can see wariness and suspicion seeping in to some of the most recent Imposter!Sagau yous, so she immediately yet cleanly makes sure she takes her leave, her curtain call with a promise to return in the near future.
She's probably the second-most visiting archon the Creators' Shelter sees, but Furina's visits are always short. At least she brings desserts from Fontaine to share with everyone!
And we're done! Boy, this took longer than expected...I hope you guys enjoyed it, though!
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Ghost Rebel Side Notes: I have not been keeping up with what's going on in the Sagau Genshin Community, so Furina's bit may be very off on what is actually going on in the general Sagau Community. Sorry on that part.
I was originally tempted to try and do my own interpretation of Fontaine's stance in the Sagau!Imposter category, as they are known for their justice and love of good plot story. If you think about it, Fontaine might be more intrigued with the idea than be heavily offensive about it—after all, Fontaine loves their opera. I vetoed the idea though bc this request needed a focus on the generic stance of an Imposter!Sagau Au so I scrolled through a few posts to see what others were up to.
But yeah, I'm alive! I honestly love how like—no one has made the "sagau furina" tag yet and I had to make it myself LOL. Man, I've really been dead on Tumblr, huh?
If you're still on the radar for The Lost Shining God of Celestia, don't worry—it's not being cancelled. I'm still on hiatus due to writer's block (it only has two paragraphs im sobbing at my inactivity), but I'll get there eventually! Sorry for testing you patience lol—
✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦
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viviennevermillion · 10 months
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ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴄᴀʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ʜᴀɴᴅ...
❝ I was made for loving you, even though we may be hopeless hearts just passing through; every bone screaming, I don't know what we should do ❞ — tori kelly
prompt: affection they crave but don't dare to ask for
character included: ei, wanderer, pantalone, baizhu
contains: character x gn!reader, established relationship
warnings: descriptions of suffering and chronic illness in baizhu's part
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✧ holding your hand — Ei is touch starved after the centuries she has spent locking herself away in the Plane of Euthymia. She's used to people respecting her and even fearing her, but few actually treat her as an equal. How could they after all? She was an archon and she had ruled Inazuma with an iron fist for quite a while. So something as simple as you taking her hand into yours just as she remembers her friends doing ages ago.... it's hardly something self-evident to her. She has a lot to learn about how the world has changed during her absence. Sometimes she may be confused or have this serious, slightly intimidating look on her face. Nothing better in this moment than her beloved taking her hand, which instantly brings a smile to her face. Ei doesn't ask you to hold her hand, she doesn't want to come off as clingy, but everytime the two of you are out on a date she's silently hoping you'll do this small gesture again that makes her heart skip a beat.
✧ leaning your forehead against hers — Even an archon like the Raiden Shogun is not without troubles. Quite on the contrary, Ei has a lot of them after all that has happened. When her doubts and grief creep up on her, a gesture such as leaning your forehead against hers is like a silent promise to her that you'll be there even as the storm rages on in her mind. Your touch is soothing to her restless soul and as she feels your kindness and the extent of your love, she understands what it means to find her beloved eternity in something as simple as a fleeting moment with you.
✧ kissing her neck — Ei, when she appears in public, represents eternity both as an archon and a person. She's solid and radiates an aura of untouchability. Who could have thought that someone as her was incredibly ticklish? She likes the sensation of your lips against her neck, but it also tickles her sensitive skin, so you can hear a giggle escaping her that you might not have heard otherwise. If you're planning to tease her and fool around, a giggle might turn into a hearty laugh. You'd be sure to earn the respect of Inazuma's citizens if they were to learn that you could draw a laugh like that out of the woman who once watched these lands with such a cold gaze.
✧ letting her rest her head on your shoulder — Ei doesn't technically need to sleep. But the duties of the Shogun can be quite taxing. As such, she appreciates the opportunity to wind down in your presence and take some deep breaths after a stressful day. You can always tell when she's tired. She tends to close her eyes and let the cool wind hit her face. If you offer her to rest her head on your shoulder, she'll happily take you up on it. She'll keep her eyes shut, enjoying the closeness to you as she mumbles a quiet "thank you". She loves to sit idly like this for a while, simply relishing in the love you give her each day.
✧ sharing things with her — There's just something so intimate about doing things together and sharing what you enjoy with each other. At first, Ei found the idea of sharing a can of dango milk with two straws or an ice cream cup a little silly, not understanding how it could be any different from each of you getting your own food and drinks, but after trying it she really felt like she bonded with you over it.
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✧ letting him sit on your lap — This is something he would never ask for over his dead body unless you tease the hell out of him repeatedly but he's been thinking about it ever since getting together with you. He's all too familiar with bickering and pushing you away, even when he doesn't want to; because he's scared of what would become of him; were he to face another devastating betrayal. He craves your affection but he spends his days waiting.... yearning for it. For how foolish would it look if you were to mock him and abandon him for craving something as cheesy and human as this? So he pushes down his feelings and just settles for whatever affection you decide to give him. Until one day there's no seating spot left for him and you grab his waist, gently pulling him onto your lap. You had no idea up to that point that your lover was capable of blushing. But he's silent and doesn't dare to move, lest you might push him off with a joking comment. As you pull him closer to your chest, he relaxes into your embrace and closes his eyes. Your lips find the soft skin of his neck and place a couple of appreciative kisses on it. Wanderer lets out a relaxed sigh and turns his head to you to press a kiss to your lips. "You seem to enjoy this", you remarked with a smile on your face. "I'm simply making sure you don't cry about not getting enough affection later. That'd be a bother", he huffs and you can't help but let out a chuckle, knowing him well enough by now to see through his facade. You make a note to do this more often.
✧ playing with his hair — This one is in your favor because he has really, really soft hair. You don't even remember when it happened but at some point, laying his head in your lap and letting you card your fingers through the dark strands has become his way of unwinding after a long day. He loved the experience of finally feeling safe and cared for in someone else's presence after he had been surrounded by people he was more than justified to distrust for the past centuries. Your touch was soothing, like a gentle breeze inviting him to a place far away from his troubles and doubts. Never did Wanderer believe that anything in his life could be considered "a blessing from the gods", but with you? Well, he wouldn't be surprised. Or maybe it was simply what you were like; giving your love to him in this often cold and cruel world without expecting anything in return; your care for him blossoming and persisting in this reality despite all odds.
✧ squeezing his thigh — He loves when you do this, whether it be when you have to get up and leave to attend some business or whether it's in reassurance; despite how he'd claim that he doesn't need your support and encouragement about anything. He'd feel much more lost without it. He also enjoys simply having you rest your hand on his thigh while you're sitting idly on the couch or a picnic blanket, each of you tending to your own matters and interests but always enjoying being together like this. It reminds him that you're there, something he needs when the thoughts of his past and the uncertainty about his future start to creep up on him.
✧ kissing his shoulders — He's very weak for this. He has no idea what the point was; for a puppet to have any sensitive spots. Wouldn't he have been more efficient if he could feel no affection or pain? After all, wouldn't life have been less hurtful like this? But in those moments; feeling your lips trail soft kisses along his shoulders; he was, for the first time, glad that he was like that. He closes his eyes and focuses solely on the pleasant tickle your pecks left on his skin.
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✧ holding him in your arms — Pantalone may seem like a cold and serious business man on the outside, but he can't fool his beloved. That man is a hopeless romantic once you get him to trust you and he's clingy as hell. He's a little spoon and he loves when you hold him in your arms after a long day of work that you sometimes even have to coax him away from. He'll rest his head against your chest as you do him the favor of gently removing his glasses that he forgot he even still had on because of how tired he was. He lets out a happy sigh as you run your fingers through his dark locks and press a kiss to his forehead. He may not ask you to do this, but he always makes sure to express his gratitude to you for the love you give him. "Thank you for always taking care of me like this, my dearest", he mumbles and nuzzles your neck, "and getting me to sleep on time... I had no idea it was already midnight." He let out of chuckle and you shake your head with a disappointed sigh. Not a week went by where you didn't find him nodding off at his desk at least once; struggling to keep his eyes open and accidentally misspelling or repeating words on the report drafts he made. "You need to take some more time off", you whisper, gently caressing his cheeks. "The work of a Fatui Harbinger is tedious", he simply states. But if you could convince him to take breaks and get enough rest with your love and affection? Well, that was enough for now.
✧ listing the reasons you love him — This is something he needs from time to time. He vividly remembers his youth where he used to search for coins in the streets to buy himself a meal and was politely told to exit restaurants as his shabby looks might have a negative impact on the establishments' reputation if wealthy customers saw him like this, sitting alone at the table with half a meal because that was all he could afford. His popularity and desirability skyrocketed when he became a wealthy business man and the 9th harbinger. What could you love about him, if not his material possessions? There are moment, especially in the beginning of the relationship, where nothing helps him get over his doubts more than you holding him close and reminding him of how beautiful he was in your eyes; how you'd love him with every fiber of your being even if he had not a single coin to spare. That you adored how thoughtful, intelligent, ambitious and passionate he was. You loved the light-hearted moments in which Pantalone would joke around with you and attempt to tease you; as well as the quiet nights where he just couldn't help but to kiss you over and over again because his love for you was too much to just keep in his heart. You felt the same. That's why you let him know how much he means to you and all the little things you've grown to love about him.
✧ shoulder massages — He needs those because he has so much muscle tension, you weren't sure how his back didn't hurt every minute of the day. There's few things Pantalone appreciates more than having you massage his shoulders and help his muscles relax when he pulls what you had come to refer to as another "desk work marathon". Again, he doesn't ask for this but he makes sure to thank you, interrupting his work for a moment to give you a loving kiss and look into your eyes as he tells you that he loves you.
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✧ holding his hand when he's sick — We all know Baizhu has some days where his ailment gets so bad that he has to stay in bed and can't go to work. It took him a long, long time to even let you see him during those moments of weakness. Usually he'd just lock himself in his bedroom with only Changsheng for company as he tried to get through his pain on his own. After all, to him, it seemed as though it probably would be burden enough for you to love a man you knew was slowly dying. You didn't need to see him suffer like this. Only after you insisted several times that you want to be there for him when he has a bad day; that it would worry you way less if you could support him and comfort him; he let you in. Baizhu feels bad for relying on your help when he's in this state, but simultaneously your presence soon becomes a remedy he wouldn't want to miss out on. When the pain makes his whole body sore and the dizziness and nausea makes him feel like he's never going to get up again and the temperature of his body feels as though the gods of cryo and pyro were having a brutal war in his quarters; there's also, through all the hurt, the feeling of your hand holding his. The sound of your voice reassuring him that he was going to be okay and that you were right there with him. "Just focus on my hand", you tell him with a gentle voice as you run your fingertips over his palm as you see him shiver in the bed next to you. "I'm sorry that-", he croaks out but you interrupt him. "There's nothing you need to apologize for, my love", you reassure him and press a kiss to his forehead.
✧ helping him during bad days — Similarly, it also takes Baizhu a while to warm up to the idea of letting you assist him when he's feeling sick; be it making him tea or soup, taking care of some of his documents or wrapping his calves in wet cloths to help with the fever. You can only shake your head upon learning that he used to try and do these things himself while in this state. Changsheng is more than grateful that she doesn't have to fuss over the doctor as much as she used to now that you're here. Despite his initial protests, Baizhu has to admit that getting through one of those days had become way easier with someone around who actually had arms. Changsheng could try to ease his pain and comfort him with words but carrying a plate of soup was outside of the realm of possibility for the white snake.
✧ braiding his hair — As much as you love to see your lover with his hair down, there's many situations in his profession where a braid is more hygienic and comfortable to have. So he appreciates just being able to relax and talk with you about anything that crosses your minds while you braid his hair. If you keep commenting on how soft it is and how beautiful you think Baizhu is, you're sure to get a blush out of the physician. "You're adorable when you're flustered", you tease and Baizhu is glad that you're braiding his hair so he doesn't have to make eye contact with you. Oftentimes, doing this will have you press a kiss or two to his neck to remind him of your love for him while you tend to his long hair.
✧ deep and loving kisses — Baizhu loves when you take the initiative and just hold him in your arms while kissing him slowly and repeatedly. He appreciates to just be able to forget about his quest for immortality and his illness like this for a while, simply focusing on the feeling of your lips on his and your tongue circling around his, pouring all your love for him into the gesture and mumbling a quiet "I love you" in-between them. He knew very well that humans had a habit of living fast and the days going by faster than you'd think they would, so he adores just being able to indulge you and focus on your touch as if time had frozen for just a moment. He lets you pull him into another kiss as many times as you like to, simply grateful to be loved like this by someone he treasures as much as you.
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it-happened-one-fic · 2 months
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Dancing With Visions - Wish to Dance - Slow Waltz - Neuvillette
Author Notes: This is the fourth fic for my "Dancing with Visions" fic series for Genshin Impact! The slow waltz, also called the English waltz, is one of the more famous styles of ballroom dancing. It is, as the name implies, slower than the Viennese Waltz. This fic was largely inspired by the dance scene from the 2015 film "Crimson Peak." I've never actually seen the movie, but I did really like the scene after watching it on Youtube. Just like the rest of this series, reader is female. I hope you enjoy!
If you would like to read more of this series, the fics can be found here: Dancing with Visions Masterlist.
Type: Female reader/ Implied romantic/ fluff/ dance/ sfw
Word Count: 1609
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Fontaine was ever a glittering world of drama, comedy, and theatrics. This was true even in their celebrations. Supposedly respectful and filled with the elegance of old as couples swirled amongst each other in rhythmic motions. Dancing through the brightly lit room just like the fish that swam in the sea that surrounded the nation of Justice.
It was a beautiful sight. Like something out of a play or magnificent story where two lovers would meet one another and share their first dance. But then perhaps that was just your more romantic side talking.
It was interesting to see everyone dancing together, though. The knowledge that similar motions occurred to the same song even though there were feelings in each dancer’s heart had a smile appearing on your face as you watched people spiral around the floor.
Off to the side, you could see Furina watching over the spectacle from a wall, much like you were. One of her hands was raised as if she herself were directing the music and bidding people to dance as they felt moved to. And there was a certain longing to dance with the atmosphere that filled the place, even though you hung back in a manner similar to the former archon. Watching in silence instead of joining the people around you, despite any temptation you felt.
Because, for better or worse, despite the glittering lights, beautiful music, and smiling faces, Fontaine was a nation of judgment just as much as it was a nation of justice. 
It wasn’t that you feared others' judgment when dancing was a thing to be enjoyed, but you also didn’t really think you could bear it if you were to mess up in front of so many people.
So you watched, swaying slightly along with the music but holding back and watching as your more talented peers danced across your gaze. Shining brightly as they spiraled through the light cast by the grandiose chandelier overhead.
And it wasn’t as if you and Furina weren’t the only ones not dancing. You could see Charlotte off to the side, taking pictures. Aiming her camera towards where Navia spiraled across the floor in someone’s arms. A bright smile on her face. The perfect choice for the cover of whatever story Charlotte was going to be doing on this evening’s dance that was so filled with the who's-who of Fontaine.
Similarly, Clorinde stood off to the side. No doubt standing guard even as she watched her blonde-haired friend captivate the entire ballroom, including yourself.
So caught were you in the sight of everyone’s beautiful motions, smiling faces, and the glittering spectacle that you almost missed the sight of the man who was crossing the room towards where you stood.
Almost, but not quite.
You felt your eyes widen slightly as you looked towards where Neuvillette was carefully navigating his way through the room to where you stood. He was someone who never seemed to partake in the dancing that occurred at these functions. 
Like you, he seemed satisfied to just watch from where he would stand silently off to the side. And though you had always gotten along fairly well with Neuvillette, he never joined you where you stood. Instead, it seemed more like he preferred to watch in silence on his own, and you respected that.
Which was why you were surprised to see him approaching you and gave him your full attention as he emerged from the crowd to stand before you.  
“Y/n,” He greeted you in that ever-calm tone of his, as if nothing could ever truly sway him. And you smiled slightly, inclining your head respectfully. Because even though you knew he preferred not to have anyone make such a big deal over his position as Iudex, it was best to behave as expected in such public environments.
What he did next startled you, though. Causing you to falter even before you could truly greet him as he held out his hand in a silent request. 
You found yourself glancing around nervously, immediately noticing how Furina’s wide-eyed gaze shifted towards where you and Neuvillette stood. And all at once, people slowly started to notice what was occurring in your once quiet little corner of the ballroom.
“What are you doing?” Your voice was a hushed, uncertain whisper as your gaze flickered back to his, only to find him still looking at you with utter calm. Completely unbothered by the reactions of others.
But he was innately capable of standing apart from others and not letting his thoughts, actions, or judgements be swayed by what anyone else seemed to think. It was what made him so respected as Iudex, and it was one of the things that you admired about him.
“When a couple dances, their motions can become as fluid as those of water itself,” He paused, watching me silently as if waiting for a reaction before sighing slightly. “You always watch others dance, but never join them, and I find myself wondering, do you not wish to dance yourself?”
You blinked at his words, surprisingly on point despite the flowery language that had hid his meaning to start with, “I…. I do not think it would necessarily be wise for me to do so considering I am nowhere near as talented as others.”
You toyed with the skirt of your dress awkwardly as you hesitated before continuing, “Perhaps there is someone better suited to dancing with you. Such as Navia or someone else.” 
You smiled at him carefully, knowing perfectly well how people would react to anyone dancing with Neuvillette. Much less yourself, someone known to stand on the outskirts of balls.
A smile flickered across his face, fast enough that you almost missed it, “Ah, but I did not ask Miss Navia or anyone else. I asked you.”
At his words, your gaze fell once more to his still-outstretched palm, your own hand lifting but hesitating just short of his before you at last let your fingers rest in his. 
His fingers curled over and around yours easily, and he stepped backwards, slowly leading you out onto the dancefloor and completely ignoring the veritable swathe of people who immediately looked towards where you stood together. Slowly slipping into hold as your free hand reached up to his shoulder and his arm wrapped around you so that he could rest his hand on your back.
“Why?” Your voice was beyond hushed, but he still heard you. Tilting his head as he silently pushed you to continue. To explain your question. 
So swallowing, you did. “Why are we doing this?”
His lips twitched as he inclined his head and spoke, “Because you deserve to enjoy these lights just as much as anyone else.”
You smiled at his words, half-amused as you met his gaze, “Even when this will most definitely cause people to talk?”
He stayed silent, and you found yourself frowning once more, “What if they start to talk about you? I know how you prefer to avoid the limelight and-”
Neuvillette shook his head at your words, cutting you off with the simple motion before he ever began to speak, “I’m not doing anything so strange. I am merely doing what any gentleman would. ”
He paused, straightening slightly as other dancers slowly began to take up their positions around the floor, their gazes staying on the two of you even as he continued, “People will talk no matter what I do, so let them talk.”
You smiled again at his words, touched by his meaning but still concerned that he was forcing himself, even as he inclined his head towards you, “Shall we?”
As if you could stop now, as the music began with both of you already in position and the eyes of everyone in the room on us. But you also knew that if you wanted to back out now, Neuvillette would agree. 
You swallowed and nodded, “If you are certain that this is what you wish to do.”
He smiled at your words, a genuine expression that caused your eyes to widen slightly since, even though you’d spoken with him numerous times and had seen him smile before, it was still a surprise to see such an easy expression slip across the face of the man known all over as the respected Iudex.
“It is my honor,” And with only those words, he began to guide you into the motions of a gentle, spiraling dance that everyone in Fontaine knew.
A slow waltz. A simple dance that left room for conversation while still imparting the joys of dancing.
It was a dance that fit Neuvillette and had you relaxing into your interaction with him as you smiled.  Because if there was any dance you were confident in doing, it was this one. Especially if Neuvillette was your partner. You knew he would never lead you astray.
You swirled around the room together, rising and falling to the distinctive tempo of the song like the ebb and flow of the sea itself and never faltering. Not even as you reached the very end and he released you to spin out from him so that you were only attached by one hand still held in his.
And you were surprised to see you weren’t looking at anyone else in the room as the onlookers politely began to applaud for all who had danced. Instead, your eyes were on Neuvillette as you smiled at him, and he held your gaze with a small smile of his own.
And as easily as that you realized that there was no one else you would rather waltz with.
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rottendollface · 4 months
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Sons of Sin.
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Request by: @bigtimesalt8196
Character: Childe Tartaglia | Ajax.
Warnings: NSFW; Little Red Riding Hood AU, different lore of Archons, werewolf yandere Ajax, narcissistic Aether with sadistic inclinations, female reader is a radical believer, Ajax was born from a different man, incest, crowd collapse, cannibalism, unwanted marriage, unprotected sex, creampie, breeding kink, oral sex, bestiality, fingering, knotting, slight lactation kink, planned murder, voyeurism, 18+.
W/C: 9388.
Art by: Pixart AI.
When the hunger awoke there was nothing more, but pain – pain of cracked bones and stretched out joints. Not a scream, but a feral howl could be heard, as Ajax experienced his first transformation in the deepest of the impenetrable forest. You woke up from the echoes of roar that made windows in your room rattle. You froze in your bed in fear, but curiosity took over you and you got up, coming to the window on your tiptoes. You looked out, and the yard was clean, no sign of someone's presence.
Without a candle you stepped into the darkness of the corridor and rushed to the nursery, where Teucer and Tonya lived. “It's me,” you whispered, opening the creaking door; you heard both of them sobbing and tried to calm them. “It's okay, little ones. That's our Patron Saint howling in the forest, foretelling the Blood Moon.”
You came to their shared bed. Both Tonya and Teucer curled in dread, hugging each other. Their bed stayed against the wall, so you took the unprotected side, hiding them behind your figure. Like a young gentleman he was, Teucer had always let Tonya sleep against the wall, as she was afraid of the dark. You felt Teucer clinging to you, and Tonya did the same, but to him. You reached your hand, trying to hug both of them at the same time. With you by their side, your younger siblings felt safe and finally relaxed.
“Sleep, my ducklings,” you soothed. ”There is nothing to be afraid of. Your older brother will do everything right. Have faith in him.”
Before the festival of the Blood Moon the oldest son of the head of the village had to step into the forest to present the gifts to the Patron Saint – Ajax was the chosen one, and you were praying for him to return from the mission safely. You knew he would be alright, yet you asked the Patron to have mercy on Ajax and bring him back home.
You were humming a chant until Tonya and Teucer fell asleep, then you got up and left noiselessly. In the corridor you saw a glimpse of candle light and Aether, your groom, appeared in front of you immediately after.
“Is everything okay?” Aether murmured, anxiety on his face. You sighed – no more frightened children for you tonight.
“Yes. Please come to your bedroom, Aether.” You patted him on his bare shoulder. “You shouldn't walk in a negligee. Someone could see you.”
“I'm sorry. You know, those sounds…” Aether became confused at how you raised your brows in mock and disbelief, so he coughed to change the subject. “May the rest of the night be good for you.”
“Same for you. Now, please excuse me.” You hurried to your room. Again, you peeked through the window to see at least traces of Ajax on the white snow, yet again you saw nothing.
Ajax was special to you. Frequent touches and an urge to do everything all together: it were the reasons father started searching for a husband for you. Father knew how a woman's charm could make a man's head clouded, and Ajax, who was born from a different seed, could fall for it easily. Father's concerns towards Ajax's and your relationship were vile, yet they were true – both of you fell for the same sin of incest. Ajax was the result of your mother's first marriage, so everyone in the family counted him as an alien, a descendant of a different breed, despite the fact that all of the family's children shared the same mother. He was treated with the same love and respect, but deep inside everyone in the house, except mother, thought of him as a stranger at home.
Mother's silent approval of your relationship with Ajax was the starting point of the communication turning into a love affair. For you Ajax's attention was something you craved for. Ajax was reliable, kind and brave. He was always on your side, ready to protect you from everything: Ajax could sacrifice the world for you, and you knew no one would treat you with as much respect and care as him.
Ajax understood his affection towards you was different from teenage years. Your figure and your facial features were much more elegant than other brothers' and sisters'. Your steps were imponderable, your moves were extensively gracious, and your presence was radiating with vitality and joy. Smile on your lips could make everyone's day brighter, and the tender gaze of your glistening eyes was the only thing every village man dreamed of seeing. You had a supernatural charm and used it instinctively, making everyone fall in love with you from just one sight. You were precious: hospitable and selfless. Everything Ajax admired in women was collected in you, making you the most desirable one, and the temptation of forbidden fruit made him lose his head over you. He knew you would be a perfect mother. Your love was a glory to him, and Ajax was dreaming about starting a family with you. He wanted to see you nursing his offspring, wanted to come home, and be greeted by your kisses and hugs from his children. Ajax was ashamed to admit to himself that he thirsted to see you breastfeeding his child. Once he saw mother doing that, and a scandalous fantasy appeared in his head, never wanting to leave. Just the idea of a child sucking on your swollen nipple and your breasts round, full of milk, made Ajax blush from arousal.
Maybe your beauty and virtue were the reason why Aether, the named prince of newly founded territories of Snezhnaya called the Abyss, agreed to marry you without hesitation. Both, Ajax and you, were shocked at the news of your approaching wedding. You rebelled: you didn't want to marry and wanted to spend at least five more carefree years in your family, not to serve some stranger. Father was sure he needed to send you out of the house, and the Blood Moon was the best time to do so. Father found a perfect man for you – Aether, an outlander from the capital who owned a business of search and excavation of minerals. He was a few years older than you, handsome and wealthy to be counted as a good groom.
Aether arrived at the village not so long ago, his horses were resting at the same stable with yours, and his carriage was staying in the backyard. He was welcomed, settled in the best room of the house and got surrounded by care from elders and waggish affection from children. Your family accepted him and tried to make him feel like home in your house, yet Ajax and you weren't sharing the same excitement from Aether's presence. You were acting demure and cold, while Ajax didn't try to hide his irritation and hostility towards Aether. Ajax hated the way Aether was walking around the house and eyeing everything with interest and confusion: unlike people from the Capital, you, the residents of the village in Snezhnaya's outskirts, had different beliefs and traditions that baffled outlanders. There was an altar with a self-painted ikon (it depicted a creature with a human body, but a wolf's head), surrounded by candles and flowers, on every door frame there were carved out runes, all the kids in the village were wearing bracelets of black tourmaline, and no bibles of Archons could be found in the whole village. The difference between Aether and your family was clear: he believed in the Seven, and you believed in the local God, which was branded as false and destroyed by the Seven. In the Capital you were called heretics, in the village Aether was called traitor. Ajax was a radical believer and outlander's ignorance made him furious. You could call yourself a radical too, but you had patience and didn't have problems with heathens, until they respected your faith.
Maybe the roots of miscommunication between Aether and you laid in the different background, maybe it was a fear of Ajax's fervent jealousy that made you avoid your groom. You knew for sure that you would never be able to betray your heart and chose Aether instead of Ajax. You didn't want him as your friend even: Aether's presence made you nervous, but you had to act like a welcoming person not to disgrace your family. From his side, Aether showed you signs of affection and seemed to be genuinely interested in you – it made you nauseous. You were tired of smiling at him and acting happy for the gifts he gave you, but you didn't need him and his trinkets. It was the bitter truth, but your father chose to stay blind to it. He made a good deal and didn't want to lose any profit from it: Aether's company got permission to extract minerals from the village's abandoned mines and sell them, but the half of earned money belonged to the villagers.
You got up earlier than everyone else and searched for Ajax. You found him in his bedroom, sleeping tightly from night events. You kissed him on the forehead gently – you wanted to ask him so many things but kept your curiosity tamed. You closed the door to his room and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family. Aether came down when you were in the process of baking sweet buns. You tensed up, but couldn't do anything about it.
“Happy Blood Moon, Aether,” you gave him a wide smile. Today was the day of the festival, and you were looking forward to dancing, music and contests. “Give me a minute, please, and I'll serve you something to eat.” You placed buns into the oven and began to bustle around the kitchen.
“Aren't we supposed to wait for everyone else and eat all together?” His voice sounded deliberately uninterested. You opened your mouth to answer him, but felt his hands squeezing your hips, then his figure pressing to yours. It was easy to take you by surprise, as you were standing with your back to him. He bucked his hips into yours, making you put your hands in front of you to keep balance. Aether's warm lips brushed against your neck, his agile fingers were reaching under your heavy wool skirt. “We have plenty of time, and I know a faster way to pass it. With pleasure, of course.”
“No!” You clung on his wrists, clawing into Aether's skin until he hissed. “I don't want to!”
“Come on, don't be such a coy, I'm your groom after all. Not all the methods include penetration, if you are afraid of it.” He giggled, moving one of his hands to your breast. You tried to break free, but he just pressed you tighter between his body and the corner. “Didn't your mother teach you what is happening between man and woman?”
“I'm on my period!” You made one more attempt and this one was successful. Quickly, Aether got his hands off of your body and excused himself. He left the room so as not to embarrass himself and you.
You weren't so coy and shy as Aether thought of you. You laid with man and were no stranger for passion, but the only one who had access to your body was Ajax. Aether's touches made you disgusted, and the responsibility of sharing bed with him made you frightened. He expected to marry a virgin, while you were so experienced you could teach him the true art of carnal love. What would Aether do after convicting you of obscenity? You were frightened at this point. The only way for you to find an answer to how to hide your past was to confess to your mother and ask for help. You knew she wouldn't make trouble from it, yet you felt ashamed.
You spend about an hour alone in the kitchen until mother came; Tonya and Teucer ran ahead of her. Mother kissed you on the cheek first, then on your forehead. She was calm as always, it seemed like nothing could disturb her tranquility. Then father came along with Aether: they were chatting about something, both obviously pleased by the topic. Your heart dropped. You were waiting for Ajax, but it seemed he was too exhausted to get up so early.
The family took places at the table, and Ajax appeared at the doorstep. “Brother!” You exclaimed, happiness on your face and glint in your eye. You ran to hug him, when your arms grasped him tightly, you heard a silent groan. Ajax patted you back weakly. “How did it go?”
“Like it should. Perfectly fine.” Ajax smiled, yet on his tired face it looked poorly.
“Hail to the Saint Werewolf!” You raised your hands above your head and folded them in a prayer gesture. “May the Blood Moon wash the sins from our village and bless another year with a good harvest and enough prey.”
“Hail to the Saint.” Ajax repeated after you and made the same gesture.
Father gazed down, perturbed by your religious enthusiasm. He looked at Aether slyly, trying to find a shade of disgust or anger on his face, but Aether seemed confused only.
“It's good to remember about your roots, but we don't bring any religious manner to the festival anymore, dear,” father spoke to you loudly. Mother scoffed, and Ajax frowned his eyebrows immediately. “We should worship The Seven only, don't forget about this.”
“On our land we should worship our God, not the usurpers.” Ajax demanded. He pushed you back and stepped in front of you, ready to argue. “Everyone who comes into the village should obey its rules, or go away with their ugly gods. There is no other option.”
“He is right,” You took your brother by his hand and pulled back gently, shortening his temper. “We have a great history and shouldn't be ashamed of it. Shame is the first sign of vulnerability.”
You held your head high, irradiating pride in your brother and the strength of your beliefs, so did mother, smiling with the corners of her lips only. Tonya and Teucer were busy playing rock-paper-scissors and didn't care about affairs of adult life. Aether just shrugged his shoulders, as he didn't want the conflict to continue. Even for him it was clear that father, despite being in rule in the village, was treated with neglect and skepticism by his own family, but he seemed to be perfectly fine with it. Mother was ruling the family from the shadows and you took after her. You got control over Ajax, making yourself a second authority figure, and was in charge of solving minor problems. Since the first day here, Aether noticed that your older brother was following you everywhere like a dog and looking at everyone with a wolf's gaze, full of anger, when someone tried to communicate with you. Maybe it was the traditions of your community, but Aether didn't like it at all. Aether believed that a wife should be humble and afraid of her husband, and you were an untamed horse. He was looking forward to breaking your character after the wedding. It wouldn't be easy work for sure, yet there was something exciting in restraining someone so impetuous and mentally strong.
Breakfast went surprisingly peacefully. Hours were left until the festival, so children were playing in the living room, while Ajax, Aether and you were watching after them.
“So what great history is behind the festival's origin?” Aether asked, trying to start the conversation.
"In the festival we pay tribute to the sacred protector of the village – the werewolf." You explained with a merry voice, preparing yourself to tell the whole legend. "The legend says that long before Archons descended to Teyvat, the long forgotten God created the world. The God created human creatures, a man and a woman. To protect them, it created a wolf and assigned him guarding humans, but the evil rose from the underworld. The evil assured the God that his creations were too perfect and it would lead the world to imbalance – so to keep the sacred balance, the God's every creature should have a gift from the evil as well. The God agreed, and allowed evil to spill his gifts to his creatures. The wolf was gifted with envy, the man was gifted with hubris and the woman was gifted with fear. Once, when the God left its children without care, the man started treating the wolf with neglect. In order to make the wolf fear him and respect him, the man was beating the animal. The woman, afraid of her husband, was just watching the process with tears in her eyes. The wolf was watching how the man and the woman lived together, and he felt envy for what they had: the wolf, too, wanted a mate, but the God forgot to make one for it. That's why deep at night, when the man tried to beat the wolf one more time, the wolf attacked him and killed the first man in the world, and took his wife as its mate. After this night the Moon in the Sky turned red from the blood of the man, and the wolf hid in the forest with its woman, where she birthed him many children, half-human and half-wolf, and they founded many villages, where they passed their genes from one generation to another; they protected each other, as well as everyone else, who asked for protection."
“How can you worship the one who killed the first man? Why didn't your god punish the beast for that?” Perplexed, Aether recalled the holy scripture of Archons and found it way more fair.
“Because he deserved this.” Ajax grunted, clenching his fists.
“No one deserved nothing,” you hurried to make up for your brother. “It was the natural order of balance. Hubris took over the man and made him sin which led to evil imbalance. The wolf atoned for the guilt by protecting people and honoring his children to do so. The balance was restored.”
“Never should an animal have power over a man.” Aether shook his head. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Ajax clenching his fists.
“Our God was killed by Archons and Archons ordered us to forget our roots. They pursued us into the depths of the forest because our religion is different and they tried to rewrite our history. We suffered enough persecution, so don't start a fight over such a sensitive problem.” You blurted out, noticing Ajax's anger building up. One more word and he would sprang at Aether. “We want peace.”
Aether gave up. He switched his gaze to a burning fireplace, musing. You did as well, letting anxiety take over you. Historically, only villagers were allowed to participate in the festival. By inviting Aether, father did him a great honor, but Saint Patron could get angry at this. Was the wealth of the whole village worth the feelings of one man? If you were the one to rule, you would have never allowed an outlander to the festival. You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed heavily. Father was the only problem of your family. He led the village for twenty years, and during his ruling the faith was called into question. The movement of traitors, who believed in the Seven, became more popular with every year. Father tried to contain it, but gently, reluctantly even. You didn't know what to do. As an elder's daughter, you were acting the role of keeper of traditions. You finished the local church school and knew about dissent between priests, as you had seen it with your eyes while studying there. The village was falling apart slowly, and you were afraid the last day of it would come soon.
Before leaving for the festival, Ajax asked you to spare a moment for him. He waited until others left, then he took your hands in his, chattering indistinctly. Ajax told you he had to go and check for grandmother, then he pleaded you to be careful in his absence. You noted his hands were extremely warm and trembling, but Ajax assured you he was alright. He kissed you on your lips quickly and left. It was a simple kiss, yet you felt excited.
The celebration began after a solemn speech from father. Music filled the village, and the fair was full of delicious food, sparkling drinks and sweet pastries; on the main street a theatrical performance unfolded. Common happiness made the old grudges disappear. Aether was exploring bright intricate decorations with interest. Tonya cried to you to go to the contests, and you only managed to warn mother on where both of you were going.
Time passed quickly, but the festival was building up momentum. Tonya, excited after games, didn't want to go home and took you to the fair. Tired, you were following Tonya, who was running from one stand to another, choosing what to eat. She decided to have a slice of blueberry pie and a cup of hot tea. You paid for her, and finally took a place to rest. Tonya was full of energy despite hours of active games. After a short break she wanted to go see a performance on the main street. It was dark already, but lanterns of various colors and forms were lightened, making the atmosphere dreamlike – of course she wanted to stay for a little long.
Joyful, she finished her tea time. You returned dishes to the owner and took Tonya's little hand in yours. She was hopping and humming a song to herself. You stopped at the stage; actors were playing a scene from local myths: one of the actors was dressed in a wolf mask and fur, another had a red oblong devil mask. You weren't familiar with this story, so you focused on the performance. Tonya, who was waiting for something more funny, got bored. Skillfully made costumes and attention to details of the initial myth didn't impress her.
Performance moved to the conflict part: when the wolf-actor opened the mask's muzzle, a horrifying deep roar came out. Blood froze in your veins, at how naturally and loud the sound was produced. Actors stalled, both of them were confused and just looked at each other. You looked around and noticed an enormously big shadow approaching, but before you could do something, it attacked. In a moment a human howl of terror and pain covered the whole village, an uncontrollable panic started. Then followed frightened horses neighing and wailing of cattle. You almost managed to take Tonya up in your arms, and the crush started. Afraid, people from the front rows pushed everyone who was behind them; others, who were running to the main street were bumping into fleeing. You covered Tonya's head with your arm to protect it; it was hard for you to stay on your feet, as you tried to break out the crowd. Bodies pressed to you, didn't let you slip out, you got hit with elbows and the crowd was stepping on your toes. You were about to fall into hysteria, and Tonya's cry right near your ears made it worse. You pleaded to your God, and by attempt you slipped into free space, but you didn't run away for too long: the village fell in infernal chaos, the fair was engulfed in flames, and screams with running people made you lose your vigilance. Someone ran into you at full speed, knocking you down. You fell on your back, protecting Tonya, and hit your head badly. Your vision blurred, a piercing whistling going in your ears. You couldn't even understand the position of your body, but you felt how Tonya was shaking you, trying to bring you to your senses. You closed your eyes and her hands disappeared, so you opened them with great effort, yet it was so slow you saw only someone taking her away. You groaned and rolled over on your stomach, clenched into frozen ground and crawled. A bloody stain was left where your head laid.
You stood up on shaking legs, your head was pulsating with pain, making it more difficult to keep balance. In the distance you heard screams and roars. You looked down – snow was crimson with blood, and mutilated corpses with missing limbs and ripped out internal organs filled the street. The horrific scene made you feel uneasy at your stomach, yet it brought you back to a normal state, the pain didn't feel so intense anymore.
“Tonya!” You screamed, tearing your throat, but it was muffled by the deafening ringing of the church bell. You screamed again, hoping that she would give you a sign. You didn't care that you could attract the werewolf – it was the execution for sins, the fair end for non-believers and the retribution for the reckless deeds of your father. You were pure, but if in your destiny you were meant to die this night, you would meet your end with no fear. “Tonya!”
A shuffle started in the hangar and you rushed to check on it. Tonya looked from her hideout behind the straw bale. “I'm here…” she whispered and you fell on your knees in front of her, hugging her tightly. Tonya was shaking and crying, clinging to you – she was afraid that you died, but was too scared to go out and look for help. You were her last hope to keep her sanity clear.
“Hold on brave. Pray, Tonya. This is the only thing we can do.” You covered her ears, when there was a scream.
“What if Teucer, mommy?..” She didn't finish the sentence as tears made her throat spasm.
“We are pure, Tonya. Nothing will happen to us.” You cooed, caressing her back. Heavy steps behind the hangar made you strain. You stood up to check on what was going on and froze, when you saw a werewolf in front of you.
Tonya followed you and screamed after she looked from behind you back. For your whole life, you imagined a werewolf as a scary large wolf, but your imagination deceived you. It was a deformed ugly beast of a colossal size – it filled a big part of the hangar, making it impossible to leave. It had light fur, clumped with blood, its large mouth was full of teeth and long canines that protruded from the muzzle even when it was closed. Enormous paws were bigger than your head. Its blue eyes had no shine and looked wild, bloodthirsty. Its whole figure combined both features of human and beast in the most disturbing way: wolfish, yet still human muzzle with too sensible eyes and even emotions on it; beastly, yet humanly flexible body with long limbs. You made a step back, shielding Tonya.
“I know you want to save the faith, keeper of traditions.” The werewolf spoke to you, and you gasped in disbelief. For a moment you decided that it was a lie, an illusion of an inflamed brain, but it was true: the werewolf came closer, his muzzle up to your face, which made you back away in disgust. “Now it's time for you to perform your duty. You will go with me. I will be back in three days, waiting for you in a hollow. Keep silent about our conversation. Fail – and I'll kill everyone without mercy.”
Your eyes rounded and your breathing turned heavy. Did he mean you have to sacrifice yourself? You would do so immediately, if Tonya wasn't there… or was it just an excuse? You were exposed to death and nemesis that merged and embodied in the face of the Saint you worshiped, but you were filled with dread. You didn't want to die – only a look at ugly muzzle made tears pour down your eyes even though you didn't want to cry. It was an honor to die for your God, sacrifice yourself in order to save the whole village, but you weren't ready. Yet you nodded, and the werewolf roared, then retreated, moving his limbs like a spider.
Tonya clung on your coat, but you were standing frozen, trying to process everything that happened a moment before. Suddenly you regained composure, took Tonya up your hands and left the hangar. The whole village fell into dead silence: people were too scared to go outside and sat in safety, waiting for sunrise. The fair burnt out. By a miracle the fire didn't spread to the whole village and caused minor damage.
In the distance you saw Aether running from one house to another, searching for you. You wanted to scream for him, but couldn't – your voice betrayed you, letting out only a wheeze, so you headed to him, then your fast steps turned into running.
“By Archons!” Aether took Tonya from your tired hands carefully, his wide palm brushed hair fell on her face to check for wounds. “Are you both alright?”
The pain in your nape made you grimace. You were recovering from shock, and felt exhausted to the point of losing conscience. “Where's Teucer? And mom?”
“They are safe, hiding in the church with everyone else.” Aether shooed at Tonya, who started tossing and turning in his embrace, as she heard of another sibling. You looked at him with a gaze full of endless gratitude. “I… I wanted to say I'm sorry for my behavior. I've been vulgar… I just got too excited to know you better. I promise, I'll be a different man to you.”
“It's okay, Aether, everyone makes mistakes.” You didn't know what else to answer. His confession was so inappropriate, yet so sincere you couldn't let yourself break a rush of his soul. Maybe he was afraid he would die unforgiven and there was fear speaking through him at the moment – you didn't know, and you didn't want to know.
Ajax showed up on the street, bewildered at the scene in front of him. He bypassed corpses and puddles of blood, looking at it with interest. “What happened there?”
“A massacre!” Aether blurted angrily. “Where were you when all of this happened?!”
You looked at Ajax, then at Aether, not realizing the point of his outrage.
“He was at grandmother's. Why?” You shouted, a burning feeling in your chest, as you felt Aether tried to implicate Ajax in cowardice. Aether's eyes widened as he didn't expect you to snap at him.
“You chose the wrong time to fight.” Ajax stood between you and him, stopping the argument. “We have to carry Tonya home.”
Tonya pulled her hands to Ajax, and he took her from Aether with envy.
The night went like a fever dream and the morning after was even worse. From the earliest hour the mourning for the dead started and the whole village split in two radical opinions: old believers and traitors. The first demanded to send out the outlander and pray for forgiveness, then return back to original faith and worship the true God without looking back at Archons. Traitors claimed that the night revealed a true devilish nature of the former religion and recommended killing the beast and praying to the Seven. You took the responsibility and came to the crowd to declare the side of your family – as a keeper, you were wearing a red cloak with a hood, so people could see you easily. You tried to preach to the people, but most of them didn't want to listen to you. Crowd was screaming at you and calling you out to beg for forgiveness for every killed and explain why your family was safe and sound during the night. You were shocked to the point you lost your words, on which the crowd reacted with anger. Old believers, who were supporting you fully, started shouting insults at traitors; traitors lost their temper and started a fight. The brawl ended after Ajax took his rifle and made a couple of warning shots.
Even in one home there was a conflict of interests. Mother, Ajax and you chose the point of old believers, while father and Aether were insisting on the opposite. Aether was determined to take you and younger siblings to the capital, and father agreed with him. Father scolded you in front of all the family for your attempt to admonish the villagers, it was the first time he screamed at you. Yet it didn't last for long: Ajax jumped out from behind your back and seized father by the collar. You tried to pull Ajax back, but mother stopped you.
“He deserved this,” she whispered to you, looking at the scene with cold eyes. Mother had no pity towards her husband, her heavy hand was laying on your shoulder to prevent even a smallest attempt from you to stop Ajax: he was about to fight father, and for the first time father fend for himself and punched Ajax in his nose.
Aether tried to help father and in a moment the conflict changed its focus from religious controversies to jealousy over you. Madness that covered the village, made you fall on your knees and start praying, as there was nothing else left for you to do.
Disputes were lasting for the whole morning, until mother asked Ajax to go check on grandmother with her. You begged mother to go with Ajax instead of her – you loved grandmother dearly and didn't see her for ages. Despite her age she was lively, yet the way from her cabin to the village was too hard for her to go, so your family brought her provisions every month and visited her from time to time. Mother denied you, and they left the house.
Ajax and mother were coming through the dunes of snow and fallen trees in silence, as Ajax was depressed and only sniffed viciously, wiping away his nose the blood that was still flowing. Grandmother wasn't happy to see them together – it meant that something was coming off of the plan. She gave Ajax a long hug and a few kisses on his forehead.
“What happened to the boy?” Grandmother spat on the floor disgustedly.
“Stuck into a fight for the love of his life,” mother answered with a sneer, then clicked her tongue in irritation. “They're gonna drive me crazy. Everything goes wrong. Did you talk to her as a werewolf? What did she tell you?”
Ajax frowned. “Nothing. She was silent.”
“I don't think there will be any trouble with our dove,” grandmother squinted her eyes. “But with this capital's bastard, yes. I told you not to marry the village's elder. I hope now you understand why.”
“It was the only way for me to save Ajax after his father's death! There were times of hunger and stagnation, and he, as an elder, had always had a piece of bread at his table. How was I supposed to care for Ajax, hunt and birth other children for our plan?!” Mother cried. “And then I had to make them… fuck each other in order to save the bloodline! Do you think it's easy?”
“Yes, it is.” Grandmother stated, ignoring her daughter's roar. “I was able to marry a werewolf from another clan, but my sister had to lay with our brother, and she lived a happier life than I did. Unfortunately, after those seven usurpers appeared, they killed them all.”
“But she is half human… is it really going to work out?” Ajax said, finding his voice.
“You are worrying too much,” grandmother laughed at Ajax's perplexed face. “Yes, it will work after the ritual, dear. Just do it without thinking.”
“How can you say this?” Ajax was on the verge of tears. “Why does it have to be this way?!”
“Because this is the rules of our world. The world we inherited from our God. Keep your head up, Ajax. Don't worry about me and don't pity me. I lived my life here.” Grandmother laughed with a dry old voice.
“No!..” Ajax's hands started shaking. “What if she refuses… How is she supposed to react to that?!”
“Then we will kill her and wait for Tonya to grow up.” Mother stared intently at Ajax. Shivers ran down his spine at only thought of losing you and going through the same events again, but with Tonya.
“You are being too pessimistic.” Grandmother gave up on her and trotted to the cabinet. She took a vial from it and passed it to Ajax. “Three drops into her drink twice a day and she will be fine. Don't thank me.”
You ran away from the home and hid in the church, praying without pause. Blindfolded by your pride you thought of yourself as a holier than holies, when in reality you craved a vile sin of incestuous passion and hubris.
Aether tried his best to save his sanity, but he was on the limit. He was on the point of losing everything: starting with marriage and ending with his life – danger made him play reckless. Your presence was the only escape from that horror. He took you home from the church: you tried to stay, but Aether just grabbed you by your hand roughly and drew you out on the street. Aether felt that you were vulnerable – the perfect world you used to live in was falling apart, so his treatment became rough. From day to day you were more depressed and taciturn, you didn't react to his attempts to seek your affection and gave him meaningless kisses and hugs, lacking life and passion. Your despair drowned Aether in negative emotions as well, made him take love from you violently. He felt so useless, so unwanted here, it brought him so much pain he had never felt in his entire life. You were unfairly cruel to him – you made him burn with love and jealousy to your brother, who was basked in your care and support. Sometimes Aether thought that you loved Ajax like a man, but he didn't want to believe in it – Aether was so much better than him: Aether had power, money and glory; the fairest women from the capital were fighting for his attention, but he chose you. You should be grateful to him, you should fall on your knees and kiss his hands to express proper gratitude for his choice. You were no one, nothing, a descendant of some freaky family who worshiped a false God, yet you got arrogance suitable for a royal heir. Aether could do nothing with you, so he started to hate you. You rejected him – he would do even worse to you. He sacrificed so much for you, while you did nothing to please him back. Aether was done with it.
Despite the fact that you didn't want to escape, you were trapped in the village. Ajax made sure that you wouldn't be able to leave. Mother took care of Aether's horses – all of them were dead, and other horses in the village ran away or died in the Blood Moon massacre, cutting off all the possible ways of leaving. Clashes of believers didn't bother Ajax, but he had to participate in the religious processions to convince non-believers to return to their roots.
The night of the third day started. Tortured by his mind, Aether woke up and got to the kitchen to have a glass of water. It was dead of night, while everyone was sleeping and only chanting of priests could be heard from the street. Aether looked at the impenetrable darkness of the forest through the window. His vision started tunneling and he heard whispers. Suddenly Aether shivered and rubbed his eyes, then he heeded – and heard Ajax's voice. On his tiptoes, Aether followed the voice and happened into the corridor that led to the storeroom. The door was slightly open, so he peeked through the gap. He saw Ajax holding your face in his barbarian palms tremulously, and kissing you hastily.
“I don't care anymore!” Ajax snuggled to you, pressing you to his body like a doll.
“You know I will always love you. Why do you have to bring it now? We should go back… Ajax, please!” You pleaded, but he interrupted you with a desperate and impulsive kiss.
Aether froze, stunned, broken and disgusted. He didn't think of breaking your intimacy – Aether mercifully let you enjoy the last time you had Ajax in your arms. He watched Ajax rudely showing his hands under your skirts and destroy your fake shyness. Something made Aether stay and watch how Ajax was ravaging his bride. He wasn't gentle at all: Ajax tore your blouse so his hands could touch your breasts; pinching at your nipples, Ajax silenced your moans with his kisses.
Ajax knew Aether was watching. He smelled him long before he showed up in the corridor, but Ajax didn't care – on the contrary, he liked it. It was a simple way to show dominance to another male. Foreplay didn't last for long: Ajax was dying to have you, abstinence was mixed with approaching mating season, so he turned you to the wall and pressed on your back, to make you bend. Ajax unzipped his pants and put his fully erected cock inside you slowly, holding you by your hips. After making sure that you were okay, he took a fast steady rhythm. Ajax put all his frustration and desire to breed pounding into you. He needed to finish quickly not to wake someone from the family up, but he just couldn't have enough – he wanted much more than a quick fuck, his mind was clouded with wild arousal. Your wet cunt and shaky breaths mixed with his fantasies about you being pregnant with his children drove him insane. You were as needy as him, but the timing couldn't let you enjoy the moment the way you wanted. Your pussy was spasming around Ajax only to make him cum faster. Soon he came, filling you with his seed and fucking it further inside you. Aether left, while Ajax was helping you to clean yourself.
On the third day the village was covered with fights. No one could stay aside: fanatics involved kids even, so mother was hiding inside the house with Teucer and Tonya, while father and priests tried to calm everyone down. You looked at the crowd, embraced with fury, and doubted your decision of self-sacrifice. It would be better to destroy them, then build a new society from the ashes. Still, you said goodbye to Teucer and Tonya, gave a kiss to your mother, put on your red cloak and left the house, when the first star appeared in the sky. Ajax was absent for the whole day – you didn't want to go without talking to him, but you couldn't wait anymore. Immersed in your grief, you didn't notice Aether, who was following you with a shotgun behind his back.
You came to the hollow. Every step you made felt impossible and heavy, your heart couldn't keep a steady rhythm. When you were far away from the village, Aether took aim and made a shot. You screamed louder than he expected you to, and disturbed birds went up in the air with cawing. Aether grimaced – instead of killing you, he got you in leg. You fell on the snow, with your hand keeping pressure on the wound.
You looked back, and another shot followed, but it got into the tree, dangerously close to your head.
“Aether?..” You screamed in surprise. “Why?!”
“You know why.” Aether brought his gun up to his shoulder and pressed one the trigger, but nothing happened. He laughed maniacally and threw it aside. “You are a lucky one.”
“Werewolf will be here anytime! It'll kill us both!” Through pain and tears, you tried to come up with everything to save your life. Aether smiled widely and approached you.
“Archons, have mercy on her,” His voice thundered in between the trees. You tried to crawl away, but he stepped on your leg, piercing it to the ground, then kicked you in the chest, turning you over on your back. It seemed like Aether reveled in your scream, full of painful agony. “Do you know what they do in the Capital for incest? Execute.”
Aether sat on your hips, and grabbed your neck compressing it so hard your bones cracked. “Your father promised me a perfect woman, a dream of every man, and you seemed like one. Until I saw you and that bastard together.”
You tried to fight back, but it didn't help. Your vision got black and you felt that the pressure on your neck was unbearable. Just a little more and it would snap. His delirious rantings stuck in your head as a dull, repetitive echo.
A guttural roar sounded almost in your ear. Suddenly all the pressure was gone, your vision came back in unusually vivid colors. You closed your eyes, but unbearable pain and shortage of air made you open them. You breathed in avidly, gasping for cold air with your mouth and your chest felt like burning. You looked at the wound on your leg, it seemed like a bullet went through your body, making it even worse. An ugly torn mess of flesh and blood made you nauseous. Aether's scream made you search for him with your eyes, and you noticed his legs twitching under the werewolf’s body. Blood was gushing everywhere. Werewolf let go of the remains after his scream stopped and rushed to you. You looked at what was left and gasped: one of Aether's hands was missing, his lower jaw was torn off and all his body was covered in bites and lacerated wounds.
“Get on top of me,” it spoke to you and laid to aid you. You sat on the werewolf without wasting words, and it ran into the depths of the forest.
Soon you realized that you stopped at grandmother's cabin. You dismounted in disbelief and came closer to the door, then glanced back. Instead of a werewolf, you had seen Ajax in front of you. Puzzle in your head had formed into a whole picture, still you were taken aback. You would better believe that all of it was a delusion, a floating vision or just a fantasy.
“Why didn't you tell me?” You asked, but Ajax took your hand and walked you into the cabin.
“You chose the wrong time to ask. Sit.” Ajax was nervous, twitching. He put you on the chair and placed a bowl with something that seemed to be soup. “Eat this. Now.”
He sat in front of you and watched your every move with wide, insane eyes. You looked at the dish with suspicion and took a spoon unwillingly. It was too red, with pieces of lightly fried meat and boiled potato. You took a piece of the meat with a soup and some potato, and placed it into your mouth. The broth was impossible to eat, as it was too bitter and salty, and had a jellied structure. The meat was horribly tough and wiry. You felt vomit coming up to your mouth and wanted to spit that meat out, but Ajax ordered you to swallow in such a rough tone you shrugged and swallowed it in fear. You covered your mouth, trying not to puke, but you felt uneasy in your stomach and your throat started to spasm.
“Don't you dare do this!” Ajax jumped up from his seat and ran to you, pressing your hands to your mouth with his. “Don't waste it!”
His voice broke from deep to pitching, it was full of despair and resembled a lament.
“Why?! What is happening here?!” You drew his hands away, screaming, tears running down your face. “Where is grandma?!”
Ajax just gave you a blank stare, your face fell. You looked at him in disbelief, then another wave of hysteria covered you.
“Where is she?..” You went white at realization. The room fell silent for a moment then you cried out.
Ajax was confused. Grandmother promised that one bite would be enough, but he wanted to make sure and force you to eat more. All that was left of her was a bowl of soup, and you looked at it with dead eyes, as you tried to deny the truth. Ajax got you a glass of water with three drops of the potion. You drank it in one gulp and stared at the soup again.
“How could you do this?” You asked without looking at Ajax.
“Grandmother ordered me to do so. I had no other choice.” Ajax sat near you and took a spoon, then filled it with the soup. “Please, open your mouth. You need to finish this.”
Ajax couldn't look at you crying and being so broken. In one day you aged up on years from all the events that happened to you. Your wound wasn't treated yet and still caused you pain, but it couldn't compare with your storming emotions and grief. It was an inhuman and gruesome act of violence. You didn't even say goodbye to grandmother before she died in such a horrible way.
Slowly you started feeling tranquil. Your head clouded and all the senses dazed. Ajax managed to feed you the whole bowl. You watched him without interest and just sat in your place, before you fell asleep.
You woke up from a horrible dream, but found yourself in grandmother's bedroom. Your leg hurt, remembering you, that everything you saw in a dream was real. You just laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling and trying to accept what had happened. It wasn't easy at all and you didn't even want to leave the bed to search for Ajax. Was it planned by God? Was it your initial role you were created for? You got too many questions, but had no answers.
The whole week passed before you were ready to meet Ajax. You noticed that your sense of smell was keener and your hearing improved. You could hear Ajax walking in the house and detect in which part of it he was exactly. Bedroom was the back room of the house, so normally you wouldn't be able to smell freshly prepared food, and now you could smell it as if you were staying near the stove. To your surprise, your wound healed in a couple of days and left only a hardly visible scar.
Ajax gave you time for yourself and didn't bother you this week. Being alone did him good: he too let go of his worries and became mentally stronger. He wanted to explain everything to you and hoped you were ready to hear him. The story wasn't long: Ajax told you that mother and him were the direct descendants of the werewolf family that founded the village. Unfortunately, his father died and mother had to remarry to a human, hiding her true identity even from her children, as all the other werewolves were killed by Archons and their followers. To continue the bloodline, living heirs, you and him, had to inbreed, but your half-human origin was the sticking point: to awaken the werewolf genes and pass them to your kids you had to devour someone from your family, and grandmother volunteered. Yet you couldn't transform and had a limited number of abilities from being a werewolf.
You accepted the truth calmly, and your reaction frightened you. You didn't know was it normal or not. At least it made sense. You didn't want to think about it anymore and wanted to adapt to a new lifestyle quickly.
Ajax and you lived solitary, no one visited you, and you didn't come close to the village as well, leaving old life behind. It was hard to you to get used to Ajax's werewolf form, so Ajax tried to spend more time with you as a beast.
Ajax licked your face, and you giggled from the tingling. His tongue was nicely warm, yet covered in sticky saliva. It didn't scare you when he was this playful. When you were in the mood to have fun, you licked his nose back and hugged him, nuzzling into his soft fur. It wasn't rare for you to fall asleep on him, as his body was soothingly warm.
Intimacy became unusual due to Ajax's new size. Stroking his body, like you usually did, you were slowly letting your hand down to his cock. Kissing was strange: Ajax licked your lips and showed his long tongue inside, caressing the insides of your mouth with it. Your hand was stroking his cock gently, circling against the tip lightly and putting force at the shaft. Ajax was already leaking, so you broke the kiss and bent to his awaiting cock. Starting with licking the tip, you spitted on it, easing the slide, and took it inside your mouth. It was bigger, making it harder for you to suck him, but you tried to stroke other parts with your hands and rubbed on the knot to save the pleasure. Ajax felt his knot swelling, so he didn't let you to continue. His animalistic impulses told him to fuck you and he had no power to resist them. Ajax made you lay on your back, his tongue licked your pussy, prepping you for penetration. It swirled over your clit, sliding down to your hole, rubbing with pleasurable roughness. As a werewolf, Ajax scented your pheromones and your special smell, that busted his arousal. He noticed you biting your lower lip in anticipation and he didn't wait anymore. Ajax thrusted inside, your long moan made him catch a faster and rougher pace immediately. His beastly cock made you feel your insides stretching to accommodate the size. You were full of him and there was no escape from the pleasure, as your mind went blank, making you focus only on the sensation of being pulled on his cock. Ajax licked your face, and it ignited you, your moans became louder. You felt breathless in ecstatic bliss, every skim of the big tip of his cock through your folds made you move your hips for more. Your fingers reached down to your clit and you started rubbing it, as you felt that you were about to cum. Ajax made a powerful thrust and filled you fully with his knot just before he finished inside, groaning. Your pussy sucked him in fully, clenching and trembling around his cock. At the sensation of his hot thick cum stretching your womb you came next, your orgasm spurting around him. You were exhausted and breathed heavily, yet again you felt Ajax loading new portion of cum inside. He came several times, until your lower tummy bulged, only after that knotting ended.
During mating season Ajax didn't let you escape the bed. He didn't have enough of you both in human and werewolf forms, it was up to you to decide how you wanted to accept him. You were so full of his seed the bulge on your lower tummy didn't disappear for days and cum was leaking out of you whenever you didn't expect it to. Ajax made sure to give your pussy a relaxing massage, rubbing gently your insides and your clit at the same time. Curling his fingers he pressed knuckles against the most sensitive parts inside you, instantly felt your folds covering them. Ajax sucked on your nipples, licking them slowly, while his fingers penetrated your sopping hole. As a human Ajax was way more gentle: he gave you sensual kisses, lazily playing with your tongue, stroked the smooth skin of your belly, imagining it to be swollen with his pups. Ajax was the happiest man on Teyvat, as he had you by his side. The bond you shared with him was sacred, Ajax would kill anyone to protect you, the center of his world. Your embrace made him feel alive, he didn't need anything more, but to press his face at the crook of your neck and just inhale your sweet scent.
Ajax's dreams were destined to come true. Every time he was back home, his children ran to hug him, and you, pregnant with another kid, hurried to give him a kiss.
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stainedglassthreads · 8 months
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The Traveler being around is probably good for Furina. In Marcel's trial, we see Melus and Silver speculate on why Furina's suddenly taking everything way more seriously--and they think it's either because the Traveler humiliated her, or because she's so embarrassed and horrified by pressing charges against an innocent.
In a way, I feel like the people of Fontaine kinda encourage Furina to act as she does--spoiled and immature, dumping responsibility on Neuvilette and the Oratrice. But she also encourages them to not question the justice system, by struggling so hard to put on a show and save face. It's something of a vicious cycle. The people treat her as a celebrity and only really expect her to amuse and reassure them, not actually DO anything. So she's encouraged to act like a bratty and spoiled child. But the Traveler being around is someone who's NOT impressed or amused by her--and, even better, they're someone she really, really does WANT to impress, who she greatly respects. The Traveler will treat Furina as a person and an Archon, and force her to take responsibility for her people and actions. 'Cause like, she sucks at her job and needs to either take responsibility or find a way to retire like Zhongli. But also I feel like she's probably kinda lonely.
Like. Venti and Zhongli are highly respected and beloved by their people, and are the most proactive and responsible with their roles, at least in the present day. They're also the most oldest of the Archons, so they are the most experienced. It makes sense.
Ei, Nahida, and Furina, though, all seem to be foils of each other to varying extents. While Zhongli and Venti rule their country from behind the scenes, the three younger Archons initially appear to be in positions of power and authority...but aren't really.
Ei has a great deal of power and authority, and is feared or respected by most of her people. But due to her grief over the losses of Makoto and her generals, she has given up responsibility and stopped caring what her people want. She orders Visions be collected and does the war against the Resistance, but she's not really...present, letting the Raiden Shogun and the Tenryou commission run things. She knows the Fatui are in Inazuma apparently, but doesn't seem to care. Only when the Traveler and Yae Miko beat/talk sense into her does she really start to act like a leader and try fixing her mistakes. Up until that point, Ei has been isolating herself.
On the other hand, the Akademiya were grieving Rukkhadevata so much that they forcibly rejected, isolated, and imprisoned Nahida. She did her best to interact with her people and help them when she could, but she wasn't really allowed to rule, and lacked the power and authority she needed to properly lead Sumeru. Largely, Nahida only needed more confidence, and to be believed in--she was already much more mature than Ei or Furina were.
Ei is treated as an Archon, but lacks the maturity of one. Nahida had maturity and a sense of responsibility, but people didn't treat her as an Archon until Rukkhadevata was erased from memory. Furina inherits the worst of both Ei and Nahida's positions and personalities. She lacks the maturity of an Archon, but also no one actually treats her as one. When the Oratrice malfunctions people turn to her for reassurances...but really, the Oratrice seems like way more of a God to them than she ever was. It's not Furina who is the final authority in the Court, it's the Oratrice.
Honestly, Furina might be what would've happened had Nahida lacked the maturity and wisdom she had, and been completely replaced by the Shouki no Kami. Aside from the lochfolk and the Pari, people in Fontaine don't grieve the Lord of Amrita like Rukkhadevata was grieved, but the people replaced their Archon with a machine that tells them comforting lies about how easy and straightforward Justice is, and their Archon helped them do so.
I feel like Furina must be a lonely individual, since she's dismissed by most in her country, and even other Archons likely find her unpleasant, annoying, or immature. She has some growing to do, too, but I hope that by not being impressed by her at all, and instead being blatantly annoyed by her, the Traveler can reach those parts of her.
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cookiewarriorexpert · 2 months
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Memento Vivere, Amongst the Living
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Pokèmon! Shapeshifter! Reader x Sagau Genshin Impact characters
(Archons, Traveller! Aether, Paimon, Wanderer, and Neuvillette)
Sum: The first time Creator! Reader stays in a nation for too long
Whether or not it was the nation that was so closely linked to the Pokémon world’s own Kalos region of where Xerneas resided, which took inspiration from [name]’s real life region of France, it did not matter, for [Name] stayed around in Fontaine for a bit too longer than they usually do to other regions to make sure they didn’t favor nations that could make other nations jealous of the fact that a nation had been favored by the Creator of Teyvat.
But the Xerneas form made them almost gravitate to the Nation of Hydro, and while it made Furina both a bit boastful and also kind of terrified since she was aware of how the Creator never stays in a nation for too long, and her pride turned to a bit of concern since she felt like she did something wrong, or maybe the entire nation at that. And thus, Neuvillette, with Furina’s worried and panicked pleas trying to make it out to be just excitedly boastful and unafraid orders, to call in the Traveller, it sort of escalated to a few unhappy archons, floating food, and of course a knight in the shadows to arrive.
All the while, [name] held not even a hint of confusion, the Xerneas form and the aged wisdom the form gave them made them have no fear, except for a little ounce of displeasure upon seeing the dragons. (Fairy biased against Dragon talking-lol)
Of course, Nahida and Wanderer only watched from the sidelines while everyone was discussing and basically theorizing about why would their Grace would stay in Fontaine. Even comically that [name] was only a few meters away and heard everything, more interested in the French-inspired pastries of the hydro nation, satisfied with the more smaller and cake-like pastries that reminded them of the pokepuffs from the Kalos region from the world of Pokémon.
Eventually, things somehow ended up with Neuvillette getting a bit standoffish with Zhongli, since Zhongli was not technically a dragon and Neuvillette was pretty much not happy about Zhongli being around.
Though Paimon quickly got everyone’s attention when she just hovered over the Creator, gravitating to their soothing, gentle, and all knowing aura, and maybe their Grace was the most patient out of their acolytes since everyone stared at Paimon as if she was a toddler or some ill-mannered child boldly trying to touch or mess with some prized antique or respected figure.
[Name] only flicked their ears, their lips curved slightly to an almost amused look as everyone seemed so worked up about Paimon being so close while Paimon seemed to not even care, as if she was just a buzzed little bee having too much pollen and addicted to the sweet allure of a flower.
“You know I could hear your conversation.” [Name] said, a small subtle smile graced their lips, causing a bit of flustered and a bit of embarrassment to stir up in the group of beings of different origins and nations.
And at that point, Furina, trying to pipe up, finally questioned [Name] in a burst of frustration and nervousness, the entire group was a bit in shock except for Nahida and the Wanderer, knowing well that Furina was overcome with pure frustration from the fear of not knowing why the Creator decided to stay longer.
“Okay I’ll bite!! Why are you here?! Was it just me being a fault?!” Questioned the desperate Furina in a bid of at least getting some satisfaction from the Creator’s answer or at least some scrap of sympathy.
[Name] only looked at Furina, a slight twinge from their ears and turning to Furina that the Hydro Archon quickly realized her mistake and began to bow and apologize profusely, now trying to avoid punishment, but [Name] only sigh, knowing well that they were guilty of making Furina and possibly the entire nation afraid.
“Furina, please stand up, I am not here because of a misgivings of anyone from this nation….” [Name] cooed, soothing a bit of Furina’s doubts, Furina quickly stood up, embarrassed and flustered of acting so immature in front of the other archons and the traveler. Paimon only lay down on the antlers of the Xerneas Hybrid as she took a sigh of relaxation, stirring some bit of jealousy that Paimon was not at least told to back off.
“I am here, simply because Fontaine has given me a sense of…. Home, a place of where I felt most comfortable.” [Name] continued, at first, everyone was silent, before Furina began to swell her chest up in pride, her eyes began sparkled, an unexpected speed of change from her anticipation for her Creator’s answer. Not only did this answer from the Creator cast no doubt that Furina’s nation was favored, but also that [Name] was not at all displeased by anything.
“Oh!- oh- Your Grace! -Why haven’t you told me in the first place?! Oh! Did you hear that Neuvillette?! Fontaine is the most favored nation in their Grace’s- oh thank you thank you thank you!!!” Furina squealed like a child hearing their parents approval, Furina was all over the place, her hands everywhere, as she first hugged Neuvillette and squeezing him as hard as she possibly could in a flurry of emotions and mostly pride, Furina quickly rammed into the Creator and hugging them with as much strength, causing a big shock amongst the small audience, but [Name] only smiled at Furina’s excitement.
Most of the Archons were a bit jealous that their Grace had favor for Fontaine rather than their own nations but they were complicit and not really complaining, Ei gave Furina her respect like Furina had won a duel, Nahida congratulating Furina’s achievement, Zhongli gave his respect, and Venti also gave his approval and was currently thinking of a song.
[Name] only watched on, before going back to indulge in some more of Fontaine’s delicious and delectable desserts and pastries.
And with Furina’s surge of pride and her enlarged ego, Furina and Neuvillette had joined [Name]’s little tea party, with the Archons, Aether, Wanderer, and Paimon as well.
Though Aether was a bit relieved that Paimon was asleep so she wouldn’t cause a problem of hoarding most of the pastries.
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mikaila-orchard · 6 months
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Anduin still gets more respect and dignity than Sylvanas ever did and I'm still mad about it.
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Aight, the new WoW trailer stirred up some old animosity that I have to get out lest it fester.
The problem I've had with Anduin for the past few years is something that isn't even strictly his fault, and is just symptomatic of how shitty the writing staff is. In theory, Anduin is an interesting bit of flavor for the Alliance. Someone who was raised in a very turbulent time in the Alliance's history, gone through some shit when he was too early to handle it and is plagued with self doubt because of it. All of this complimented by Velen's vision of Anduin's future going down two very different roads.
Alas, the problem is in execution. Because what we are left with in practice is a character who goes through comparatively less than other legacy characters (Thrall being raised as a slave, Jaina losing her home and loved ones regularly and Sylvanas with fucking everything) but who, by the time Shadowlands rolls around, insists that he is the one suffering the most and everyone else needs to get over themselves. And that wouldn't be so bad (hell, in Shadows Rising, it's kinda treated as a genuine character flaw) but that's not the case because WoW treats Anduin like the moral barometer of the franchise for many years now.
There are multiple examples of this throughout, but the biggest culprit is all across BFA and Shadowlands, where Anduin is made to understand the hardships that Sylvanas and the Forsaken have suffered, most of it by the Alliance's hands, and just shuts it down with "Everyone suffers, stop hiding behind your trauma and rise above it," and because BFA is framing him as the hero and Sylvanas as the villain he gets away with it. In the fucking Sylvanas book, he has the gall to say Sylvanas had a better life than him because she knew her mother and calls her selfish for committing suicide. And of course the book frames Anduin as being in the right about all of this because they decided Sylvanas holding him captive was the time they would even allow to let her reach out to someone and hope they understand her. The deck was always stacked against Sylvanas and in Anduin's favor in terms of audience sympathy.
But then, what happens in Shadowlands? He gets dominated by Zovaal, stabs the Archon (doesn't even kill her), maybe kills a bunch of unnamed npcs off screen, and fights his friends. Not a single tally to add to his body count while he was a puppet. And when he is freed from Zovaal's control, he doesn't lose his support system, he doesn't lose the respect of his loved ones or his people, and he's not put under pressure to just be okay again.
AND YET!
He still goes on this self imposed exile of his, and has been on it for over half a decade at this point, because he is just too haunted by everything he's 'seen and done'. Things that we as the audience don't really see. So in practice, the justification for all this on screen angst is so painfully weak. And yes, there's no wrong way to respond to trauma and there never will be, and Anduin's trauma responses are far from unrealistic.
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But compared to Sylvanas, Anduin is giving a great deal more respect and dignity by the narrative for, comparatively, much less. Sylvanas was enslaved and forced to murder her countrymen (onscreen too, we MADE HER DO THAT in warcraft 3) and when she was finally freed, she had no support system besides her rangers and Nathanos, she was feared by her former homeland who only accepted her help out of desperation and was hated and distrusted by enemies and allies alike way before she might have done anything to deserve it. The game even leans into the idea that the Sylvanas who suffered all this trauma isn't the real Sylvanas and we just needed to restore her soul to have the pure pious ranger general back (barf). And she still has to toil away in superhell because the writers were too chickenshit to fully backpedal on the deliberate character assassination the sexual predator on staff forced upon her.
"Oh, but M'Kay! That's the writers fault, not Anduin's! You can't blame him for all that."
Maybe not but a lot of the issue here comes from the fact that so long as the people who enabled this inequity of care remains on staff (IE fucking GOLDEN) this won't stop. So what choice do I have but to loathe the byproduct of this fuckery when it's being shoved in my face like this? What other way could I possibly interpret this disparity other than as misogyny?
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hanniejji · 1 year
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doll
[ kunikuzushi!scaramouche x okami!reader ]
summary: in a desperate hope that yae could still give ei's puppet a chance to live, she turns to you, an ancient godlike being born with the physique of a wolf and a former friend that she hasn't seen since makoto's death. yet, as she persuades you, she starts to realize that maybe this was her biggest mistake yet.
notes: nah y/n's just being a silly wolf, they're not gonna do anything bad to kuni 🥺 not yet ehe just kidding she's just a lil salty i based y/n's form from okami, a mythological wolf deity in japan but im not japanese so i may be culturally incorrect im so sorry ackskf | m.list
words: 1131 | warnings: a little mean and rude reader but only a lil ackskf
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"it's a kid."
"as you can obviously see."
you sent a sharp side eye towards the smug fox, your arms crossed in an attitude that only you are privileged to make known to the ever magnificent yae miko. if it was anyone else, she would have said a word or two about their respect towards her.
but this is you.
you who used to signify great strength among your kind—you still do, but not as much when you were still active in the battlefield—and once stood beside the ever wise makoto, the first archon of inazuma.
you, veteran warrior of the archon war who survived the great calamity five hundred years ago, now being forced into some… babysitting nonsense.
"it's a fucking kid."
"watch your mouth, dear. after all, he is a kid," she winked. "and what do they say about kids? they are easily influenced by the people they are surrounded with, so if i were you i would be very careful if i don't want him spewing curses here and there."
"what is a kid, he, doing here?"
your eyes stared down at the shivering boy on the ground, meeting his terrified purple eyes that resembled someone you once knew. he's the spitting image of them, long luscious purple hair and amethyst eyes that shined brighter than any other vajrada stones you've seen—you're just being a little biased, you secretly love those cor lapis you only seen merchants bring through the port but you don't exactly say they out loud where anyone can hear you.
"that's a long story."
"well then, get talking."
"my, my, what got you so sour today?" yae's alluring giggles infuriated you more than the sight of this boy in front of you.
"you are well aware of why i prohibited any trespasses in my abode, guuji yae," your tone nearly turns to a growl at your ex-acquaintance's new title—you can almost see the way she backs away but she surely regained her composure as quick as lightning, but her flattened ears says otherwise—"and yet here you are, shamelessly asking me for a favor after i made it clear that my ties with the shogun and her connections are severed with my own claws."
"yes, i am aware," she exasperatedly sighs, "but this is a pressing matter that i can only turn to you for help."
"by dumping the child of the shogun on me?"
"y/n!" yae frowned at your tone, one of her hands coming to rest upon the boy's trembling shoulder. "if you could please take the time to understand where i am coming from, it would be greatly appreciated. listen to me, just this time."
the two of you stared at each other in silence, both of you radiating an intimidating aura of authority that only some of the most prominent species in inazuma has. your eyes glowered menacingly, a growl resounding from the back of your throat that sent yae miko into tremors of fear. you, who had stood next to the defenders of inazuma. yae miko barely stands a chance against you.
"please," she faltered against your everlasting gaze. "at least give the boy a chance."
your eyes brought its gaze to the trembling boy. his head is lowered to the ground, an evident effect of your show of strength. fear is literally plastered in the way he's trembling, elbows shaking despite having both of his hands keeping him up from falling limp on the ground. tears were dripping from his pale cheeks, soft whimpers of his cries being desperately muffled by biting into the pulp of his lower lip. it's no doubt that they're swollen by now—in fact, if he was human, you could probably smell the smallest hint of metallic blood from just a tiny crack on the skin of his lips.
pathetic, you scoffed, this? is supposed to hold the gnosis of a god? perhaps ei has forgotten the difference between a celestial being and a mere puppet.
"why is the shogun rejecting her own creation?"
the boy let out a whimper louder than the rest.
sensitive, too emotional.
"she did not reject him," yae crossed her arms at the accusation, bravely sending you a dirty look, "i would love to explain everything to you in detail, just not in his presence."
"oh?"
she grimaces at the victorious smirk on your face.
"why not let him listen? after all," you walk towards the boy, crouching right in front of him. a hand raises to tilt his chin up, eyes glowing in amusement at his confused look, "does he not deserve an explanation as to why his own creator—or better yet, his mother—decided to entrust him in the hands of someone like me?"
you hold his face in your hands, thumbs caressing the apple of his cheeks and cooing at the way they turn pink.
the way humans do.
"is ei," your voice lowers to a sultry tone, a hypnotic sound that turns the boy into a puddle of something akin to reverence, doe eyes staring back at yours, "turning her eyes away from a mistake she made on her own, like the blind coward she is?"
"that's enough," yae hissed, snapping the boy out of his trance and he cowers away from your touch, "ei is entrusting him to you because she knows you won't do anything that will harm him. he's still just a boy."
both yae and the boy jumped when you suddenly laughed. it wasn't anything gleeful or genuine. it was cold, empty, something that tells yae that she should leave before you bare your fangs at her.
"ei still trusts me? how amusing!" your grin tells her another story, "well then, i shall honor such opportunity!"
"what?" yae stares at you dumbfounded for the nth time today.
"you're… taking him in?" she faltered in disbelief. she was almost sure you'd shoo them away, spouting how insolent she is to believe that you would even do such a favor, that you would not bore such a responsibility on behalf of the shogun. somewhere at the back of yae's mind, she's screaming at herself to pull the boy away from you before everything takes a turn for the worst.
"why not?"
gently, with cold hands that once held warmth years ago, you held his face closer, brushing the stray strands of purple out of his visage and whispering into his ears.
"what's your name, little one?"
"kuni… kunikuzushi," he stammered.
"such an entitled name you have, i like it. doesn't suit a face like yours, but we'll see," the grin on your face widened, leaning closer to his ears, "i would love to take you in, doll."
the sight of you, towering above ei's prototype, sends an unknown fear into yae's mind.
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alatusperegrinus · 9 days
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wanderer falls in love
an untitled wanderer fluff that i word vomited and finished at 12:27 am. goodnight. (maybe will add another and post it all on ao3!)
Wanderer x Reader
For once in his life, Wanderer finally dwelt into the unknown of human emotions.
And it was all because of you.
You had formed an unexpected relationship with the most straightforward being you've ever known. Not even the Traveler and the Dendro Archon could reach him the way you could.
He first rejected you, saying that such relationships are futile if one lived a mortal life, while the other never died. But your next words shook him. In disbelief, he laughed. It was because you spoke with a smile, "I'll do everything to live longer and not die then!"
The following days after that, Wanderer couldn't help but think of the possibility of you defying the natural laws of Teyvat since you were a also very capable Rtawahist researcher. Heck— nothing's impossible anymore! Now he thought, what do you see in him for you to devote your life just to be with him? How absurd.
Wanderer, at first, couldn't accept your care for him. He thought it was purely transactional. But lately, with your patience and guidance, the puppet slowly but surely accepted everything you could give him.
Oh, to be the receiving end of your love and worship. Wanderer remembered the first instance of reverence from Haypasia. Yet, this one was different. So different. Wanderer can't explain the feeling— that even though he lacked a physical heart, his chest never failed to hurt, his stomach would always felt kind of ticklish whenever you look at him with love and respect in your eyes.
Even when he opened up to you the story of his past, you never judged him and his sins, you made him feel heard and seen. After all, it was such a humanly thing that we could be deceived by fellow beings, we could grieve the love we lost, and that we could also be a giver of love! We could feel pain, regret, and we could fear abandonment. You spoke, for you— what mattered the most was the present, because it was the only thing that was certain in this world.
Wanderer started to like being in your presence. You're not overbearing, you were actually chill to be around with. You respected whatever Wanderer would wish and ask of you. He found that conversations with you were not useless at all, but productive. You even knew how to handle yourself, so Wanderer didn't have to worry much about you.
But Wanderer's worried about you now! What a childish feeling, yet—he couldn't help but think if you were even taking care of yourself properly, eating and sleeping well, since it was already hell week in the Akademiya.
With a warm container filled with freshly-cooked shimi chazuke inside, Wanderer found himself at the front of your door.
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