#wrong dandelion and wrong lapis

[ramlightly]

Every once in a while, I go on the For You page and it made me realize that

1. it thinks I'm a big witcher fan (because I tag things as Dandelion) and

2. thinks I'm a big steven universe fan (because of Lapis)

#ram talks #mind you i do like steven universe and witcher #just #you know #wrong dandelion and wrong lapis

[greennlin]

loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter

part two of two. cw: slightly ooc / could be read as slight yandere xiao. someone special makes an appearance !

22 / 8 / 23

soft moonlight seeps into the room you and xiao share. silent as a cat, he stalks into the room. his mask vanishes into a thousand green orbs into the air. today has been a long day helping out the traveller, and though adepti didn't need to sleep, he was looking forward to the inevitable relaxation that your shared room always held.

except, something was completely wrong.

your stuff- where did it go? all the small trinkets he'd gotten you over the years had suddenly vanished from the night table. your clothes hung non-existent in the dresser. all of the pictures that you and he carefully placed on the walls and shelves were removed.

thoughts swirled through his mind with confusion and ire. did someone break in? no, impossible. there were no signs of desperation nor manhandling. maybe you were visiting family? if so, why would you take with you the memories the two of you made together? unless..

no. he forcefully rejects the idea. you wouldn't leave. why would you leave? oh no...

a glowing image of the traveller materializes in his mind, only then to be shattered by the image of you in tears. the weight of a thousand dams of emotions breaking onto him, xiao teleports to qingyun peak. from the highest point in liyue, he's sure he'll find you.

how did you leave without him knowing? there's no way he couldn't have known. why didn't he stop you from leaving?!

"xiao, i love you,"

your last words crashed into him like a truck. was that why? because you thought he didn't love you anymore? i have to find you, he gritted his teeth, no matter what.

as he searches throughout the nation, time grows stagnant. the rise and fall of the sun and the cycles of the moon becomes insignificant to him. monsters ravage the guili plains as a result of his neglect. even rex lapis has come to address xiaos remiss of his duties.

a whole moon has passed since you disappeared. the yaksha searched the whole nation, deep into the lush rainforests of sumeru, across the dandelion plains of mondstadt, and even in it's large gated walls, venturing deep into the chasm but to no avail. it's as if you've been completely wiped off the face of the earth.

if the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results, then xiao has become insane, each day waking up where the only thought in his mind is you. you are the reason he walks and breathes, bringing you back home his new purpose.

he stands atop the balcony of wangshu inn, replaying your final conversation for the hundredth time, a knot tightening in his chest every time his thoughts drift to you. tightening his grip against the wooden rail, his whole body tenses up when he feels a finger poke into his shoulder.

for a second, he is sure it is you. you, who have finally come back to him. after all this time, he can finally rest and lay in your warm embrace like he used to. thousands of 'im sorry's would leak endlessly from his lips as he would hold you closer than ever. he would make things right. he would make sure you would never feel this way again. he doesn't hide his large smile as he turns to see you-

only it isn't you. it is the traveller, whom he left you for. while the smile on his face fades, the smile on theirs grows.

as they extend their arms, ready to embrace their new lover in an embrace, he flinches violently. the traveller blinks in response. at their side, paimon wears a confused expression on her face.

"xiao? is everything alright?" they ask, concern lacing their voice. the yaksha narrows his eyes, his voice lowering into a growl.

"no, it's not alright. i never shouldve-" his head darts to the direction of inazuma. his eyes widen, realization washing over him. "this was a mistake, this was a huge mistake," he pants, shaking his head and stepping back. "xiao? xiao!" they call, but he is already gone.

as he flies over the ocean towards the archipelago, he wonders whether it's worth seeing you again. after all, you've gone to such efforts to never see him again. of course he understands, he hurt you beyond repair, but he can't deny the void you left in his heart when you left.

the adeptus finds himself atop tenshukaku, straining to hear your lost voice amidst the loud bustle of the city. voices of merchants and the rattling of carts and loud footfalls of stone drowned out any indication of your voice.

he waits there until nightfall, until it is quiet enough to hear. the moon reaches its peak in the sky before he finally hears your giggling voice.

xiaos heart swells. like a flower in the spring, it blossoms, full of love and excitement, but still beating with nervousness and fear. he's rehearsed what he's wanted to say over and over in his head. he's got one chance to make it right, so close to having you. he won't fail now.

he teleports closer to you, but still out of your sight. the yaksha takes a deep breath before stepping out of the shadows to meet you. this day has played out thousands of times in his head, and now that he's here, it feels like a dream come true.

"kazu! oh my god, you shouldn't have!" he hears you exclaim. still half shadowed in darkness, he freezes in his tracks. kazu? who in the world was 'kazu'?

his now-hard glare sweeps over your figure, you're still as beautiful as he remembers, practically glowing even though the sun was gone. however his gaze is wrenched away by a boy who stands close next to you. too close. who is he?

slipping back into the shadows, he follows you silently. all the way, you were smiling and giggling, the boy returning your affection only with a little smile. just like he used to, xiao thinks.

the knot in his heart returns. it's tight and suffocating, cutting off his short inhales and exhales. he wants to interject, wants to be that boys place. wants to beg you on hands and knees to come back to him. there is nothing in the world he wants more.

it takes all of his self-restraint to stay where he is. even though his body itches to move, his eyes stay glued to the pair of you. how your hand slides down his arm to link fingers with him. how you lay your head on his shoulder and walk in sync. how your eyes sparkle like stars when you gaze up at him.

that's it, he thinks. ive seen enough. the knot in his chest is now unbearable, the air filling his lungs burning like molten lava, it feels like a hand is wrapped around his neck and won't let go.

stealing one last glance at you, he manages a small sad smile onto his face. at least you're happy ...

then xiao leaves, for the last time.

reblogs appreciated! .. greennlin 2023

#genshin impact angst #genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #xiao #xiao fluff #xiao x reader #xiao angst #kazuha #kazuha fluff #kazuha x reader #xiao x you #xiao x y/n

[great-and-small]

Send this in the group chat and try not to be annoyed when your friends get your vibe all wrong

1- Black vulture (Coragyps atratus)

2- Harnessed tiger moth (Apantesis phalerata)

3- American badger (Taxidea taxus)

4- Long-tailed salamander (Eurocentric longicauda)

5- American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

A- Trumpet pitchers (Sarracenia spp)

B- Destroying Angel mushroom (Amanita bisporigera)

C- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

D- California palm (Washingtonian filifera)

E- Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)

!- Obsidian

$- Turquoise

%- Pyrite

#- Copper

@- Lapis lazuli

#which combo are you #shitposts #please for the love of god geologists don’t hassle me on the mineral thing #for the nitpicks out there when I say North American I mean ‘can be found in but is not necessarily exclusive to’ #just trying to get my fellow Americans excited about the things they can find outside their door

[killuwumi]

Jealous Bard~ Venti/Zhongli x Fem!Reader

a/n: i just wrote this random blurb from a prompt on pinterest..lol..

warnings: possessiveness, fem reader, jealousy, not proof read, all lowercase (lazy writer alert). 

"He is a weapon. A killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick but that will not change it's nature."

the wind in mondstadt was whipping, it felt like it could blow you over as you sit under the windrise tree. venti was sitting next to you as those words fell from between his lips. it was unlike the sweet things he would sing about at the bar. it was crude and honest, yet still poetic.

you knew who he was referring to, you both knew as you sat and recovered. you had just gotten back from a trip to liyue to attend rex lapis's funeral. it was a long way home and you nestled under the windrise tree to regain your stamina and health. but venti was never far from his followers..never.

"i know venti, i know. you warned me about him before i even left to meet everyone in liyue. but look, i came back, i'm here aren't i?" venti scoffs at your words, a bitter and ugly jealous feeling in his chest that he isn't sure what to do with. he's tried countless times to stop you from meeting zhongli. that man is dangerous, venti knows this, of course he knows this. not only is his human form handsome and charming but he's got a lovely nation and connections.

now, venti would never want you to not find your sibling, but he knows more than he lets on about your sweet, dearest twin. venti knows he could help you move on! you wouldn't need to worry about anyone but him if you would just stay. put. but for god's sake you can't seem to stop traveling.

"i know, i know dandelion. i just worry! it is safe here, our conflict in mondstadt has been quelled..i just prefer you be safe." yes, he does prefer you to return to him, safe and sound. which is why he pulled a favor from an old friend. xiao. the adeptus that had been secretly trailing you for the entirety of your journey into the mountains of liyue. not that you would notice of course, you've never even laid eyes on xiao.

venti had offered to do a favor for xiao if he did this for him, he promised xiao it was all for your safety, and luckily venti steered you right along the path xiao usually watches when doing patrols. so conveniently there was never so much as a hilichural even in your way.

"i have to find my twin venti, i promise mondstadt will always be my home. and zhongli said he might be able to help!" a sweet laugh tumbles out of your mouth and right on to venti's listening ears. even if he is caught up in thought, your laugh is the only song he ever wants to hear. until the grating sound of another archon's name registers in venti's head. ah, he almost forgot that zhongli was still the topic of conversation. that lying bastard, that awful lord obsessed with contracts. venti could wager to guess zhongli knew just about as much as he did when it came to your sibling. and venti seems to somehow be rarely wrong.

he swears up and down that one day he is going to sweep the tips of those peaks in liyue right off and send them straight into the deep waters. then maybe it won't be so pretty. maybe he will crush the harbor while he's at it. but his thoughts are interrupted by your movements..where are you going?

"dandelion, where is it that you're going?" he puts a playful infliction on his tone to ease the jealous feelings he's having. he too gets up and dusts his outfit off.

"i'm going to stay with mona for a bit while i'm back, and see if she can help me at all with a few commissions zhongli gave me. i also need to return a few books to lisa that i got from people in liyue. i think she'll appreciate it." so, so sweet you are. always doing things with other people in mind. don't you ever want to be selfish? oh well, no matter if you do or not, venti is selfish enough for the both of you. and more.

"ah, well be safe my dandelion." venti made sure to put extra emphasis on the my. maybe the wind will carry this conversation to zhongli..maybe.

in the following days, venti was conveniently wherever you were, enjoying you being around. but when he began to see you packing your things in mona's house he knew where you were going, liyue. ugh it left such a bitter taste in his mouth. that harbor, those mountains, and specifically that man.

"ah! is it time for you to go yet again my dandelion? oh how i will miss you, may the wind lead." were the last words you spoke to venti before setting off to liyue, where you were going to meet zhongli with this new information.

liyue harbor was bustling yet again, as you arrived right before the sun set, and headed straight for the teahouse. you were a little late for your meeting with the former archon. a hot cup of tea still waiting for you with zhongli watching over you as you approach.

"hello dear, how was your journey here? safe i presume?" zhongli knew who was watching over you, he knew about the deal between venti and xiao, he was an informed man after all.

"it was good, venti made sure to see me off!" you smiled and the atmosphere feels light. watching zhongli pick up his tea cup and sigh as you sit down.

"he is..quite the doting archon, isn't he?" the tea tastes more bitter when he has to talk about venti, he can't get enough of this alone time with you. even if it is just to piss venti off, he can see your appeal and why the anemo archon is so obsessed. you're pretty, young, adventurous and smart.

"yeah, although he tends to say some strange things, that seems to be a trend with archons." you laugh, zhongli nodding knowingly. zhongli did in fact, know what that bard had said about him.

"you are correct. and maybe he isn't wrong in what he said to you, whatever it may be, but do be aware that not everyone is who they seem to be." zhongli states in a cool, unwavering tone. careful to plant a seed of doubt in your mind the same way venti had.

zhongli might seem like a simple man, and he is, but he does enjoy playing mind games with a rival. and you better believe that this has lit a fire under venti, both of them trying to outdo the other. maybe one of them will get you to solely reside in their nation, their care. but only time will tell.

#jealousy #jealous genshin #genshin impact #venti #venti genshin #genshin x reader #blurb #fanfic #genshin fanfic #genshin #genshin zhongli #zhongli #x reader #fanfiction #genshin fanfiction #jealousy fanfic #killu writes #zhongli x reader #venti x reader #genshin venti

[milllascl]

Minecraft traincraft

#Minecraft traincraft how to

#Minecraft traincraft mod

#Minecraft traincraft code

For more information on getting set up, read the Forge Getting Started page.This should fix the issue with resources going into the wrong place.(Still IntelliJ) Finally, File -> Invalidate Caches/Restart and hit Invalidate and Restart.(Also for IntelliJ) Then go to File -> Project Structure and set the compiler output path to the build folder.If you are using IntelliJ, you will need to go to File -> Settings -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle and change the "Build and Run Using" and "Run Tests Using" to IntelliJ.

#Minecraft traincraft mod

Before running, you have to manually add the "TrackAPI" mod to the "mods" directories under "run" and "run_server" (you may have to create the mods folder).After Forge is done setting everything up, you have to run gradlew genEclipseRuns, gradlew genIntelliJRuns or gradlew genVCRuns to generate the correct run files.To start developing, fork this branch (e.g.: git clone ) and import the adle file as project into your ide.The Traincraft project welcomes contributions from anyone, provided they have signed the Contributor Licensing Agreement (CLA) found here. Anyone that is willing to contribute can contribute as long as they have signed the CLA (scroll down). However, in the hopes that we can make Traincraft great again (no this is not a Trump reference) and that I can still be a part of this, I have open-sourced both versions of Traincraft here on Github. Message from Mrbrutal: I have never open-sourced a project on this level or size, and am a bit hesitant to do so. Open-sourcing the mod was the only viable option that would ensure it's continuation. Why did Mrbrutal post the Source Code?Īs of late, Spitfire4466 and Mrbrutal have had little time to work on Traincraft. Traincraft has had well over 1,000,000 downloads and has been in development since Minecraft 1.1.0 (and even earlier). In June 2020 canitzp has been declared as an owner too. Traincraft was originally created by Spitfire4466, then jointly developed with Mrbrutal, and subsequently maintained by Mrbrutal. It adds over 80 trains, wagons, and other vehicles as well as a new railway system with curved tracks and slopes. Traincraft alters the looks of and adds new functionality to various aspects of the game. Traincraft is a Minecraft mod built using Minecraft Forge. Discord live chat (active) (old server: ).Brutal's IRC: #Traincraft on - Currently not used.Also, there was the old server - pre July 14th, 2020.Īnd, of course, be sure to check out the issues tab here on GitHub. Brutal on twitter or send an email to you'd like to join the live chat, head over to our (new) Public Discord chat. If you wish to contact the original developers, you can contact Mr. Licensing and rules, READ THIS PART ESPECIALLY.Why did Mrbrutal opensource Traincraft?.This helps keep everything organized while saving time and effort. Regarding new features/behavior changes, or if you have found any bugs, please submit a new issue to the issue tracker for it, or add your findings to an existing issue if someone else has already made one. Unless you are a developer you should get your builds from curse.

#Minecraft traincraft code

Steel chimney, steel cab, 2 steel boiler, steel firebox, 3 steel wheels, 2 steel frame, 2 steel ingots, lapis lazuli (goes in dye slot)ģ wood planks, 2 steel wheels, 2 steel frame, 2 steel ingotsģ steel chimney, 3 steel cab, 1 dandelion yellow, 3 steel wheels, 2 steel frame, 2 steel, 4 diesel engine (or 3 I think).Here you will find the source code for the Traincraft 1.12.2 rewrite.ĭon't ask for release dates or beta builds. Steel chimney, steel cab, 4 steel boiler, 2 steel firebox, 3 steel wheels, 4 steel frame, 2 steel ingots Steel chimney, steel cab, 3 steel boiler, 2 steel firebox, 3 steel wheels, 3 steel frame, 2 steel ingots Steel chimney, steel cab, 2 steel boiler, steel firebox, 3 steel wheels, 2 steel frame, 2 steel ingots (note: planks go into slot 1 of the assembly tables, ingots/sticks go into slot 10)ģ wood planks, wood cab, 2 wood wheels, 2 wood frame, 2 sticksĦ wood planks, wood cab, 2 wood wheels, 2 wood frame, 2 sticksĢ wood planks, iron cab, 2 iron wheels, 2 iron frames, 2 iron ingotsĢ wood planks, wood cab, 2 iron wheels, 2 iron frames, 2 iron ingots here are some of the recipes i've worked out:

#Minecraft traincraft how to

*edit* i've figured out how to do it, you need an assembly table, theres 3 versions of the table for 3 different tiers of trains/carts. The mod seems unfinished, i've been trying to use it in survival in the Mindcrack pack, but NEI doesn't show any recipes, and even after trying with the recipes on the wiki ( ) it doesn't work.

#Minecraft traincraft

[sparrow-stunned]

Okay so I had a thought recently and what about a platonic yandere Zhongli where the reader is his child and said child was around during the archon war so obliviously it would only increase the overprotectiveness of yandere Zhongli especially if his child is all he has left of guizhong as well I can only imagine how enraged Zhongli would feel if his child was secretly in a relationship with Venti for all those years seeing as how he also refers to Venti as a "disgrace to the arts" I feel like he would be a very angry papa and we all know how Venti likes to fuel the fire and calls him block-head and a brute and overall getting the old dragon angry

this is the funniest fic I’ve ever written, thank you for this amazing ask. also, i found this on twitter and i feel like it matches the mood perfectly.

overprotective dad!Zhongli would be the most stubborn father ever. he's not the type to raise his voice or get angry, at least on the outside. but whenever he gives you that look, you can’t help but look down and feel guilty, even when you vehemently think that you’ve done nothing wrong. he's the type of father who would be pretty self-indulgent with their child, very patient with you, but also with the occasional sternness that’s hard to fight back against; considering how mild tempered he is usually, if he ever gets mad, then you know that it’s serious.

it'd be hard to hide it from zhongli, your relationship with venti. he's already so protective of you, after your mother’s untimely death. you remember how, when you were a toddler, there was always a cohort of adepti at your side while he had been off fighting, deadly guardians who were ready to murder anything that even breathed in your direction. it was a very trying time when you were in your youth, and it’s even harder to swallow now that you’re over three thousand years old. for goodness’ sake, you were older than ganyu! you're not a child anymore! but when you tell this to your father, he always sighs and pats your head. “you’re still a child to me,” he says. “i still remember when you…” and then starts recalling aloud all these embarrassing stories from when you were a kid, like that time you accidentally started shoving dirt and rocks in your mouth because you thought that it would give you his geo powers, since you wanted to "be just like daddy!"

you groan, facepalm in mortification because he and cloud retainer always does this! even after all these years! whenever ganyu was there to witness this, she always gives you a pat on the back and whisper, “i know,” as you both share a sympathetic look with each other.

you strike up a friendship with venti when he first visits zhongli after the archon wars end. he taught you so many new things during that time. plays for you the strange melodies on his lyre, so different from the music of liyue. he even snuck you dandelion wine while your father had gone away on some rex lapis business—though of course, when zhongli caught you both giggling, faces red and speech slurred, and arms slung around each other’s neck and acting as if you were best of friends… let’s just say, on that day, mountains were moved—no, hurled.

you exchange letters with venti throughout the years, friendship slowly becoming into something more. he never fails to make you laugh with his stories, and his purposely awful attempts at you love poems. you worry for him sometimes when you lose communications with him, but you know that he tends to wander off sometimes; he’s not the strict ruler that your father was, after all. it's okay though, because he always gets back to you eventually.

sometimes, you sneak out and meet venti on the border between liyue and mondstadt. you can't tell your father about venti—whenever you bring up the anemo archon, zhongli's always going on and on about how venti's behaviour is unfitting for an archon, or just for a decent human being. he talks as if venti's some cockroach that refuses to die, no matter what. and you know their relationship is strained, because any time you talk to venti about your father, he just freezes up and whispers, "is he still mad at me? how's that aim of his? still precise as ever? ahaha. i see..." so no, unless you want venti to be pummeled into an anemo archon pancake, you cannot speak a word of your relationship to zhongli.

but of course, zhongli knows when you’re sneaking out; he notices everything, after all, especially his child. but he wasn’t truly that worried at first. thought it was just you being rebellious once in a while, venturing to where you're not supposed to. besides, xiao knows to follow you and make sure you’re safe. but fortunately for you, xiao’s always been too embarrassed and reticent to tell zhongli that you’re meeting venti of all people, and zhongli’s never asked, as he just wanted to make sure you're safe, above all else.

but of course, zhongli finds out eventually. from you, actually. one day, you stumble into zhongli’s arms, cuddling into him as you would when you were a child, murmuring about how much you love him. the scent of dandelion wine leftover from your tryst on your breath. his brows furrow, about to ask you why you’ve been drinking, when you say something that makes his heart stop. “I love the smell of the winds. I love it so, soooo much.” you hiccup, and then before falling asleep, you murmur, “I love him. maybe as much as I love liyue… or even you, father.”

zhongli's not an idiot. he immediately put two and two together and after tucking you into bed, after brushing aside the hair that’s fallen over your closed eyes, frowns and gets to work. some drunken bard’s been putting his grubby hands where he shouldn’t have been. looks like he needs to put the fear of rex lapis back into the idiot.

venti’s humming a romantic tune, swinging his legs as he sits in the oak tree at windrise, feeling ecstatic after your secret meeting that day. but then he gets the scare of his life when the angry ex-ruler of liyue shows up out of nowhere in mondstadt, a giant meteor hanging over him that blocks out the sun.

“ehe,” venti laughs nervously. “how have you been doing, ol’ blockhead?” he slaps a hand over his mouth, cursing his stupid lips. now's not the time for quips.

zhongli doesn’t say anything. just pins him with this death stare. with the flattest voice venti’s ever heard, zhongli says, “this is order.”

the giant meteor suddenly drops out of the sky, and then everything goes to hell.

#psyche.dabbles #psyche.answers #this was so funny to write #cracking up at venti's fear of zhongli #overprotective dad zhongli is so dramatic #how dare you touch my child with those filthy hands #did you even remember to wash them #you no culture barbaric drunken bard who can't hold a tune to save his life #'no money no job no house' bard how are you going to provide for my child if you marry them #platonic zhongli x reader #my overbearing dragon father

[aspiringauthorintraining]

First Loves

*(A/N): Rex Lapis isn’t dead to the public in this. He’s very much alive and thriving. Also the reader, you, is very oblivious. Just keep that in mind.

The previous Geo Archon wasn’t one to pry into another person’s secrets. But when the person in question was his wife, he couldn’t help but be curious. And so, his thoughts kept returning to the events two nights ago, during dinner with you.

Somehow the topic of conversation at the dinner table had landed on both of your past loves. When he had revealed that you were his first and final love, you had found it hard to believe that a man like him hadn’t dated anyone before marrying you. But it wasn’t like him to lie, and when he swore on the life of Rex Lapis that he was, indeed, telling the truth, you had no reason to question the validity of his statement any further.

However, it was when he had asked you about your first love, that you had acted suspiciously, keeping a tight lip. You suggested the two of you go out for dessert to avoid answering his question, and changed the topic whenever he tried to bring it up again later that night.

Was it someone in Mondstadt? Maybe he could enlist the help of Venti to find out.

But before he could dwell on the topic any longer, Childe walked into the parlor, breaking away his concentration.

Childe, noting Zhongli’s unconscious frown, asked him, “Are you still trying to figure out who (Y/N)’s first love is?”

“Yes.” The Geo Archon replied, having no reason to lie to his friend.

“You know, I could tell you.” Childe grinned, making Zhongli confused. “I know who it is.”

“How do you know?”

“You know that time she got really drunk with Venti?”

Zhongli nodded, remembering the last time his fellow archon and friend had visited Liyue. Venti had brought multiple bottles of dandelion wine, after hearing from Zhongli that you had never tried it before. He didn’t think that it would have ended with you and Venti passed out on the living room floor.

“Well, they made a bet that whoever got drunk first would have to tell the other a secret. And since they both got drunk around the same time, they just blurted it out on the spot.” Childe, having the luck of being in the right place at the right time, and not being drunk, clearly heard both their secrets that night.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you knew, then?”

“Oh, (Y/N) found out I knew and threatened me not to tell anyone else. Especially you.”

Zhongli couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at the man. “Then what was the point of telling me all of this?”

Childe just smirked. “Just that I could tell you. But I know how important promises are to you.”

_____

After kicking Childe out of his office, Zhongli headed home to you.

“Hope you’re hungry, I made your favorite!” You exclaimed seeing him enter through the door. You were about to head back into the kitchen to grab some drinks when you stopped, seeing a small frown adorning his face.

“Zhongli, what’s wrong?”

Your husband walks closer to you, grabbing your hands in his. “Could you tell me who your first love is?”

Your eyes widened, giving him an amused look. “Is this what’s got you all down?” When he nodded, you let out a small laugh. “If this was that serious to you, I would’ve told you sooner. Alright, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to laugh okay?”

“I assure you, I won’t.” If anything, Zhongli was going to have a “nice chat” with the person, after all the stress they had caused him.

You sighed, before opening your mouth. “My first love is...” You trailed off, mumbling the rest of your sentence.

Zhongli unconsciously leaned in closer to hear clearly. “Come again?”

“I said...” you murmured the rest again.

He gave you a look, knowing you were doing it on purpose.

“Fine! It’s the Geo Archon statue!”

Zhongli blinked his eyes at your words, while you hid your blushing face in your hands.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know it’s embarrassing. You can’t even see his face and I fell in love with the guy. But I was young and he looked so cool just sitting there, and his body...” Your face burnt up, remembering the thoughts you had whenever you visited the Geo Archon statue.

Zhongli was now smiling blindingly, void of any hint of the frown he was sporting earlier. Many years back his Anemo friend, Venti, had convinced him to turn into his human form for his statue, saying that his dragon form was too intimidating. And so, he had reluctantly posed in his human form, choosing to cover his face with his hood to conceal his identity. After the final statue had come out and he unexpectedly saw that half of his body was exposed for the entirety of Liyue, not to mention Teyvat, to see, he had been silently cursing the Anemo archon’s persuasive skills ever since.

But now, upon seeing your flustered state, he decided that maybe it hadn’t been a bad decision after all.

“So you fell in love his physical attributes?” Zhongli pursed his lips, trying not to laugh.

“No! I mean, yeah he’s beautiful physically, of course. But I also liked him because of how he protected Liyue for so long, and continues to do so.”

Zhongli tried not to smile at your embarrassment. Quickly hiding his laugh with a cough, he composed his face. “Well, I’m flattered tha- I mean, I’m sure Rex Lapis would be flattered to know that he’s the first love of a beautiful maiden.”

“Yeah right. He probably doesn’t even know I exist. Probably has some gorgeous goddess. But, that’s how my first love ended. And then there wasn’t anyone else until I met you.” You shrugged nonchalantly, your feelings for the Geo Archon being in the past. “It’s like they say, first loves never work out anyways.”

He grinned, hearing your words. “I think that there some exceptions to the rule.”

“I guess?” You said, continuing to set the table. “But not me, you know? Or else, we wouldn’t be married.”

Zhongli seemed to be in a significantly better mood afterwards, smiling at you and watching you with soft eyes all throughout dinner. And when he suggested taking a walk around town and grab some dessert along the way, he held onto you tighter and closer than he normally did out in public.

“You know, I have been told that I remind people of Rex Lapis.” Zhongli mentioned, as the two of you walked across the bridge.

You examined him, your eyes roaming around his stature. You then shook your head, giving him a small shrug.

“I don’t see it.”

____

*(A/N): lolololol. I had so much fun writing this one! I like to think no one knows about Zhongli’s true identity yet, other than Venti of course, in this fic. But he’ll tell you once he decided to fake die. Idk if you’d let him tho lol. ^^

#genshin impact imagine #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x you #Zhongli x reader #zhongli x you #zhongli

[yostresswritinggirl]

Alatus' Weakness

Even the strongest, mightiest men carry with them their ultimate weakness. And when it is under the wrong hands, their power won't be enough to prevent them from crumbling... What is it? What was it that the Evil God took hold of that forced him to serve his evil deeds for years?

Pairings -> Alatus x Reader (Xiao)

Word Count -> 1350

Themes -> You won't find happiness here.

Series -> #SojournerSpecials (600 Followers Event)

Warnings -> This is punishment for Xiao forcing me to whale for him. As well as the Oceanid anons. (EDIT: THIS HAS MADE PEOPLE CRY, PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK)

The Yaksha of the wind dances in fluid whirlwinds as the breeze makes its rounds over the plains, his lightness barely wrinkles the green grass underneath his uncovered feet as the robes he dons flutters behind him.

It was so beautiful, he looked so ethereal.

And when his spear finally settles in a sharp swing, the force manifests into harmless gusts that sweeps the pasture for a second before straightening up again. Alatus had always been an agile dancer. And everyone in the village knows of this.

He offers a slight bow and a smile upon your loud clapping, so giddy of the exclusive performance that you were lucky to witness. It was a treasure that every local wishes to see beyond the battles he fights. Men and women alike yet out of them all it was you who was graced with this blessing.

"Beautiful as always, Alatus!" Your wide smile was infectious and his grin grows the closer he comes to you, arms finding its way around your waist and across your back in a soft hug. The giddiness continues as you turned into a giggly mess from his special affection, reciprocating with a tackle of a hug.

"Did you miss me that much?" He was answered by wordless nuzzles to his chest, making him chuckle and pull you closer.

Alatus was a great and powerful spear dancer, and he had been protecting the village you two reside in ever since. Gods and beings trekked the world commonly and it was too dangerous even for stationary communities. More so for those who lack the Vision to fight in the first place.

He was one, if not the only one capable enough to protect everyone. And many times he would go beyond the parameter to exterminate threats before they became an issue. Most of the time he disappears for a while during this expedition and then return triumphant as the village people greet him and praise him for his hardwork.

But at the end of the day, he settles down in your quiet home where he engulfs you protectively in his arms. There you two would exchange your tales during the span of his expedition, and he would indulge you in a showcase of his dances as compensation for his absence. The highlight of your day.

"There seems to be higher activity in the surrounding territories regarding monsters and Gods," he introduces the topic as he picks up the nian gao with wooden chopsticks, munching the soft treat as you poured a cup of tea to match the snack. "The other villages are asking me to patrol their parameters for a few days to at least clear some of them."

"There's been disturbances around here too," you worriedly chewed at your own snack as you two sat by the veranda of your home, watching the whole of the village from your spot over the cliff. This must be one of the reasons he liked staying here too, an easy access and overseer to the whole area for his duties.

Alatus hums in agreement but continues eating. The way he chews his meal was a telltale sign that there's a worry gnawing at the back of his head. And you had the same worry, except much lighter than his.

The growing tension between the Gods of Teyvat spurs on more turmoil at the news of Celestia's sudden challenge over the archons. And with such offers and desperation, powerless humans and villages had been wiped recently courtesy of the war.

It was a matter that didn't really bother him nor the village, but somehow it came back to him tenfold in multitudes of worry. He has a gut feeling. But Alatus cannot make himself turn away from the pleas of the people that call his name for saving grace.

"Come home soon," your smile snapped him back to reality upon knowing that he wouldn't just leave the other villages behind.

Yet when he left, there was still a gnawing anxiety at the bottom of his stomach.

Alatus for once... had lost his grace for in his hand his spear shakes in unspeakable fear. In front of him beyond the cliff's edge is the blazing ruins of a village he protected for years, day and night diligently. Monsters and men ravaged what's left and he tries to push away the guilt of ignoring them when he rushed immediately to his home.

To where his home should be.

"Alatus," the towering figure turned around to face him and his pupils dilated at the image, muscles flexing to dash when its hand raises in a motion to stop him, tutting mockingly at the warning. "Ah, ah, you wouldn't want them to die like this, would you?"

The being of pure evil had your unconscious form in its arms, a fight evident on your bruised and cut form as blood trickles from your forehead to the earth beneath. And on your head, the source of the wound, is a crown of thorns. He fights the urge to cry and vomit at the state you were in, at the state he could have prevented if he'd just STAYED.

"Please," his broken voice ghosted a smile on the God's face, "Please leave them alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Alatus' heart sinks at the refusal with his gaze unfocusing at the difference in power. "After all, they're the one I wanted in the first place, everyone else is just collateral damage."

From that point forward, to preserve the little life force you have, Alatus was under the grasp of the evil god. Under his command he razes the villages he once protected, eating the dreams of the humans that only wish to live in peace. His hands of grace grips his spear with the stains of blood as he kneels in front of the evil God, its name he didn't bother to remember anymore at this point.

It smirks at him while over its hand floats a cube only a few inches bigger. Your cell, where you're cooped up with only a glow of deep blue indicating your existence within it. When he misbehaves he hears cries of agony from it, when he does very satisfactory he even gets to hold it but only that.

The years of painful service had wiped off his smile and most of his memories. Alatus had already forgotten your voice and your face at this point, only the humans and beings he had killed comes to his memories.

Soon after, he has only known the cube to hold something dear to him, a weakness that is a precious one he could not risk. When he tries to remember, he's reminded of a vague visage and a sweet taste on his tongue. If he could cry now he would. It was one of the only good things in his mind now even tho its details continue to ebb away with his horrific deeds.

And finally, like a light that shines through the canopy of the overhead trees, a being mighty enough to contend his evil master comes down to end his suffering.

Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon, the one the evil god desperately tries to overthrow died in his hands.

It is done, all of it. No more innocent blood should stain his hands. "The cube this god possessed is a cell." What should he do now? There was no other place to come back to, maybe the You that resides in the cube had any ideas, to start over. That sounds like a good idea.

"Alatus, was it?" His head slowly picks up from the blank stare it had on the ground.

"Yes, Rex Lapis?"

"Do you know of the one who resides within this cube?" There was a hesitance in Rex Lapis' voice that passed through him.

"They are someone that I know."

"It seems... that human... has perished 200 years ago in this cell."

Alatus, like that last day in a ruined village, had lost his grace when he collapses to the ground. His weakness and his hope both gone.

Seems to me my writing has been short lately

@moaa @dandelion-dreams @witchsungie @lehra @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @lilydewi22 @yellowflowre @traveler-lumine @nonniechan @kookieyachi @struggljng @bunniesrorange @anormalguyreader

#genshin impact #Xiao #genshin impact x reader #Xiao x reader #exile.flower #sojourner specials #Angst #gender neutral #for the first time I am sorry #genshin impact oneshot #welcome home Xiao :))

[celestialarchon]

Celebrating 1k+ Part 1: Zhongli x gn!reader

Crossover: Ancient Magus Bride

content: fluff, little bit of angst, romance

warning: themes of depression and mental illness, alluding to suicidal tendencies

The bath water was warm, soothing your inner turmoil and washing away the stress in small tides. What a day it had been, selling yourself off in an auction was strange enough but the man or creature that had purchased you was even weirder. As the auctioneer had said beforehand, you didn’t care about your own life, it didn’t matter who you were sold to. Even so, you were taken back by the sudden dragon like skull that appeared before your face on stage, bidding unreasonably high and sweeping you away in a noir cloak to his home. Calling you his apprentice, he had immediately invited you into his home and insisted you bathe.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a giggle, your neck snapped up and you were face to face with a strange creature. The creature was human like but much smaller with wings and long claws on it’s hands and fingers. It’s face was boyish, framed by two braids with traces of green and blue in its hair. Patterns of dandelions danced on it’s skin.

“Hello, sunshine,” his voice was clear as day, like a melody in the wind.

“What are you?” You breathed out.

His pointed ears twitched and he grinned, “I’m Venti! A wind spirit of course, nice to meet ya! ehe.”

“I see,” you tilted your head, remembering that Zhongli had told you it was impolite to call the fae as fae but to refer to them with familiarity. “Are you a neighbor?”

Two other humanoid creatures peered from behind Venti, the same viridescent wings sprouting from their backs and gold dandelions printed on their skin. One’s hair was red and her skin was a darker hue of green than the others. The other was blonde with a ponytail held by a flower stem.

“You know, ehehehe,” Venti giggled, and flew down, kissing your cheek. “That Morax is no good! You’re better off with us, we could cherish you truly, little sunshine.”

The fae left with those words, leaving you to your thoughts. Sighing, you emptied the bath and dressed yourself as the door shook gently with a knock. The door swung open just as you pulled your shirt over your head, finally clothed. The man stood in the door way, his gold eyes twinkling as he praised you for being patient with him and cleaning up so well. He shifted his weight and pulled something from his pocket, offering it to you.

Shyly, you took a step towards him, allowing him to slip it over your head, he chuckled, “Good puppy, this is a protective talisman. It’s a stone called Cor Lapis that formed close to a river. Over time the water from the river wore down the stone and created a hole in the middle, if you look through it you can see a fae’s true form.”

He patted your head and led you towards your room. The silver lady, Ganyu, darted into the bathroom to take care of your soiled clothing. Ganyu was a silky, a type of neighbor who liked to do chores and she looked after the house for Mr. Zhongli. She had already taken quite a liking to you.

Zhongli sat down on the edge of your bed, tucking you in, “From now on you will be my apprentice, and I your teacher, (y/n).”

His deep voice made your heart flutter just a bit, and you turned over to avoid that calculating gaze he always held. The bed squeaked as he stood, his footsteps were heavy as he walked out of the room, gently shutting the door.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Zhongli watched your fragile figure walking away from the safety of his home and sighed, “I suppose this will make a good lesson.”

He creeped out, following you and hiding in your shadow. Venti was trying to persuade you to leave him. For some odd reason, this made Zhongli’s stomach twist up in a knot. Still, he maintained his composure and stayed hidden from the view of the troublesome fairy and you.

“Where are you from?” Venti asked you.

“A land far from here,” You sighed, “I was passed around by relatives so I was all over the place.”

“Oh?” a crooked smile formed on the fae’s lips, “Were they kind to you, sunshine?”

You grimaced, “It is.. hard to remember. But I think if I was loved by them and did love them I wouldn’t be here at this moment.”

It grew quiet as the fairy led you further into the forest. Zhongli was beginning to grow restless. You stopped and Venti turned to look at you, still hyper. He beamed at your emotionless face.

“We’ve been walking for so long, I might get lost,” Your eyes moved to the side.

“It’s fine!” Venti cheered, “You don’t have to go back there now. We have to go far to get to our land, and the others want you so badly you know.”

“What?”

“Ehe!” Venti grinned even wider as a gold light began to shimmer behind him, “There it is. A place for us, it’ll be lots of fun and we want you with us so bad, my sunshine. It’s okay, nobody’s waiting for you. You can come with me, come with us!

He continued, “Come along now, sunshine. Won’t you come with me?”

“It’s true that there wasn’t anybody waiting for me,” You began, seemingly entranced by the melodic words he spilt, “But..”

You swatted the floating boy away from you and stepped back. Your hand flew to your head as the forest around you spun. It wasn’t right. This wasn’t where you were supposed to be.

Venti screeched as you stumbled, “Sunshine! What’s wrong?”

“I don’t care if he throws me away.” You whispered, “Mr. Zhongli gave me a home and has taken care of me. He called me his apprentice and said he’d care for me like a family. Even if he does get tired of me or get rid of me, it’s okay. He’s already done enough for me.”

“Well, it seems my puppy already knows where home is,” Zhongli’s deep voice rumbled in your ear as he wrapped his arms around you.

“Morax! Eh? How did you find us?” Venti cried out, scowling.

Zhongli’s fingers went to your necklace, fidgeting with it as he held it in the palm of his gloves, “You see, this puppy did need a collar and bell if you would. It’s not as if somebody like myself wouldn’t notice a place so full of magic and energy like this.”

Venti shrieked in anger, flying off into the light. Shame filled you as you turned to your master, head down. He chuckled and patted your head, pulling you closer to him. His strong arms wrapped around you and your feet left the ground, a panicked gasp left your mouth as he carried you in his arms.

“Let’s go home now,” His long hair tickled your face.

You nodded in response, still taken back by his sudden affectionate side. He was a strange man.

“You have a scratch on your arm,” His eyes were piercing as they stared at the wound you hadn’t even noticed, “I’ll have to take care of that when we get home. As your future husband, I can’t allow you to get scars so easily.”

“Huh?” You grunted, craning your neck to look at him, “Husband?”

“Ah, I forgot to tell you. You are my apprentice but you are also to be my bride and I your husband.” He spoke with a straight face, his eyes never wandered from the path as he continued towards the house.

Your eyes widened, “Whaaaaat?!”

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Zhongli had insisted you find a familiar, and you had. Xiao was a wonderful familiar although quiet. Most of the time, he was in his doglike form just trailing behind you. Occasionally he’d switch to his humanoid form to gobble up some almond tofu. You sincerely cared about Xiao, and he you.

Zhongli, however, didn’t seem as happy about this. He had locked himself in his room for days now. You knew he was exhausted from the battle against Signora and her experiments at the church but still, you were worried. Silver had begun to grow worried too, frantically checking on the strange man constantly.

“Zhongli?” You knocked on the door, waiting for a response.

The door opened but before you could react, you were pulled into the dark room and heard the slam of the door shutting. From outside you could hear Xiao panicking and calling out for you. Zhongli was sitting in the dark, still stuck in a partial draconian form. You could feel his claws digging into your skin as he growled.

“Why?” His voice shook as he buried his head into your shoulder, “What is this?”

“Zhongli, what’s wrong?” Your hands brushed his, gently trying to pull his claws from you.

His grip grew tighter and you winced in pain, “Why are you spending so much time with him? Cant you tell I miss you? Why can’t you see I need you right now?”

“Zhongli,” Your voice shook, “You’re hurting me. Stop it.”

He removed his hands from you abruptly and pushed away from you, his back on the wall. Your eyes had finally adjusted to the dark room and you could see the outline of his body. He had horns sticking out of his head and a long spiked tail. His hands were almost normal but his nails were long and sharp like claws. Every so often a forked tongue would make its way past his lips. His expression was confused, lonesome even.

Taking a deep breath, you crawled towards him, pushing yourself closer to him. You faced him, taking his face into your hands and making his cold eyes look at yours.

“I think,” You squished his cheeks gently, “You are jealous.”

He frowned, “What is jealous?”

“Jealousy is a feeling. It’s when you care about somebody and you don’t want to share them. You want them to look at you, spend time with you, and care for you instead of others. It’s a feeling us humans feel a lot.”

“Hm,” He grunted, “Is that what this is?”

You chuckled, he was like a child in your hands right now. You pulled him closer, feeling the sigh of relief he let out at your embrace.

“Zhongli, you’re feeling new feelings and that’s okay. If you’ll be my magic teacher, I’ll be your human teacher, okay?” You squeezed him in your arms.

“Okay.” He agreed quietly.

For a moment, the two of you stayed like that. Holding each other in the darkness, both of you were at peace even momentarily.

“You wanted me to have a familiar,” You kissed his cheek lightly, “As a part of my training. Xiao and I will spend time together often now. But you are my husband, my master, and that hasn’t changed. I promise, Zhongli.”

You pulled back to look at his face. He was blushing slightly which made a snicker leave your lips. His hair was loose and wild and his eyes were no longer empty but full of longing and adoration. The two of you had already seen so much together, your heart thumped even harder thinking of all the moments you’d spend together.

This man had taken you in and taught you magic. He’d sworn to save you from your curse of a short life span. He’d given you so much love and kindness. The time the two of you had spent together had only been a few short months but it filled you with joy.

His amber eyes bore into you, you could feel your face heating up as he continued to examine your infatuated expression. His palms trailed up to your face, and he pulled your lips onto his. The kiss was warm and sweet, innocent even.

“You are mine.” He whispered.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

“Where’s (y/n)?” Lumine peered at Xiao.

“With Zhongli in the garden,” Xiao grumbled, “Why’d you bring this brat?”

Lumine laughed as Aether climbed Xiao. She has brought cookies to share with her friend. Aether had also wanted to see the two who had saved them both only a year ago. Aether was obsessed with Xiao and his teal hair and tattoos.

Lumine smiled at Ganyu as she walked towards the back door. Ganyu nodded and opened the door for the young woman, letting her outside. It was a beautiful day, not too chilly and not too warm. The sun shone down and the blonde could hear your laughter from down the cobblestone path. She followed the sound, excited to see you.

As she approached the garden, she stopped seeing Zhongli twirl you around. She felt breathless seeing the two of you dancing in the sunlight. His long hair shimmered as he spun you around and caught you in his arms. The rings on your fingers twinkled and Zhongli took a flower and tucked it behind your ear. The tall man planted a kiss right on your lips and turned to Lumine, winking at her.

“Hey!” Lumine waved at you and Zhongli, “You’re finally back from the honeymoon. I brought cookies for you guys. Congratulations!”

You grinned and waved back at her. Lumine was overcome with bliss at the sight of your smile. Zhongli had really helped you grow more confident and you had opened him up more. The three of you ate cookies and laughed as Xiao barreled out, chased by Aether.

“Oh! How many kids will you have?” Lumine wiggled her eyebrows at you as you laughed at Aether.

“Kids?” Zhongli turned to you as you flushed at the question.

Lumine nodded, “Yes, when couples get married they usually have children and start a family.”

“Oi,” you laughed nervously, “We’ve only just got married..”

“Children would be nice,” Zhongli looked at you expectantly.

Xiao cackled at your embarrassment. As your familiar he could feel those strong emotions since you allowed him to. You glared daggers at the adeptus, but he only smirked. This was your karma for laughing at him while a child harassed him.

“Lots of them,” Zhongli muttered, “A big family.”

Your face only grew redder. Lumine laughed and Zhongli looked confused. You all spent the rest of the day talking of the future and munching on cookies.

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli x reader

[tipsycad147]

Purple in Magick

By shirleytwofeathers

Magickal Purpose: Justice, royalty, the psychic, meditation, idealism, mysticism, guidance, divination.

Magickal Uses: Protection, justice power, spirit contact, breaking of bad luck, drive away evil, divination,  spiritual and psychic powers, Astral Projection. This color is good to use when you don`t have a white candle.

Purple is the color of power, influence, success, idealism, psychic manifestations, prophecy, and wisdom. Burn purple candles to increase business. It is  ideal for rituals to secure ambitions, independence, financial rewards, or to make contact with the spiritual other world.

Purple is also a great color for those pursuing higher education. Use purple candles in love spells to make a partner stay at home and remain faithful. Purple altar cloths are the best choice for psychic work or to wrap up tarot cards. This color increases Neptune energy.

Here are the magickal correspondences for the color purple:

Element: Air

Direction: East

Chakra: Brow Chakra

Planet: Jupiter

Day: Thursday

Number: 7

Magickal Tools: Wand, Cauldron

Scent/Essential Oils: Cedar, Carnation, Nutmeg Lotus, Angelica, Bay, Cinnamon, Ginger, Sandalwood, Jasmine.

Plant/Herb: Mimosa, Wisteria, Mugwort Hazel, Eyebright, Rowan, Elder, Rue, Shamrock, Clover, Oak, Dandelion, Betony, Meadowsweet, Begonia, Cactus, Dahlia, Iris, Violet.

Tree/Wood: Willow, Lilac, and Mulberry.

Animal: Elephant, Unicorn, Rabbit, Jaguar, Chickadee, Cuckoo, Eagle, Elk, Penguin, Vulture, Grasshopper, Chameleon, Lizard.

Feather: Spirituality, religion

Minerals/Stones: Amethyst, Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli and Beryl, Clear Quartz, All Opals

Tarot: Justice, Fours.

God: Anase, Apollo, Forseti, Ida-ten, Mishara, Mithras, Musku, Tyr, Varuna

Goddess: Aleitheia, Astraea, Athene, Hecate, Justita, Kali, Maiat, Mens, Morrigan, Syn, Oya

Personality: Proud, independent, mystical arts, religious nature. This Person will not turn a blind eye, if they feel a cause of action is wrong, no matter the side they take.

Collected from various sources including The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients and realmagick.com

https://shirleytwofeathers.com/The_Blog/magickal-ingredients/2017/01/page/2/

[gladiators-intoxication]

Msc. Thoughts because Genshin worldbuilding is fantastic

Parts two and three of In Search Of Justice are in the works, I promise.

Not organized enough to be called theories, erm, but they’re not exactly headcanons.

Warnings: Spoilers, mostly. Also angst. I’m incapable of writing anything that isn’t angst sorry.

Sections: Species (Adepti, Xiao), The Knights (Diluc, the Knights, some speculation about corruption within the order), Religion (some random details that I thought were cool)

Species, concerning Adepti, specifically my singular non-simping thought on Xiao.

“Adeptus” seems to be more of a trait than a species. Zhongli is a god, so presumably that should be his species. Ganyu is half-Adeptus by blood, which does complicate things by implying that Adeptus is a race, but how do you explain Xiao. I know the “painkillers” bit was a mistranslation, but HP drain. Something something adeptus energy is bad for humans, so what if Xiao is (or was, depending) human. Ganyu is half-human, which honestly I don’t want to get into, but she was born that way, so she’s either specially adapted to handle it, or she’s used to it. Small theory that Xiao became an Adeptus, and that the Adeptus trait is hard on his body, since he is/was human. Side note, Zhongli calls Xiao “that young Adeptus” which, admittedly doesn’t mean much because Zhongli is canonically the oldest of the Seven, but it also implies that Xiao is a fairly new addition (even though there’s a lot of fanwork of him interacting with Guizhong, I don’t know, man Xiao angst).

Diluc’s attitude about the Knights, combined with a thought on corruption in the Order

On the one hand, he’s justified, to a point. It pains me to admit it, but it’s the truth. They treated Crepus’ death like it was nothing. To his face. Admittedly, going rogue and actively undermining the Knights is overreacting, I think. But!! Here’s where the corruption bit comes in. Diluc was the youngest captain in the Ordo Favonius history. By the time he’d left at age eighteen, he’d been a captain for four years (which, hm. Really makes you wonder about the age restrictions on the Knights but okay I guess). One of Kaeya’s voicelines mentions there are ten captains total, which makes being one presumably an honor. I’m not sure how big the Ordo Favonius is, especially since Varka’s been away with many of them, so take that with a grain of salt (I’ll get back to Diluc in a sec, just wait a minute). But the Knights of Favonius serve as Mondstadt’s military, law enforcement, and their governing body (which, sidenote, makes Mondstadt a military dictatorship, depending on how exactly the Knights run the city) alongside the Church. However, based on Rosaria’s attitude, the Church doesn’t wield much political power. They’re influential by sheer virtue of being the Church. A military dictatorship opens a lot of opportunities for corruption. My thought was, while Crepus’ death, and the Knights’ reaction to it, was ultimately what drove Diluc out of the Knights, I think that maybe there was more to it than that. As something of a sidenote, Varka left Jean in charge. I’m not entirely sure if that’s because Jean’s rank out of what was left of the Knights in Mondstadt was optimal or because he trusted her personally. I just thought it was interesting how she, while very capable on her own, doesn’t seem to be any sort of second in command. She doesn’t hold any other titles (that I know of, correct me if I’m wrong) besides The Dandelion Knight and Acting Grandmaster. I might also be wrong. Dandelion Knight may actually be a position of power and title created in reference to Venessa.

Religion in Genshin

Kind of piggybacking off my thoughts on Mondstadt’s government, religion in the Genshin universe is interesting. Mondstadt is the only (known) region with a real religious structure among humans. It’s modeled (loosely) off of the Catholic Church, if I’m not mistaken. The Hilichurls also seem to have an organized religion completely independent from humans’. Shamanachurls (Shamanchurls?) can manipulate the elements without the aid of Visions, which is interesting. Liyue seems to regard religion (if their form of it can even be called that anymore) as more of a tradition than anything. The only significant ties they have with Rex Lapis outside his administrative duties seems to be the Rite of Descension, which locals don’t usually attend anyway. Not really sure where I was going with this but I thought it was cool.

#genshin impact #genshin #diluc #jean #wordbuilding #Yuki's brainrot #rex lapis #xiao #ganyu #i just have way too much genshin brainrot

[bluexiao]

(fun fact! in one of aria's death voicelines, it includes her whispering "no, mondstadt..." before she dies, this shows how much love aria has for the city. mondstadt was the first thing she laid eyes upon when she first came alive and she was given a purpose to protect it and its people and she will do it to the end of her life)

2. what is your view on the archons?

"the archons each has the responsibility to rule over a part of teyvat to keep it from falling apart. however along with this responsibility, the archons carry with them great burden. all of them have secrets buried in their past that led them to be who they are. i live to respect that."

3. what is your hobby?

"a hobby? it's something you do for... leisure, if i'm not wrong? i'm not sure... but i do enjoy cooking for others. other than that, i'm afraid i might not have more."

4. what is something that you like?

"i like the breeze. the wind reminds me of a soft lenient caress. windrise is particularly fitting if you're looking for a spot to sit by yourself."

5. what is troubling you?

"you wish to know about my troubles? i am trying to keep my best from letting venti consume too much dandelion wine. but lately... i've been thinking about how i'd like to get to know certain people but i am uncertain on how to approach them without a proper reason."

6. a habit that you have?

"as a being made out of tears and wind, i have no necessary need for sleep like humans do. but apparently, i was told by venti that during times when i do doze off, i suddenly disappear out of sight. it is most likely because when i feel too lulled, i lose my sense of the current human form i hold and i become apart of the wind for a moment." (basically aria turns invisible sometimes when she gets sleepy lmao since when she loses her sense of her human form, she will turn to her original formless state; mere wind either at will or not.)

7. your favorite food?

"apple cider. i have found myself having this drink more than i expected during times i was making sure venti stay in line at a bar. the drink is good to sober you up if you've one too many glasses of wine. other than being commonly found at a bar, it's an invigorating drink to make while you're on your travels as well. i can make some for you, if you'd like."

(fun fact: aria's special dish is a sweeter variation of apple cider which includes valberries and sweet flowers as the newly added ingredients! this dish is called 'by the cliff' because her special drink reminds those who drink it would remind you of a nice rest by the cliff. this recipe can be obtained if you choose the when talking to aria and venti at windrise at the end of the stormterror arc right before the traveler and paimon head off to liyue!)

8. your favorite colour?

"favorite colour? i do not have any. but if i must choose... then it'd be the colour, green. it reminds me of the grass around windrise."

extra!

9. how do you feel about meeting new people?

"i try to treat everyone i encounter with the utmost respect. i have to make sure they prove no threat first however. but if i have to admit, i am not good with first impressions."

10. what do you feel about the stormterror incident?

"yes, it pained me to see a dear friend of venti's and mine spiral into such a state. his soul was clogged with loes and deceit by the abyss. but i am grateful that we managed to release dvalin from his shackles and bring mondstadt back to peace. together with venti, master jean, master diluc and of course... you, traveler."

11. have you heard of the rite of rex lapis' parting in liyue?

"rex lapis... he had a soul that was strict yet all the more nurturing. the people in liyue looked up to him, he was a beacon of hope for them. rex lapis has always been that way, not just for humans but also for those such as the adepti and a insignificant being like myself."

conclusion: aria has a straightforward and respectful manner of speaking (her speech is not as poetic as zhongli but it does have some old-fashioned manner). due to her long years of living (2,500 years gee), aria is used to traditional views but she doesn't hold any grudge against modern views. also @feifae or anyone else who wants to know more about how aria talks or acts, i'd really like to see how you portray my oc in your perspective!

p/s: i feel like aria would be fascinated with fei's tales back from her world (she likes to listen to people talk!) and aria would tell fei that venti avoiding her is just him being dramatic about his allergy lmao. aria is so jokingly mean to venti hshahah but rlly, i think aria just wants to clarify to fei that venti isn't avoiding her out of spite!! maybe aria would be a bit worried for fei too because fei seems very outspoken and instinctive. so, aria would feel concerned if something happened to fei if she made decision too impulsively, aria worries like a big sis??? maybe?? haha aria's still kinda awkward with people

About Fei: "The energetic exorcist from Inazuma? Yes, I have heard of her. I also noticed that she has a pair of cat ears, maybe that's why Venti seems to avoid her... Although personally, I'd love to sit down with her and listen to her stories. But perhaps, that would be too... formal? Sitting down with a person you just met might not be the best first impression if I were to approach her. I... do not excel very well in terms of social relationships. What do you think, Traveler? Should I try another way to introduce myself to her properly?" (she's so nervous to approach fei, someone pls give aria lessons on social skills pspspsp)

About Xiao: "Alatus-- I mean, Xiao, the Conqueror of Demons, bears too many great burdens for his own good. Through the limited amount of times I have spent working with him, it is in my acknowledgement that he has been through so much. I hope you do not view him in a dim light. Despite his coldness, he has a heart of gold and a fond liking for Almond Tofu." (inserted this because i feel like aria would really appreciate fei trying to lessen xiao's burdens as she too thinks that he is too harsh on himself)

omg but aria becoming one with the wind was so cool? but also so frightening-like what if aria suddenly has a lover and she disappears so suddenly like that😨😨 idk it’s just something i imagined. you really thought all of these out!!! because of this i wanted to also make a post of danielle aaa i haven’t really talked about her much lately.

#🖌

[yukihime242]

I continued on with the story of trying to meet Exuvia’s corpse in hopes to complete my quest on meeting all of the seven archons. Last time, Childe told me that he will arrange to meet with a certain someone and asked me to just roll around lazily.

Disclaimer! I have watched Youtube videos of players who have already passed this story arc, and I think it will be more hilarious if I don’t conceal some of the plot points. So, SPOILER ALERT!

Anyway, we entered the Golden House to meet Childe since we were obviously bored on rolling around lazily. We were greeted by Ekaterina, the receptionist, and she called us Childe’s friends and congratulated us on our first day of our career with the Fatui.

HUH? WHAT? I don’t recall agreeing to a job with the Fatui though...

Anyway, Ekaterina told us that Childe would be at Liuli Pavilion with the arrangements he made. Paimon then went into a long explanation of how the Liuli Pavilion came about. Of course, it had to do with food.

We exited the Golden House and made our way to the Pavilion where Childe was already waiting for us.

Dinner? It’s broad day light!

Anyway, we entered the Pavilion and finally got a glimpse of the person Childe arranged to meet.

Before grandpa here could take a sip of his tea, we appeared and he kindly greeted us. Childe then explained to us that grandpa here is from a place called Wangsheng. But the way he explained it did caused some eyebrows to rise.

Well, fortunately, it’s not as what Paimon was thinking.

Gosh, Paimon looked so disappointed. 

But, yes, it is as grandpa here said that he is a consultant with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. And because of his job as a consultant with a funeral parlor, he would be able to take us to see Exuvia, aka. Rex Lapis.

In order for us to meet the alleged body, we had to go on a shopping spree with Zhongli to collect the necessary items for the funeral rite. 

Childe decided not to come with us because he would like to get acquainted with the chopsticks. Hang in there, Childe, they are not easy to master but you will get there.

Outside, Zhongli asked us how we felt about Liyue as compared to Mondstadt whose god was always absent.

Why are you asking that, Zhongli? Can’t wait to rub it into Venti’s face?

We head on to a merchant that was selling the Noctilus Jade (I’m sure I spelt that wrong) and we had no idea on how to pick which jade to use for the rite.

Err... no.

We had to pull grandpa here aside and talk some human sense into him. Talk about dwelling among your own people for the past thousand years and you still have yet to learn anything?

He decided to leave the matter of negotiating and purchasing to us. He also told us how to choose the best jade.

But he did not really approve of us getting small samples of each jade. Dude, we are arranging your own funeral, stop being so petty!

We took the samples back to Mondstadt to test out which was of the better quality and Zhongli reminisced to us of how a friend used to bring him Dandelion wine. 

I can just bring you to Angel’s Share to see him getting drunk right now (or probably performing for extra change in the streets).

Well, unfortunately, our character did not know who he was exactly so that option did not pop up.

After knowing which jade has the best quality, we headed back to Liyue and placed our order. The merchant then learnt that it was for the funeral for Rex Lapis and he decided to give us a friendly discount along with some information.

One thing is certain that the people here sure do love their archon.

Seeing that it was meant for the funeral, it only made sense for Zhongli to pay since he is the employee of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor that was organising this event. 

Unfortunately...

Sigh...

We brought the jade to where the funeral rite will take place and it just so happens to be at the scene of crime. 

Um... pardon me, o god of contracts, but weren’t you being a little bit petty earlier regarding the jade?

Well, at least we got the jade to the event place. The next thing we had to procure were some flowers to make into perfumes. We went to Bolai and since we were still not familiar with some of the things, we had to let Zhongli do the ordering (minus the paying).

Once we managed to get the flowers, the next step was to find someone who knows how to make perfumes. I have to admit that the route of trying to find someone who knows how to make perfumes is kinda weird...

We asked someone from the Adventurer’s Guild and a lady from the port. The lady from the port directed us to Ying’er and was surprised that no one actually told us about her. 

Yeah, even I am surprised that the Adventurer’s Guild did not think of telling me there was a perfume making shop just behind them. Are they avoiding that place like the plague?

Okay, woman, you have a few screws loose you better go and see a doctor about your mentality.

#mihoyo #Genshin #genshin impact #genshin zhongli #genshin impact zhongli #zhongli genshi #zhongli genshin impact

[anemonti-arch]

@rexcognito​  ↠  it sneaks its way into the archon's present place of play, drawn at once by the melody of his lyre, and the enticing smell of .... something ... at last, it gets to the bards seat, deep mahogany claws digging into the wooden furnishings as it climbs to the tabletop for its prize ! and while he is focused upon his songs, the dragonling charges forward, dunking its snout into the glass of dandelion wine to sip at it .

     The bard thought he would stop at Liyue for a bit, have a different chance of scenery, see a few friends, and get either mora or some wine out of his performances. It has been awhile since he was last here, performing in the streets, eating the this culture’s foods. Their wine wasn’t as great as Dawn Winery’s, but they still had their own concoction of dandelion wine in stock.

     A restaurant had offered food and drink exchange of entertainment given by the bard, which he was gladly to offer. The merchants here sure loved their deals here, but it only meant it was easier to get things without mora. Though, as he performed for those at their tables, his lone glass of wine sat innocently at the bar, unprotected. He thought he didn’t need to protect his precious wine from invaders as he performed, but he was wrong. All it took was a simple glance during mid-song, and his eyes caught the culprit. Quickly, ending the song, he gave a gently bow, putting his lyre on his hip, making quick strides to his seat to confront the thief.

             ❛ Got you, thief. ❜

     Grabbing the young dragon by the scruff of its neck, he lifts it up, looking far from amused. To think that an offspring of Rex Lapis would be hunting down Venti’s wine. Before others can see the young dragon, using his own anemo, he dashed away from the area, taking it the only place it could call home.

#:: ic :: #:: answered :: #rexcognito #jdlfkja Venti says he's already done with these noodles

[jflashandclash]

Tales from Mount Othrys

Magical Daycare I

 Author’s Note: The chapter in which Ajax finally gets his nickname and the Pax brothers become WAY less confusing to tell apart. Also, this takes place the day after Flynn’s Surprise Parenthood.

           Ajax was excited for his first proper day aboard the ship. Sure, the morning had a rough start, as had every morning for the last six months. Ajax had crawled into his older brother’s bunk once he heard his brother’s breath ease into unconsciousness. Good thing too. Thirty minutes before dawn, his brother woke up screaming, terrifying their bunk mates out of their beds and making a panicked Jack kick their door open.

         Apparently, their new Mom had vetoed sharing a room with them, so the brothers ended up in a room across the hall.

         “What’s wrong? Who do I need to kill?!” Jack shrieked, wielding the porcelain top of a toilet for a weapon. He wore a T-shirt and boxers that might have once been white before dallying with a red sock in a laundry machine.

         As Ajax had practiced many times before, the younger boy willed his eyes to get teary. This wasn’t hard. He also had nightmares about losing their Aunt and Uncle, but he didn’t have his brother’s uncontrollable vocal practice upon waking.

         Axel was red in the face; his hand clamped over his mouth. His eyes darted around, remembering where they were. He covered his head, muttering in Mayan.

         “I had a nightmare,” Ajax said, trying to keep the attention off his older brother. Axel needed to put on his Mist mask before the others noticed anything weird about his face. Fortunately, the room was too dim to see Axel’s ears or teeth, but the light trickling from the hall might reflect off Axel’s eyes.

         What Ajax said was true: he had a nightmare. But, he didn’t need to specify that he wasn’t the one screaming.

         Jack lowered the toilet lid, exhaling. “Night terrors are common around here. Do you want a glass of milk before you go back to bed?”

         Ajax stared at the gangly redhead. It was like this guy had pulled Generic, Background Father Figures: the Manual and pulled lines from it. Did people’s parents really talk like that? Maybe it was an American thing. He was waiting for Jack to clear out the ship’s mini golf course, put a white picket fence around it, and invite Ajax and Axel to play catch.

         Ajax, personally, loved it. It was cheesy and simple. As long as Jack didn’t end up being someone who liked to touch boys at night—as Ajax’s older brother speculated—then it was awesome.    

         Once Axel put on his Mist mask and got his breathing under control, he said, “N-no. Once—um—Ajax has a nightmare, we can’t go back to bed. We can train—or—or work…”

         Under the covers, Axel squeezed Ajax’s arm to show his appreciation. Unlike his older brother, Ajax had no shame. Since everyone thought he was several years younger than he was and people typically weren’t sure if he was a girl, they were gentler on his breakdowns.

         Jack set the toilet lid down to prop the door open, seeming to realize that lid probably weighed half of him. Axel said carrying Jack the other day was like carrying a sack of dandelions.

         One of their roommates—Chris from backstage—pressed a pillow over his head to block out the scattered light. From the shadows in the hall, Ajax could guess other kids had gathered around at the noise.

         Jack shooed some of them away. Once done, he leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms. “I have a morning routine that Luke makes me do for my voice. If I don’t, it, uh, can be bad.” Jack raised one hand to tug at his hair. “Uh… who is up at this—oh! Oh! I know where to put you.”

         Ajax and Axel hopped out of bed. Axel went to pull his jeans over his boxers and grabbed for a fresh band shirt that Jack had loaned him. Atop that went Julian’s medals. Jack promised to take them shopping sometime this week. Ajax didn’t mind. He was so small compared to Jack’s height that Ajax could have worn one of these shirts as a dress. If he had a belt, he absolutely would.

         Ajax snapped his fingers. He grabbed one of the long band shirts and a flannel button down shirts that Jack had brought them. Ajax slipped the first on, then tied the former around his waist.

         Jack gave him a confused look, but shrugged.

         Axel just sighed.

         Jack waited for them to brush their teeth with complimentary room toiletries.

         They shuffled into the hallway, Ajax rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Axel was in the middle of pulling his hair into a bun. He startled and almost went for a weapon when he saw someone was with Jack.

         She was probably thirteen or so, a year older than Ajax. Her black, messy curls hung long, all the way down her back, and she was rapidly stuffing them into some kind of scarf that she wrapped sloppily around her head. Her skin was a warm olive, speckled with acne. Her eyes were large, brown, almond-shaped, and fierce.

         “Ah! Uh—Sadie--?” Jack said.

         “Mercedes,” she said in a curt tone.

         “Mercedes,” Jack corrected, giving her an apologetic, cute grin. The girl didn’t seem to notice as she finished adjusting her hair and scarf. She had to start over, like she wasn’t used to the actions or needed a mirror to perform it with perfection.

         “Do you remember how to get to the lab?” Jack asked her.

         Mercedes maintained a blank expression while confidently saying, “Like the blind leading the blind.” She had a slight accent, one Ajax couldn’t place but felt like he should recognize.

         “Perfect!” Jack said. “I’m going to gargle some saltwater. Can you get my boys to the lab? Have fun boys! I’ll come to collect you once I’m done getting my voice ready and checking on Lucille’s wounds.”

         With that, Jack took a step back towards his room. Then he paused and turned. “Mercedes? Like the car?” he asked.

         She continued to give him a deadpan stare. “Like the opera, Carmen.”

         “Huh,” Jack said. As he disappeared back into his room, he softly sang, “Quand je vous aimerai? Ma foi, je ne sais pas—” to a tune that Ajax had heard dozens of times but never knew the origin of. He always assumed it was from a kids’ cartoon.

         Without looking at Axel or Ajax, she started down the hallway. “Names,” she said.

         “Axel,” his older brother said, taking stride behind her. “It’s nice to meet you.” Although Axel had hated their father’s formality lessons, they showed in his peacock manner.

         Ajax scurried to catch up to their longer stride. She was several inches taller than him and had a pace closer to Axel’s.

         “Camille,” Ajax said, suppressing a grin. It was the first unisex name he could think of.

         “His name is Ajax,” Axel said.

         Ajax pouted. Axel wasn’t going to let him play any of his usual Am I a boy or a girl? Or What race am I? games that he and his sister, Lapis, liked to pull on their  past tutors.

         “That’s too many A’s, too many X’s, and too much awesome. What’s your last name?” she asked.

Both boys too stunned into silence for a moment. She spoke so fast and neutrally that neither could tell if she was mocking them.

         “Pax,” Ajax said.

         Axel swatted the back of his head.

         Ajax whined clutching his hair. He switched to Spanish. “What?! It’s not like dad can find us on a cruise ship. And why didn’t you let me pretend to be a girl? This is the first person our age that I could mess with.”

         “I knew you were a boy,” Mercedes said like he hadn’t been speaking in a different tongue. “You were bunked with boys.” There was a distinct pause when a smirk crept onto her lips. “And your manhood is showing.”

         Ajax blinked and scrambled to rearrange the flannel shirt to cover his no-reason-boner. In his hurry, he hadn’t realized how obvious it was with the band shirt and no pants. Before he’d run away from home, he remembered Kouta and Axel sitting him down to explain that this was a normal part of growing up, that some mornings and randomly at other times, that part of him would decide to make itself known without any psychological or physical reason.

         His older brother looked more mortified than Ajax felt. “I’m sorry—” he said, “He’s—”

         “Going through puberty and not used to hiding it yet,” Mercedes ended for him. That definitely wasn’t what Axel was going to say, and his blush showed it.

         Her tone was casual, more like an adult health provider than that of someone their age. Someone that should have been teasing him. “I have brothers at home,” she explained. At the end of the hall, there was a stairwell. They descended the steps rapidly.

         In that moment, Ajax decided he liked Mercedes. Most other girls would have thought he was gross for this thing out of his control. His sister had been cool about it. Lapis had gotten her period a year before and he helped her get excused from lessons or chores when her cramps were bad. In return, she helped make distractions when he was in public with this problem.

         Lapis also enjoyed teasing Ajax, saying she should have had the no-reason-boners; and he, the period.

         Ajax was about to announce that he liked Mercedes—something, in retrospect, he shouldn’t say with his current problem—when she continued, “Plus, I enjoy having blackmail on my associates. Now…” She poked Ajax’s arm. “You go by Pax Two. Guard your first name with your life and only hand it out to those you trust.”

         Ajax blinked. Pax? He could go by Pax.

         The now-christened Pax Two said, “Why do you cover your hair? It’s pretty.” It had looked wild, like his.

         Axel scowled at Pax, like the question was rude. But, if the older boy wasn’t going to make conversation, Pax wasn’t about to let them walk in silence. Axel’s eyes had been scanning the ship nonstop, like he expected a monster to hop out and eat them. That was Axel’s job—to keep them from being monster feed. Pax’s job was to distract Axel from the seriousness of that job. And scout for Axel’s potential girlfriends. And Mercedes was witty and cute.

         “Because I prefer nosy, little boys to appreciate my quick tongue and unfathomable patience before my hair,” she said, keeping her eyes forward. The smile on her lips grew.  

         Pax thought about covering his hair and some of his face with a cloth, but decided that would put too much attention to his eyes. People who didn’t have heterochromia probably didn’t have that problem.

         “I like your accent,” Pax said. He still struggled with his. His little brother, Hiro, and Lapis had easily covered their home accent in both Spanish and English. The older two, Kouta and Axel, still had the same ticks Pax did. “Where are you from?”

         The silence that followed made Pax scared he’d asked another rude question. Axel told Pax not to freely state where they were from, but Axel was paranoid about telling people his favorite color. (Currently, it was the dull blue of a jaguar cub’s eyes.)

         Mercedes hesitated. “Morocco… Fez, Morocco.” She sounded uncertain. Maybe she was as paranoid as Axel. “My brothers are still in the medieval district.”

         “Is that… in Europe?” Pax asked. Normally, he got to play this game with others. Not many people could point to his homeland on a globe.

         “Only to those who haven’t seen maps of Africa,” Mercedes said with that same neutral tone. She stopped in front of a pair of closed doors that had skulls and crossbones graffitied on it. “Catch.”

         She withdrew something from her Scooby Doo PJ pants and tossed the items at them in a spray.

         Axel and Pax both reached to reflexively do as ordered.

         They startled—she’d thrown a mix of pins and jacks, those tiny metal toys that involved the crisscrossing of metal bars. Things that would hurt to catch wrong.

         Instinct took over.

         Axel had always been better at juggling, but that didn’t mean Pax was bad at it. The brothers snapped their hands out, working together to catch the four various sized pins and three jacks. One slipped from their reach. Axel caught it on the tip of his foot and kicked it back up.

         While it was suspended in air, it was like they were back in a performance. A sly smile crept onto Axel’s face as he glanced away, like he had forgotten the flying projectile.

         Pax, meanwhile, jumped to have the tiny jack balance in his hair.      

         Once accomplished, the brothers gave each other grins. They bowed slightly, Pax keeping his head up so the jack wouldn’t fall off. They presented the items back to her as though she were a queen.

         Mercedes stared. “Huh,” she said. “Performers?”

         “For awhile,” Axel admitted. He straightened to full height. Seeing Axel relax and stop glancing around the room like he expected a rhino to charge them, Pax hoped that this Moroccan would end up Axel’s type.

         “Which of you has steadier hands?” she asked, glancing slowly between their outstretched palms. Neither had scratched themselves on the pins or jacks.

         Axel nodded down to Pax as Pax dipped a lower bow. Instead of taking her items back, Mercedes rearranged all of them. She took all but one of the jacks and put them into Axel’s hands and placed all of the pins into one of Pax’s.

         “Pax Two,” she said, “This is a pin and tumbler lock.” She pointed to one of the pins in his hand. “This is a tension wrench.” She pointed to another that squiggled towards the end. “This is a rake.” She pointed to the jacks. “These are hex shields.”

         “We’re breaking in?” Axel asked. The corner of his lips tugged into the standard Pax boy smirk. Pax’s heart fluttered. Maybe this girl would be Axel’s type.

         “We’re interviewing,” Mercedes corrected. She leaned against the doorframe. The motion made Pax think she wanted to avoid any potential explosions that might erupt from the door. “Luke thinks he can do everything around here and I’m going to prove to him that he’s running himself thinner than a piece of paper. Pax Two, take the tension wrench and insert it into the lock. Apply a gentle, consistent amount of pressure. Pax One, if you hear a whisper of voice from anyone other than the three of us, throw that jack at the lock faster than a god chases after a nymph.”

         Pax did as told. Axel tilted his head towards the door in a way that Pax knew meant Axel had tilted his ears as well. This was the best set up they could have had: Axel could probably see any weird curses on the door.

         The idea of spells made Pax giddy. Hadn’t she said hexes?

         Mercedes continued. “From my research since Luke got here, he has the only spy contact in the entire encampment. And he only spies on the Greeks, whoever they are. They need a better spy network in New Rome, and I’m recruiting. Pax Two, take the rake and ‘rake’ it across the tumblers on the top side of the keyhole. Rotate the tension wrench gently back and forth as you do so. Pax One, get ready.”

         Pax obeyed. This, he decided, was fun. He’d always loved seeing spies do this in movies. And, he really wanted to impress Mercedes if she thought he could do something. Pax was terrified of fighting. Seeing Axel on the stage—Pax had sobbed uncontrollably, waiting for his brother to make one wrong move against the much bigger, more trained Julian. As much as he’d managed to keep a smile on his face, the image kept popping back into his head—one of Axel’s jaw cracking into Julian’s skull right after Julian stabbed them.

         If Jack hadn’t been there, they both would have died, needlessly.

         Here, Pax felt the memory ebb. His mind blanked as he listened for a click and jiggled the two picks.

         Mercedes gestured to Axel, who kept his eyes on the door. “No doubt they think you’ll end up in the Assault Unit.” She pointed at Pax. “You won’t. I’m recruiting and I might be able to keep you together if you both impress me.”

         Something gave under Pax’s fingers.

         Before Pax heard anything, Axel launched the jack.

         Pax expected an explosion or massive light show.

         Instead, a sliver of green smoke emitted in a funnel from the knob. It sank into the jack.

         Now, the metal was tinted green.

         Mercedes’ hand snapped around the jack before it could physically strike the door. Then, her fingers dipped down to clutch Pax’s in a way that froze him.

         Voices erupted from inside, like a sound barrier had been breached.

         The brothers looked at Mercedes.

         She had the pointer finger of her other hand against her mouth for silence. She flattened herself against the doorframe to make herself as invisible as possible.

         Without needing further instruction, Axel flattened himself on the opposite doorframe. Pax scrambled to Mercedes’ other side. He would have felt safer beside Axel, but, here, he could easily receive instructions from the thirteen year old girl. And investigate if she used nice-smelling shampoo or bath wash.

         Pax caught the distinct mix of sweet and acrimonious that comes from coffee beans.

         Once they settled, Mercedes soundlessly opened the door a few centimeters.

         An enraged male’s voice came through the door, along with the clatter of some glass. “I want off this boat, Luke. What are you going to do when the son of Poseidon sends a rogue wave to hit the ship? Do you really think he’s so stupid to never think about that?”

         “Wow, Alabaster! Calm down! I’m sure Jack can do something for your sea sickness—”

         “I don’t want that maniac anywhere near me.”

         Pax glared over the door to Axel. Even if Jack had seemed off his rocker, he was nice, gave them donuts, and sang them to sleep that night. Yea, that normally would have made Axel embarrassed enough to jump out of the boat, but Jack’s voice had been so soothing, it knocked them and their cabin mates out within moments.  

         Axel kept his gaze on the door, frowning slightly at the insult to their new caretaker.

         Mercedes shoved Pax’s face back so he’d lean against the wall again.

         “Don’t change the subject. You’re an idiot for letting him live—”

         “Torrington,” Luke growled. That must have been the kid’s last name. Or a mythological insult. If it was an insult, it was a cool sounding insult. Pax wouldn’t mind getting called a Torrington.[1]

         “No, we’re not going to pretend here. What are you getting at with this kid? First you poison him with a pit scorpion, which took me WEEKS to train and you LET IT DIE, then you don’t finish off the job? All you had to do was follow through, Luke! Then we keep the monsters off Percy’s back all summer like he’ll be grateful and will forget about the whole scorpion thing and how you framed him for an Olympic level theft—and now you THREATEN to kill him again?! Whose side are you on?! Either successfully recruit him or kill him. I don’t care if you’re jealous—”

         “I am NOT jealous of Percy Jackson.” Luke’s voice had grown icy. “You don’t need to worry about him thinking of a rogue wave—”

         “Or clogging our engines with sea trash and leaving us dead in the water—”

         “He’s too dumb to think of that!”

         “Ah, and you assumed this ‘idiot’ would know to get the Golden Fleece?” the other boy’s voice became more metered, more critical.

         “Annabeth is smart. She’ll figure out that they need the Golden Fleece to save Thalia’s tree. She’s brave and resourceful.” Luke tone was so endearing towards the girl, Pax had to wonder who she was. The name sounded familiar.

         “This stupid, convoluted plan again? We could have sent some of our heroes to collect the Golden Fleece on our own. Flynn already offered, as have new recruits. Then you could have used the Fleece on Thalia’s tree without hurting her. But no, so much more noble for you to poison the girl you love—”

         There was a loud thwap. Something clattered in the room. Pax knew that sound. Someone had been hit. He trembled, thinking of the times their father beat Axel in front of Pax to punish Pax for doing wrong. Their dad knew his children were more likely to behave when he beat the others.

         A shrill female’s voice said, “Don’t hit my broth—”

         Then was hushed.

         A tense moment passed where Pax realized that he did not want to be caught on the other side of this door when Luke stormed out of there. He did not want his mother to help him escape one abusive home only to run into another.

         When Alabaster spoke again, his voice was tight and muffled, like he spoke through a hand or a clenched jaw. “I’m saying that, if I were someone Luke Castellan unnecessarily poisoned, then I was saved by Percy Jackson’s heroics and I found out that it was only because Mr. Castellan couldn’t bother to do it himself—”

         “Al,” the younger girl in the room begged.

         “—then I might not be ecstatic to join his cause,” the boy finished, “Especially if I had the temperament of a storm.”

         Luke’s voice was low and terrifying. “She will join, Torrington.”

         Pax focused so intently on the conversation and keeping himself flushed against the wall that he didn’t hear someone else approach them. Not until a puff of blond hair came into his peripheral.

         Pax held his breath. The boy was somewhere between Pax and Mercedes’ age. If Pax were told to bring a baby Viking to show-and-tell (something he’d heard about in American schools), then he would have brought this boy.

         He had fluffy, sandy hair that poofed out around his red ears. The only area the boy’s skin didn’t look pale to the point of transparency was on his sunburned nose and cheeks. When he paused in front of the door, he fluffed out a leather work apron, like it was a ball gown. His pale blue eyes were full of energy as they darted from Mercedes, to Pax, to Axel.

         The smile on his face twisted to something mischievous.

         Mercedes exchanged a glance with Pax and Axel. Her hand had clutched Pax’s arm, about to shove him into action, though he wasn’t sure if it was to jump the baby Viking or run away.

         Before she could encourage either, the boy shoved both of the double doors open. “Lord Torrington!” he bellowed as deeply as a pre-pubescent voice could. “I seek your audience at this fine dawn hour!”

         The only response was an uncomfortable silence inside.

         Mercedes dragged Pax out from the wall. They were still out of sight from the room’s inhabitants, but now it didn’t look like they were eavesdropping. Axel mimicked the motion on his side of the doors. He looked at a loss to get to their side of the hallway. They needed a distraction.

         The Northern boy skipped into the room without invitation.        “Ah! Luke! What a glorious occasion to see your—”

         “This conversation isn’t over, Torrington,” Luke growled.

         Pax wondered what the conversation was originally about. He also wondered if he could jump to the ceiling and spider-hang there. They were too slow. Luke rounded the door, his blue eyes narrowed with rage.

         The expression froze Pax in his place; the three of them were busted.

  ***

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed getting to “meet” three of my favorite characters from TFMO. I also hope you guys have had an awesome start to the best year for critical rolls XD Stay tuned next week for Ajax’s Part II!

 Footnote:

[1] Foreshadowing XD

#Tales from Mount Othrys #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #PJO #HOO #fanfiction #writing #Ajax #NOW KNOWN AS PAX FINALLY! #this wasso fucking confusing and I'm the damned writer! #Mercedes <3 #A chubby viking who totally isn't based off my brother #Lou Ellen's voice #Alabaster #Luke being a dick #I guess that's just Luke #Do I need to clarify? #HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[amgleko]

MUSE AS A DEITY.

rules : think carefully about your character and their development through their journey (canon or oc ) within their story .  fill out the chart and tag whoever you want !    repost , do not reblog .

tagged by : Stolen from @itsfoolproof​

deity of :   self-discovery, balance, inner peace, healing, spirituality, curiosity.

associated with : rebirth. introspection. forgiveness. starting again. realization. transitions. technology. opposites. renewal. overcoming expectations. learning. admitting you’re wrong. confidence. questioning.

sacred plants :   Allium. Bird of Paradise. Bluebells. Broom. Cattail. Cherry Blossom. Compas Flower. Cow Slip. Dahlia. Dandelion. Dogrose. Foxglove. Gladiolus.  Heliotrope.  Hyacinth. Iris. Lotus. Rhododendron.

sacred stones / gems :  Steel. Copper. Glass. Gold. Chrome. Ametheyst. Diopside. Fluorite. Fordite. Iolite. Jasper. Lapis Lazuli. Moonstone. Onyx. Opal. Peridot. 

sacred animals :   Butterflies. Deer- particularly fawns. Octopi. Baby birds. 

colors :  Yellow and purple. Grey and blue. Orange and white.

food :   Homemade specialties- soups, stews, and pies, especially. Simple fair. Breads and cakes.

scents :  Rusting metal. Electricity in the air. Antisceptic. Incense. Ichor.

accepted offerings / ways to honor : Seek truth. Think wider. Be kind to a stranger. Judge not on outside experiences. Listen well. Offer help to someone suffering. Be grateful for simple things. Meditate. Look inwards. Strive for peace- inside oneself and for the world around you. Volunteer. Read. Write. Attend a surmon for a religion you don’t follow. Question your beliefs. Be optimistic, open to change. Laugh with friends. Learn a new skill. Embrace being wrong. Be humble when you are right.

tagging : anyone who is as late as I am getting to this.

#;headcanon #(I might do this for pharah opinions)