Tumgik
#but like. it's an appropriate tag for this post.
🧸 Beary soon 🧸
Written for the @steddiemicrofic challenge, June 2024 edition
Prompt: stuff, 483 words
Rated: G
Tags: Post-Vecna; Everybody lives; Recovery; Mutual pining; Tooth-rotting fuff
Tumblr media
“Careful,” Eddie says as Steve sweeps a horde of tiny demons off the desk. “They're delicate.”
“Oh, yeah?” Steve gripes. His arms are sore from carrying boxes and his head hurts. “How about you pack them yourself?”
“I’d love to,” Eddie grins obnoxiously. It tugs on the bandage covering his jaw, where the bats almost tore out his throat. “But alas, I’m under strict orders to rest.”
He settles against the headboard of his bed and winces as the movement pulls on his stitches.
“So you’d rather watch me work my ass off?”
“Exactly, big boy.” Eddie winks at him, and Steve feels himself flush for reasons he’s been refusing to examine ever since the spring break from hell. “Now go. If you can’t handle them with the appropriate care, I’ll get Henderson to do it. Carry those out to the van.”
He gestures at another pile of boxes, like a king giving orders, and returns to his comic book.
While he lugs the first box outside, Steve silently marvels at how much stuff the Munsons have in their tiny trailer. At least the new one is a little bigger, so hopefully it’ll look marginally less cluttered.
He's on the porch steps when the box tears. Books and random trinkets scatter in the grass. Steve swears and drops to his knees.
A shoebox is in the dirt, lid half open. It's labeled PRIVATE in big, black letters.
Maybe, Steve thinks later, he should've looked away. But he's tired and annoyed, and he figures one look at Eddie's stash of titty magazines won't kill either of them.
There's no titties in the box. What greets him instead is his own face, eyes closed, features limp. A polaroid of him, asleep by Eddie’s hospital bed. One of the kids must've taken it, given it to Eddie after he woke up.
There's more.
Wrappers from the candy he snuck in when Eddie wouldn't stop whining about the hospital food.
The card and little stuffed bear Dustin insisted he buy from the gift shop, because everyone was supposed to get Eddie something. The bear is wearing a tiny shirt. It says Get well beary soon. Steve frowns. Why would Eddie keep a secret box full of worthless junk he gave him, like some schoolgirl with a-
Oh.
“Stevie?” Eddie hollers from inside. “Are you still alive? Do you need me-?”
“No!” Steve yelps. He drops the bear as if singed, then crams everything back into the shoebox, slamming the lid shut so hard the cardboard dents. “I mean … stay where you are, you're supposed to be resting.”
“I'd rest a lot easier if you weren't smashing my stuff left and right,” Eddie grumbles. “But whatever you say.”
Steve's head feels light and tingly as he carries the shoebox over to the van.
Looks like he'll need to have a talk with Eddie soon. Beary soon, preferably.
202 notes · View notes
whumpmasinjuly · 16 hours
Text
Tumblr media
Now introducing the prompt list for Whumpmas in July 2024! 
Thank you for patiently waiting! As a reminder, we will not be reblogging any creations on this blog and will instead keep this blog as a space to only post the prompts, tags, and relevant information. We will post the tag for each day, and we ask that you use two tags when filling prompts this year so that others may find your creations easily:  Tag 1 —> #wij24day__ (Fill in the blank with the appropriate day number for the prompt you are filling! For example, if you are doing the prompt for day 21, make sure to tag your post with #wij24day21.)
Tag 2 —> #whumpmasinjuly2024 Be sure to also tag @whumpmasinjuly-archive if you would like your posts reblogged to our new official archive account! Of course, feel free to use any other relevant tags too! You can also find a banner that you can use in your posts (if you want, not required) under the #wijbanner tag.
The prompts are divided into three categories: community (red boxes), question (green boxes), and creation (white boxes). Everyone is free to participate as much or as little as they want–there’s no completionist requirement! This list provides a preview of the prompts, but on each day a more detailed post will be released with more context and additional suggestions for each day’s task. Similar to previous years, all prompts and other important information will be found under the #infowhumpmasinjuly tag and #infowij24 for ease of access. This blog will also use the tags #wijquestion , #wijcommunity , and #wijprompt respectively for each post so that you can filter and find the type of prompts you’d like to do. 
Below the cut is a text list of this year’s prompts:
1. (Re)Introduce yourself 2. What are your top three favorite whump tropes? 3. "______ deserved it" 4. Post a whump prompt for someone else to fill on Day 28 5. Share a TV show, movie, or any media that gives you the whumperflies! 6. Left Behind 7. Post a link to your favorite whump fic of all time! 8. Describe your favorite type of whumper 9. Mind Games 10. Check out a new whump blog and drop them an ask 11. What songs/playlists are perfect for whumpy daydreaming? 12. Caught 13. Share some of your favorite niche whump tags! 14. Describe the ideal fic you've always wanted to read, but have yet to find/haven't written yet. 15. A Soft Reprieve 16. Create a whump meme! 17. What has been your most recent whump obsession? 18. "Or else" 19. Create a list of some of your favorite whump blogs to share! 20. What character do you wish to see whumped more in canon/fan-made media? 21. Abandoned 22. Find a story/author you've never engaged with before, and leave some nice comments! 23. What is your favorite type of whump setting? 24. Denial 25. Share a sneak peek of something you're working on 26. Describe your favorite type of whumpee 27. Delirium 28. Fill someone's whump prompt from Day 4 29. When did you get your first whumperflies? 30. "I'm here" 31. Who is someone in the whump-creating world that you admire and why?
91 notes · View notes
hotd-bigbang · 3 days
Text
Tumblr media
House of the Dragon Big Bang - Summer 2024
SIGN UP HERE
Hello, and welcome to the official event page for the House of the Dragon Big Bang!
What is a Big Bang?
A Big Bang is an event that pairs up fic writers with artists in order to create stories with accompanying artwork that is then revealed once the event begins.
What is the purpose of a Big Bang?
The purpose is to create a sense of community within the fandom and get people talking and creating together.
How does the Big Bang work?
You can sign up as either a writer, an artist or beta reader - or all three, if you're feeling ambitious! You start writing as soon as you have submitted the summary for your story. A list of summaries are then anonymously presented to the artists to choose from, and they can create for the idea(s) they like best. Once we have revealed the writer/artist pairings, you are then free to engage with each other to help each other create. All stories and artwork must be submitted by the set deadline in time for the reveal date.
Anything else I should know?
Please see below the cut!
The Rules
This event is centred solely around House of the Dragon. Please do not submit crossover fics for other fandoms, or include other ASOIAF characters. We will allow characters from Fire and Blood that have not/have yet to appear in the TV show, however.
All ships can sail here. We welcome reader inserts, OCs and any combination of character pairings.
Minimum word count for fics is 5,000.
Due to the potential for NSFW/explicit content, this event is 18+. Minors please do not interact.
The event will run to a schedule, so please only sign up if you are able to commit - we would prefer for people not to drop out part way through as it potentially leaves writers without art and vice versa.
You can sign up as both an artist and a writer, but you cannot create art for your own fic, you must choose someone else's.
Beta reading is optional - we will offer the role of beta reader at the point of sign up, if you have time to offer this service - you do not need to have your fic beta read if you'd prefer not to though.
You need to have an AO3 account to sign up to this event, otherwise you cannot submit your fic to the collection. If you don't have an AO3 account then we have a limited number of invites that we can distribute.
You must write a brand new fic, specifically for this event. We do not accept ongoing published works or fics that have already been teased publicly.
You do not need to be able to draw to sign up as an artist - we will accept people who are willing to create moodboards, playlists, GIF sets, etc.
Please communicate with your writer/artist once you have been paired up - the idea is to work collaboratively.
Tag your creations appropriately and be mindful of deadlines
Once all works have been submitted to the collection, we will post the reveal schedule.
Artists are welcome to claim multiple fics, but must submit at least one piece for each.
If you have any questions then please feel free to send us an ask.
Schedule
June 16th 11.59pm GMT - Sign ups close.
June 17th 12pm GMT - Summary sheet sent to writers.
June 30th 11.59pm GMT - Deadline to submit summaries by.
July 1st 12pm GMT - Summaries sent to artists for claiming.
July 14th 12pm GMT - Artist and author pairings revealed.
September 15th 23.59pm GMT - Deadline to submit completed fic to the AO3 collection.
September 16th 12pm GMT - First fic is revealed.
SIGN UP HERE
Event admins: @ewanmitchellcrumbs & @emilykaldwen
46 notes · View notes
koboldfactory · 2 days
Note
So, question, in regards to your OC's being used for commissions, how do you feel towards them in nsfw art? I'm not doing it, but I did stumble upon one art of the dragon girl with the robot arm. And I don't know how you felt towards nsfw art.
Hmm I feel like as long as the artist and characters are adults I don’t really mind. I haven’t outright stated a policy on nsfw fanarts and whatnot before because I didn’t wanna inadvertently open the floodgates to something I’d regret. Just be mindful and respectful and tag everything appropriately and that’s all I can ask
I’m curious what dragon girl with a robot arm you’re talking about though. Maybe Cooper? She doesn’t have a robot arm in her current design though. Just big gauntlets. Did the post at least credit me? Lol
23 notes · View notes
ditizygirl · 2 days
Text
Editblr is a breeding ground for idolatry, ableism, racism and so much more all for a community about putting images together.
I've been here for only a year but I feel like I've seen it all, and the excuses oh my god the excuses. You are all 15-19, you should not have the mental capacity of a 8 year old. Your common sense is non existent and almost all of you guys are so fucking stupid it's pissing me off more than any god can understand. You are old enough to have logical thinking skills, you may have a disorder and it may be a reason but not an excuse.
Alot of you have forgotten the saying "Think Before You Talk" and I've sure as hell done alot of thinking. This is my deep dive into editblr. I think if you consider yourself a good person you should read under cut.
Ableism
Typing quirks are a way of personal expression but why do so much of you hate to add plain text. I can understand to extent because plain text hates my head because of how long it can be but I'm not gonna act like a little bitch about it. I'm gonna add my typing quirk or even fonts itself to it.
I'm gonna ask someone to help me, or to do it for me. Stopping making excuses for ableism. Alongside with the typing quirks, your psds are ugly and eyestrainy. Psds also fall under racism because I have no idea why you guys are ignoring the fact some make dark skin characters lighter but in the case of ableism most of them are really bright and makes it hard to see.
Orange and brown? Green and yellow? Blue and brown? Why are you putting colours that can be so much eyesore together? And won't even tag as eyestrain and when someone does ask you only do it for one post.
Romanticization
This one is weird as fuck and I see no one mentioning it. Editblr highkey has a ddlg problem, this "little girl" aesthetic you guys have going on borderlines ddlg alot and its icky. The baby talk typing quirk is disgusting, stop it.
I'm not one to judge how someone copes with their trauma but what I DO judge is how you act when majority says its uncomfortable. Now this section I'm a bit unsure how to phrase it, gotta love dyslexia, but that isn't going to stop me.
There's alot of very uncomfortable romanticization of stalking which I've seen so much of alongside abusive relationships and the justification of these things.
Racism
Really can't escape this one unfortunately. Many of you are like kpop idols, you're too dyslexic towards the difference between appropriation and appreciation. Incase you forgot let me remind you.
You can not gift japanese names. Gifting names is a native practice therefore you can only gift native names. Also I've noticed you weirdos befriending people just to use their cultural names. I can't even say it east asian fetishization because its only Japanese.
Also for the love of God can you guys stop saying nonmem and non women especially when referring to sexualities. It's not hard to simply say "queer attraction to women" and "queer attraction to men".
Coming back to the "gifting" names thing, I think it's interesting how all of you conveniently have a Japanese friend who "gifted" you the name of a cute pink anime girl. Maybe I'll do a post later on how much of a bad liar you guys are.
Closed symbols is also another big problem you all have. No matter how much times you're told you can't use something you always cry "but my friend from xyz culture said it was ok!" One person can't speak for a whole culture. You're nothing but a coloinzer in disguise hiding behind the idea of aesthetic. If you want to know if a symbol is closed just use this site.
Goddess Personas
Yea this one is getting a whole section of its own. Like any people I am uncomfortable with goddess personas, especially being someone with biblical sources. Now the idea that a teenager on the internet is making people call them a goddess is strange isn't it?
In my opinion, they're all annoying, copy and paste, and I think not a lot of people talk about how the really bad ones get. You all love to indulge them, make them think they have power over them. You put them on a pedestal and praise them and get surprised when it all goes to their head?
Stop giving 14 years old power, stop indulging in their habits and letting it go their head. Forcing people to refer to you as their goddess? Their Lord and saviour? Their idol? Someone they must listen to? It creates a power inbalance which always leads to the weirdest of manipulation. Also all the engagekiss copiers are so obvious why would you want to copy the identity of a groomer? It says alot of about yourself if that's what you think is ideal.
Callout Posts
Now, personally, I believe that the only reason a callout post happens is because someone was affected, does it not? Very rarely would a callout post would be a fake one, especially if someone has more then one. If you defend someone who has more than one call out post that's on you and you're gonna end up making one some day I can genuine you that. People don't make them for no reason.
This is all I have to say for now. I hope you guys really consider what I have written here, or not, considering the fact you guys have shown multiple times you lack reading comprehension
27 notes · View notes
koco-coko · 1 day
Text
Sleepy Comforts | OC x Mozart
Tumblr media
word count: 788
CW: slight meowzart
tags: fluff, pre-established relationship, sleeping in the same bed, cuddles
authors note: the voices told me to do it. Also yay my first fic with tchai!!!! :3
people: @natimiles @olivermorningstar @lorei-writes (tagging b/c oc and i know they like ocs if you want/dont want to be tagged tell me hehe i promise i'll make a tag post soon)
Tumblr media
Some days were a bit harder than others. Almost everyone could attest to that fact, and that was his only comfort to such weakness. For Mozart, it meant days where he had to interact with those rude and uptight nobles for just a bit too long, where he was stuck on a particular verse for hours at a time, or simply having a bad, annoying day. Maybe Arthur spoke too loud or Comte asked if he would attend another ball… Whatever it was, by the evening, he was ready to collapse and sleep for days.
But he had something– someone to look forward to. A certain girl with baby pink hair in two long braids was reading on his bed, resting her legs after a long day of helping the local ballet company rehearse. Just thinking about it, Mozart felt proud. They both still had a long way to go when it came to learning what the word ‘break’ meant, or… self-care… but Tchai was far more receptive than she was before they started dating. Now, even though she'll be aching and clinging to a florally decorated cane or wheelchair, at least she wasn’t hunched over the floor, strumming a cello or viola or other. 
His feet dragged across the floor. He was thankful the rest of the mansion was asleep this late (or out drinking). He wouldn’t want to be caught dead in such a sorry state, especially in front of those teasing authors!
All thought of other men left his mind as he crossed the threshold to his bedroom and locked the door. Mozart was throwing his layers off as fast as possible, kicking off his shoes by the bedside. He was in such a hurry to disrobe he almost forget to notice the girl laying on the bed.
“Good evening, дорогая,” Tchai said, closing her novel and placing it on the bedside. She held a gentle smile as she crawled beside him, resting her head on the familiar nook between his neck and shoulder. She pecked his neck absentmindedly. 
Mozart gazed solely at his partner while he placed his coat on the bedpost beside him. “Why aren’t you asleep?” he whispered, his concern barely concealed under weak annoyance, “It’s late.” Even still, he gently tilted her chin for easier access to a romantic kiss. Tchai slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It wasn’t rushed nor forced, but neither diluted any passion and lust they held for the other.
Tchai giggled between breaths. Mozart could feel her smile against his lips. “I could say the same thing, Wolfy.” Mozart huffed, only to cause Tchai to chuckle more. “And it’s hard to sleep without you. You know that…”
Mozart stilled suddenly, pulling back to look into the lavender eyes of his lover. She watched his violet ones in turn. Maybe it was cliche or lovesick, but the idea of someone waiting for him was far too appealing to a tired mind. Suddenly, the composer melted into his partner’s embrace, his weight entirely on her chest. She accepted him readily. The scent of flowers overwhelmed him in seconds, soothingly so.
“You really are like a little котенок sometimes,” she said. Delicately, she petted every hair in his head, taking extra care with the baby hairs on his neck. She even scratched him in specific spots, the ones she had learned he responded well, too. When he exhaled deeply and hummed, she knew she had done well. 
“Mein liebe,” he murmured into her. Quietly, they both fell back to the mattress and adjusted appropriately, snuggling into each other in such a manner that only experience with the other’s imperfections and curves could teach. “I love you.” Mozart spoke those words like a prayer before he kissed and nipped at her neck. The fellow composer welcomed every devoted and soft lick and pressed against her, cradling him even tighter. The only time her arms and legs untangled from his was to click off the lamp on the bedside. She returned as fast as she could.
Tchai smiled when she heard Mozart’s breathing slow even more, his lashes tickling against the nape of her neck. While she loved the overprotective, jealous, practically needy Mozart during the day, there was something oddly comforting about times like this. When all he craved was her touch and comfort, or he only got by with the idea that she was waiting. It was an ego boost, of course, but after a lifetime of underestimation, it was rewarding to have someone rely on her for once. “I love you, too.” Tchai nuzzled into him one final time, a desperate attempt to be with more of her partner, then closed her eyes while her cheek squished against the top of his head.
Tumblr media
16 notes · View notes
antianakin · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
@theneutralmime
I imagine you could PROBABLY interpret it either way since, like you mention, they're not SUPER explicit about what the Jedi do or do not know about Anakin's past aside from Obi-Wan telling Ahsoka about it in TCW.
But I think it seems unrealistic to assume the Jedi DON'T know about Anakin's past. There's a lot of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's report to the Council we don't get to see and ten years of Anakin's apprenticeship that never gets explored. I find it pretty unlikely that Obi-Wan would know (either because Qui-Gon explained it at some point during TPM we don't get to see or because Anakin explains it post-TPM) and not pass that information along to at least the Council.
I think whether the Jedi treat everyone the same or make exceptions for special circumstances would likely vary based on the situation. For example, Anakin is clearly expected to follow the same rules and guidelines as any Jedi, he has to follow the Code, and he has clearly been taught the no attachments/possession rule. BUT, we do also see the Council be RELATIVELY lenient towards him when he pushes back against them during TCW in particular. He doesn't tend to get much more than a verbal slap on the wrist for things like making the entire Council wait for HOURS as he plays house with Padme instead of reporting to them when they call. Mace and Yoda both advise Obi-Wan to be more lenient towards him in AOTC, to let him make his own mistakes and learn from them. Yoda tells him in season 6 that it is his spontaneity that makes him different from other Jedi and that this is a strength, not a weakness. In that same arc, Yoda has a vision of sorts where he literally has to "save Anakin from falling." So I think you could argue that the Jedi ARE aware that Anakin's upbringing makes him different and that they DO make allowances for it where possible, but that they also expect him to follow the same general guidelines and rules as any other Jedi.
You could make the argument that this is how they handle everyone, we see them be fairly lenient towards Ahsoka, as well, right up until she gets accused of a serious crime and they can't just handle the issue internally. The Jedi ALWAYS make allowances for people, they ALWAYS make allowances for differences between their members that require different kinds of support rather than strict punishment and enforcement of uniformity. So you could say the Jedi DO treat him like everyone else because they treat EVERYONE individually since you never really know what specific kind of support each person is going to need, it's not necessarily always going to be the same and it's not going to be the same all the time even for the same person either. The Jedi adjust for EVERYONE and so while they might have to make slightly more or slightly different adjustments for Anakin than they've made for other initiates/padawans before him, they wouldn't be unused to the concept of making adjustments IN GENERAL. Ahsoka herself was raised by a loving family until she was brought to the Jedi and raised pretty normally among the Jedi, but we see them make adjustments for her, too. She's allowed to become a padawan earlier than usual due to her being advanced for her age. So this is just... what the Jedi DO.
34 notes · View notes
thelostmoongazer · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
yeah he's baby girl or whatever
7K notes · View notes
math-memes · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media
1K notes · View notes
altschmerzes · 6 months
Text
i just. really wish people would realize it's possible to reblog a post about platonic relationships and expressing an appreciation for them or defending their legitimacy and capacity for depth and complexity and intimacy etc without feeling the need to talk in the tags about how much they love romance also or how much they also think 'a secret third thing' is great. like. you don't need to do that. in fact, please DON'T do that.
504 notes · View notes
nyancrimew · 1 year
Text
im happy :) ive been so happy lately :3
2K notes · View notes
pipartuuli · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media
Kloktober 2023 day 3(???) - Mordhaus Costume Ball(-ish)
"So THAT'S why my pants keeps goings missings?! That's fvcking weird, dudes!"
Okay, this hardly fits the brief and I know I said I wasn't doing Day 3, but the spirit of thirst doodling overtook me and so I'm making this count. Maybe this also bleeds into "Fav Headcanon" for tomorrow's prompt (the headcanon being that Skwisgaar wears like a 29x36 in jeans and Toki is maybe a 32x32 and these jeans were never the same after Thunderhorse.)
Either way, have a To-- uh... Skwisgaar?? (vaguely from "Tributeklok" - s3e2).
497 notes · View notes
royalarchivist · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
I say this in the kindest way possible, but I think this style of prose is more appropriate for a personal account rather than an update account. I have no idea who's being talked about half the time. 🥲
[ Tumblr meme via @mikaikaika ]
#QSMP#Philza#Edited#Phil#Let me know if this needs an additional tag#I don't think this necessitates a discourse or neg tag or whatever because I'm being silly but I'm happy to add one if folks need it#I won't post this one on Twitter I don't think because I genuinely don't want to hurt anyone's feelings#but. I feel very strongly about this. It's not helpful#I say this as a fan and as a professional writer (who also worked in the Marketing and Communications field for far too long)#The prose is nice! It's very whimsical and they're having fun! But I don't think it's appropriate for an updates account#I recently turned off notifications for QsmpEN and I'm considering muting them because half the updates just aren't helpful to me#I want to be able to speed read through the update thread I don't want to spend an additional 30 seconds trying to decipher who's who#I don't like posting complaints so I tried to make it a funny complaint#because I do think feedback is good! And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way#but at the same time: these update writers ARE volunteers#(As a side note -- I personally think anyone running a large social media account should be paid)#(I did that for a few years and it was hell. I can't imagine doing that and NOT getting paid for it)#But anyways#They're all volunteers so I don't actually wanna go all pitchforks and torches on them (which I wouldn't do anyways even if they WERE paid)#I'm just venting my frustrations in what is (hopefully) a funny way#but you're welcome to disagree! That's ok too#Portfolio
382 notes · View notes
Text
By the way, lurkers are welcome on my blog<33
Yeah, yeah, Writeblr is a community and all that. But I get it.
Some of us have anxiety disorders. Some of us are (or were once) minors on the internet who had it drilled into us to never make our presence known in online spaces lest we get stalked or groomed.
It's okay if interacting is outside of your comfort zone.
Some of us aren't actually on tumblr enough to make making a Writeblr intro worth it.
Some of us prefer to take a few months, maybe years, observing the community to learn the rules. And let's face it, there is a huge learning curve to Tumblr culture. I came here from Pinterest in like 2018 and hooo boy was it intimidating!
Like, I was that 17 year old pinterest lurker with an anxiety disorder who was taught that internet safety meant "never comment on anything" who took a few years before I felt comfortable enough with tumblr culture to reblog things with tags, let alone make public posts.
So I guess what I am saying is, I can't judge. Because I've been there.
Writeblr is a community. And the community (for me) is the best part. And remember that if you don't contribute to the community you don't get to complain about it either. But this is also a public space. Silent observers are to be expected. And on my blog you are welcome.
337 notes · View notes
m1d-45 · 1 year
Note
Alright let me try this again.
What if Reader vented to Birb Xiao, not knowing that it was actually him?
They talk about their fears and frustrations, letting out all the words they've wanted to tell a person, but they have to settle for their pretty bird because no one will listen.
So Xiao is just sitting there, resting in the True Creator's hands, listening as he gets a glimpse of how they truly feel.
They say the milileth is like a raging stampede with their spears and swords. They say how the Qixing all seem so cold and unfeeling. They talk about how Zhongli genuinely terrifies them, because he acted so kind to others but was borderline cruel when hunting them.
They talk about Xiao, too, but they don't seem to have many complaints. They haven't seen him in a while, and the last time they crossed paths with him, he just... let them run. The adeptus had looked angry, but also a bit startled (and perhaps, a bit guilty?) at the sight of them. They even once overheard him leading milileth soldiers astray ("by mistake" says the creator, but Xiao knows the truth) by saying the creator had left a while ago, when really, they were still very nearby. While they say they are still a bit scared of him, they don't fear him as much as they fear the others.
All the while, Xiao sits, still as a stone. He takes in every word, every shaky breath and darting glance. He nuzzles into their hand, hoping to offer even the slightest bit of comfort.
He hopes that they continue to be unafraid of him in the future.
-Sibling Anon
he who is without sin
a/n: decided to make this one a full fic for no reason in particular (i don’t have an actual post shhhh)
word count: 1.1k
-> warnings: imposter sagau things, minor blood mention, spoilers for xiao lore, some spoilers for liyue (like names and titles of people/places)
-> gn!reader (you/yours)
taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay
< masterlist > (has context for bird!xiao if you’re lost)
Tumblr media
from the moment that xiao was saved, when his new name was bestowed upon him and he signed his contract with morax, xiao had made a promise. another contract, one without physical ink and paper, one bound to his soul.
one to you, his creator.
a pledge to stand by your side, a clause written in by the god that forged his original contract, releasing him from his duties to liyue to serve the one that had granted him life. a permanent extra sweep to his duties, always on the lookout for the highest god above all.
however, he was not the first to find… ‘you.’
‘you’ had landed in sumeru, nested in the large tree surrounding the akademiya. ‘you’ had climbed down, introduced ‘yourself’ to the sages with a smile. everybody was quick to give ‘you’ the glory rightly the creator’s, ushering ‘you’ atop a throne of silver and gold, offerings laid at ‘your’ feet with all the haste of those deprived of the divine.
xiao may have hung back at the beginning, unwilling to allow his karma to infect ‘your’ other worshippers, but he still did his duty. he still kept ‘your’ path clear of enemies, and was the first to pick up his blade when word broke of your imposter.
and yet, when he laid eyes upon the one he was supposed to hate, he was the first to repent.
xiao took a shaking breath, crossing his arms around himself. “morax?”
the elder god turned, amber eyes soft. “what is it, xiao?”
xiao marched through dihua marsh, polearm gripped tightly in his hand. a large hilichurl camp had been reported, which while not an issue normally, was the third in the last four days.
irritation was openly displayed on his face, the anemo around him simmering with his anger. why did the abyss have to act up now, when they were on a hunt? surely even they, as infected and riddled with darkness as they were, worshipped a god? or was that the source of their evil?
he kept marching north, only turning his head at the sound of a soft gasp.
“how will i know when the creator arrives?”
morax smiled, not upset like xiao had anticipated. “don’t worry about such things. when the time comes-“
you stood on the path branching west, eyes wide. you looked nearly exactly like the ’you’ on the throne, the same cool eyes that called for your death now wide and staring at him in fear.
“-you will know.”
you turned on your heel, your armful of sunsettias tumbling to the floor, but… xiao did not chase you.
instead he brought a hand to chest, under his necklace. he pressed, feeling the still-regular beat of his heart.
he pressed, searching for the place where his karma used to be.
Tumblr media
from the moment that xiao realized the truth, when his new duty was bestowed upon him, he had made a promise. another contract, one without physical ink and paper, one bound to his soul.
one to you, his creator.
he flew down from the sky, landing in your outstretched hand. he chirped a greeting, body relaxing under your gentle touch.
“hello there, friend,” you cooed, sitting straighter under the tree. your tree, the one you kept coming back to, the one he always directed other adepti away from because it was for you, not them. not him.
you fed him as usual, but stayed strangely silent. no stories of the kindness mitachurls showed you, no update on how close or far the people searching for you had gotten, none of the usual things he looked forward to. you just… sat. watching him in your hand, an emotion he didn’t know the name of drawing your brows close.
maybe you just didn’t want to talk today? but if something was troubling you, he wanted you to share, to allow him some of the weight off your shoulders. then again, he was just a bird to you…
“do you know ganyu, pretty bird?”
xiao froze, thankful he was facing your palm so you couldn’t see his eyes widening.
“i thought i did.”
he looked up, carefully, daring to meet your eyes. this time, he could pin down what you were feeling: betrayal.
his finch heart burned.
your thumb pet over his wings, but he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it. not now.
“i thought she was kind.”
she was, he knew firsthand. how she worried over the tianquan, fretted over her skills both with a bow and with a pen, how her and the yuheng kept each other afloat in the sea of endless work assigned to the jade chamber.
you smiled. it was bitter. “i guess i should have known better regarding the adepti.”
xiao’s heartbeat raced in his ears, something hot burning a hole in his chest. he was an adeptus, he wanted to say, he could be trusted.
but you didn’t know him as an adeptus. you knew him as your little songbird, your friend, the one you continued to risk your life for, even if you didn’t know it.
he chirped once, somber. he wanted to apologize, to take up his blade against his own king on your behalf, to walk up to the fraud’s throne and watch them bleed red.
but you didn’t need that. so he sat in your hand, leaning into your fingers, and let you speak.
as it turned out, today had been a busy day for you. you had wandered into the path of a millelith patrol, which had happened before, but not with keqing at the head of it. not when she had darted forward in a flash of lighting, electro arcing along her sword. not when she’d pulled out and blew a special whistle even as you ran, one that you couldn’t hear but could feel under your skin, taunting you as you tried to navigate the maze of bishui plain.
when you told him of ganyu’s frostflake arrows, he wanted to cry. when you described the anger in zhongli’s eyes, he started to weep.
you didn’t deserve this pain. you didn’t deserve having to outrun planet befall, you didn’t deserve to fear your life being stolen by those who should protect you at all costs- he should have been there. he was south, too far south to hear the whistle, but he should have been called.
he should have protected you.
under the shifting leaves of a sandbearer tree, your songbird cried. and you, none the wiser, continued to spell out the cause of his torment.
.
2K notes · View notes
its-your-mind · 6 months
Text
Tbh I??? Really love these Bell’s Hells Company Retreat Activities???? Bc like. It’s not like any of them have been overly cagey this whole time, or actively hiding big secrets from each other. (someone at some point mentioned how BUCKwild it would have been to watch the M9 try to play What The Fuck Is Up With That within the first ten episodes of c2, with all the shit all of them were hiding and how much their early relationships were based on a mutual understanding that no one would expect each other to bring up the past unless it became a danger - the only one who ever poked that particular bear was Beau with Caleb at the start when she traded access to the Archive for the reason why Caleb gets fucked up by fire, and that private conversation shaped their relationship for the rest of the campaign BUT I digress.)
Nothing anyone confessed during the Honesty exercise was… a surprise. The only one who hadn’t shared the entirety of his past (that he remembered) was Chetney, and his was never the past that felt like a threat - that revelation was more along the lines of FCG’s type of “tell me about your family trauma so I can fix you” line of questioning.
The truths the Hells offered up to each other… they were significant (Fearne, I was disappointed in you for being afraid of your power), and scary (deep down, both Delilah and I kind of want the shard), and hard to say out loud (even on the nights I bunk up with one of you, I feel so lonely), but critically, so little of it was surprising. No one was sharing anything earth-shattering about their pasts or previously unknown plans for future betrayal.
And during the Communication exercise - none of them - Chetney, Imogen, Ashton, or Orym - doubted that their directors were leading them the wrong way. They listened, and paid attention to instructions, and didn’t try their own path because they felt like they knew better.
And then during Trust! The part that should have been the hardest!! All of them were obviously distrustful of each other, shooting around stressed looks, sending familiars to dive-bomb to check for flesh, but like… none of them actually turned on each other. None of them ganged up, or broke off, or stood in opposition - they were wary of each other, and they got the task done.
So… it didn’t really lead to any huge shifts in the dynamic. But that was never really what they needed! The Hells have trusted each other since the beginning, and even when they’re actively having to fight each other, it’s always with a desperation born from a place of concern. They really do care for and love each other. I don’t think any of them, if they sat down to think about it, truly believed that one of them was going to betray the others.
But they haven’t had time to sit and think about it. They have been actively fighting the literal end of the world since like… ep 45 (first irl Ludinus sighting/convo). The apocalypse happened. Has been happening. For thirty episodes now. They spent a good chunk of that time apart from each other, and then the rest of it desperately reaching out to anyone with more power than themselves to beg for their help.
So yeah! It’s not a big surprise that they’re all bottling up a lot of their own shit right now! There aren’t that many personal issues that feel like they deserve more attention than the literal end of the world.
It was inevitable something was going to give. And since Ashton’s shit was up next for dissection because they had a past that brushed up against the Primordials? Of course they were the one whose internal lockdown broke first. And of course when it did, it physically shattered Ashton, too, right along those same fault lines where Milo put them back together the first time. It’s so good that they had friends who were there, past and present, to make sure none of the pieces got lost. To put them back together.
We watched Laudna break down right after, specifically because she was back home, in this place where Delilah had first tortured and killed her, where she had lived as a wraith haunting a castle. Delilah had been slowly picking the lock on the cage the Hells had forced her into, and Ashton’s “betrayal” was the last tumbler Delilah needed to snap into place to break the lock in Laudna’s mind. And her mind shattered, fragmented in the same way it had been after she was first brought back as Delilah’s vessel. How beautiful that it was Laudna’s love of children and her desire to make Ashton a gift (meant to be part insult, “because you’re a child,” and declaration of her care for him, “I like children.”)
And Fearne… Fearne almost broke down after them. Slamming the hammer down next to Ashton’s head over and over and over, screaming at him, wandering away through the city, sleeping alone in the woods… She saw the cliff’s edge coming. That’s why she asked them if they could stop at her Nana’s first.
Because she needed it. And the rest of the Hells say, “Why? Do you think Nana Morri can help us in this?” And Fearne says, “Well, I don’t know, but…” And Imogen says, “Do you need it for you?” And Fearne says, in a small and shattered voice, “…yes.”
And that’s the end of the discussion.
They go home, to a place where they are safe and have time, for the first time since Ruidus was locked in place.
And so they have time to be Honest - and they are. Fearne likes to watch them all and play with their hair while they sleep. Orym has thought through how he would neutralize them if he absolutely had to. Ashton thinks it would be better for him to be dead than for Fearne to be hurt. Imogen is scared to face her mom. Laudna dreams of leaving this behind. FCG is jealous of the people around him with a heart, because they have possibilities he doesn’t. Chetney hasn’t settled down once in 400 years because he’s scared he’s cursed to drive away any family he has.
Behind all of this - I want to know everything about you. I need to make sure you don’t hurt each other. I would sacrifice myself to keep you from pain. I don’t want to choose between my blood and this family we’ve built. I want you all to be safe. I want you to pursue happiness. I don’t want to lose you.
And then, Communication - follow along this path. Listen to my voice. Keep calm, keep quiet. Stay the course. I will keep you safe. Keep walking, keep walking, and… you’re there, honey.
And finally, Trust. Two of them are going to be replaced by fae beings bent on preventing them from completing their mission, and they have to complete this task without letting the infiltrators stop them. Okay. Let’s all stick together. Keep eyes on each other. Wait for the doppelgängers to give themselves away somehow. Do you remember these small, banal details about our mutual history? There’s a possibility that action you took was malicious, but I know you well enough to know that might have been a mistake you made on your own. Here, I’ll walk into traps to show that I’m not going to stop you. I’ll get out of your way and take out the threats. I’ll be eyes in the sky and send my familiar to poke you to test if you feel like you should. But nothing you’re doing makes me see you as a real threat - just the possibility of one. I trust you. I trust in you. I trust myself to know enough about you to identify if you’re doing something differently than normal.
And the result of those exercises? No new information, but maybe some things that we all had lost track of amongst the chaos. I am not shocked by your Honesty. I know deep down that I can rely on your Communication. I do Trust you. I know you. I care for you. I know you care for me, too. Even when I have doubts, even when you fuck up, even when things break bad and you make the wrong call…
We are a team for a reason, and no matter what we said in the beginning, it is not just out of necessity or convenience. Are we a bunch of fucked up, broken people? Absolutely. Are we going to continue to fuck up? Probably. Does that change how we feel about each other? No. Never. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll be here, fighting alongside you. Helping you up when you stumble. Offering a shoulder when you need to cry. Standing over you to protect you if you fall. Laughing with you in good times, kicking ass for you in bad. This is our family, damn it. It is strange, and broken, but it is ours, and it is good.
115 notes · View notes