Absolute Masterpiece - Blog Posts

Posting all of the pills that make you green comics here now, enjoy? I guess?

regret rates

proof

talking points

you problem

owned

modern invention

unethical experiments

typology

think of the children

side effects

facts

making sense

rushing

drawings

research

this rocks

valid

For my final act I give u trucker zuko and rv sokka kissin at the loves truck stop thank u and goodnight

eYOOOOO IK I ALREADY SAID THIS BEFORE BUT CONGRATS ON THE MILESTONE !!!!!!! I'd love to make a request for childe but my brain is just in the mindset of "AS LONG AS ITS SFW AND TEN IS THE ONE WHO WRITES IT IM SOLD" which in itself is,,,, not very specific for a request. ANYWAYS GOODLUCK WITH YOUR REQUESTS <333 ROOTING FOR YA

again

pairings: childe × gn!reader

genre: slight angst/comfort

summary: though the two of you have separated, the universe has a funny way of bringing the both of you back together (or, in this case, the tsaritsa)

wc: 1.9k

warnings: swearing (only once i think)

a/n: now, ik you didn’t intentionally put this as a req but i took and ran with it anyway— i think you put too much faith in me 😭 but i hope you enjoy >:)

you can find my masterlist here

sometimes you hated the icy hell that was snezhnaya. the monotonous white of the landscape only served to bore your mind and the constant chills running up your body did nothing to help your already sour mood. at some point you had resorted to playing with your pyro vision, absentmindedly toying with a small flame in the palm of your hand, purely for some form of entertainment.

yes, you concluded. you absolutely did not want to be here. especially not with this imbecilic ginger.

“i can hear you grumbling, you know.”

speak of the devil…

“yeah, no shit. i’m right behind you.”

the man who you now refer to as childe, rather than ajax, heaves a particularly heavy sigh as the pair of you continue to trudge through your home country.

you’d curse celestia for your circumstances if it wasn’t for the the fact that you knew exactly whose doing this was.

your archon thought it a good idea to pair the two of you on a mission to retrieve a stolen artefact but there were several issues with this;

first of all, you had no idea why something as menial as fetching some toy concerned the attention of a harbinger. surely this could’ve been left to the lower ranks? but most importantly, you were even more baffled as to why she had to pair him with you of all people. while it’s true that you were an accomplished healer, that didn’t mean there weren’t any others with twice your experience.

you’d ponder these questions with more scrutiny but you’d be damned if you spent more time dwelling on your situation if it meant you had to stay with the ginger for even a split second longer.

archons, just looking at him and his stupidly long legs carrying him through the snow is giving you a headache… same with the way they seem to accentuate his annoyingly tall figure. and his rather broad shoulders that supported his head of soft hair. and the way that his jaw clenches beautifully in concentra—

hold on, beautifully? that doesn’t sound right.

“—n we can make a fire in the shelter over there.”

ah… you’re being spoken to.

“h-huh?”

childe stops in front of you suddenly, shooting you a look of confusion and you nearly bump into the body you were just fawning over. you had to shake your head quickly in order to get rid of the thoughts manifesting in your mind.

“have you listened to anything i’ve just said?” he questions, daring you to answer with those bottomless azure eyes.

you blink. focus, you simpleton!

“of course i have,” you reply dumbly.

much to your irksome, a gloved hand sits cockily at his left hip. “great! mind leading the way, then?”

a tease.

you’ve played this game with him many times before but you’re certain you don’t want him to find any amusement this time.

it’s no use, though. you unknowingly entertain him anyway.

your legs are quick to take you in a direction that wasn’t even close to what childe had suggested a few seconds ago. you were headed the exact opposite way, in fact.

a smirk slowly makes its way onto his face but you’ve already marched ahead of him, too far away to notice. childe huffs, full of mirth, before he decides to follow close behind you.

being forced into a situation with him like this… well, you couldn’t help but wonder where it all went wrong. you might have been the one to sever your relationship but as soon as the wave of anger resided you found yourself wishing you didn’t. celestia knows how much you’ve tried to distract yourself from the pain, and admittedly you were doing pretty well. that was until now, at least.

memories of arguments resurfaced as you willed yourself to remain unresponsive. if the both of you were less frustrated in the moment, would the two of you still be together? or were the reasons of your breakup too glaring to dismiss?

after all, staying up for nights on end wondering whether or not your partner was even alive wasn’t exactly ideal for your mental health. neither was having to lecture him after dressing many of the unsightly wounds he’d regularly come home with. you could only cope with the stress for so long.

but you couldn’t help but miss him.

the pair of you had wandered for another half hour or so when the situation seemed to take a turn for the worse, the telltale signs of a snowstorm beginning to fester in the skies above. this wasn’t good. you’d both be dead if you were caught in a snowstorm, pyro vision or not.

willing the flame to grow larger in your hand, you looked around for anything that could be used to protect yourselves from the oncoming storm when childe suddenly gathers you into his arms without warning.

“h-hey! what do you think you’re doing?!” you yelp in shock as you flail about in his arms.

“saving our lives,” he quips not even a second after.

shaky arms are quick to instinctively wrap themselves around childe’s neck in order to prevent yourself from falling. he subconsciously responds by holding you closer to him, both as if to prevent you from slipping and to shield you from the bitter cold.

you’re too caught up in panic to notice the quickening beat of his heart.

soon enough, childe manages to find a small crack within a nearby cliff and he swiftly manoeuvres inside with you still in his hold. he shuffles so that his back is pressed to the back of the cave, trying his hardest to keep the both of you as far from the entrance as possible. he slides down into a sitting position and moves you so that you were sitting sideways in his lap- your head resting on his shoulder.

you sit in silence for the next few moments with only the howling of the wind to keep yourselves company. being outside in the frigid cold for so long had sapped your energy and you were about to fall asleep there and then when you felt your companion start to tremble. it was normal to shiver in these conditions but the way his body started to violently shake had alerted you from near slumber.

untucking your head from his neck you looked up at him with furrowed brows, “childe?”

“ ‘s fine,” he grits out through chattering teeth. “don’t worry about it.”

your frown grows. it’s easy to see how the moisture in his eyelashes have caused them to clump together due to the sheer temperature, and it’s even easier to feel how intense his shivers are.

this won’t do.

quickly shrugging off your scarf you begin to wrap it around his neck when his hand catches your wrist.

“i said it’s fine,” he protests, increasing the pressure of his grip.

but you stand firm, “i’m not playing around, you fool.”

“and neither am i, so keep your sca—”

…why was he always so stubborn?

you don’t give him time to finish his rebuke as you quickly wrap the article of clothing around his neck. too worried to care about your proximity, your face inches closer to his to ensure that none of the skin of his neck could meet with the bitter cold.

his breath hitches, caught in his throat, but you don’t acknowledge it.

“i won’t have you dying cause of hypothermia, you brat. just listen to me for once. please,” you whisper the last bit out shakily.

you hate how your voice wavers.

thankfully he relents under your insistence and instead settles back into the wall, tentatively rewrapping his arms around your shoulders.

you can’t bear to look at his face for prolonged periods of time and so you bury your own back into his neck, cushioned by the soft scarf you had just successfully swaddled him in.

there’s nothing for you to make a consistent fire out of and so you resort to heightening your body temperature in the hopes of keeping the both of you warm. you hate this. you should hate this, but you find that you can’t help but nuzzle into him no matter what you beg yourself to do.

but it’s not like he’s pushing you away, either.

silence passes between you once more but the air is much thicker than last time. it’s suffocating; threatening to consume you whole. maybe you’ve crossed the line this time, overstepped your unspoken boundaries.

“you’re doing it again.” childe comments, breaking the tension.

with hesitance clearly on your visage, you look up towards his face.

“stop chewing on your cheeks. you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

a gloved hand reaches out for your face, but he retracts it before you could notice his mistake. a habit, it seemed.

you scoff in disbelief, but the disdain you intended to put behind it lacks any real punch. you reply with a quiver in your voice.

“really…? you’re unbelievable. don’t you dare lecture me about hurting myself. it’s hypocritical, childe.” it didn’t take a genius to pick up on your solemn tone.

childe.

for a split second you think you see a hint of regret spread across the young man’s face but it’s gone the second you look at him again.

he looks at the ground past you, and whispers,“what happened to ajax…?”

“pardon?” you reply, perplexed by his question.

a sigh of defeat leaves his thin lips. childe then pulls you closer to him but with the way his eyes seem so distant you can tell it wasn’t done on a conscious basis.

“i said, what happened to ajax?” he repeats a little louder.

your brows furrow once more, but it was more so due to confusion than worry. “nothing happened, i just don’t call you that anymore cause we—”

“i,” he interrupts as if he doesn’t want you to finish that sentence. breathing in in frustration as he balls his fist, he continues, “i know, just… i just miss the way you used to say my name. forget i said anything.”

and at this, you freeze- eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape.

as if sensing your shock, childe drops the subject and turns his head to the side away from your astonished face.

what the hell is happening?

with your heartbeat thrumming away in your chest, you slowly let your head fall back onto his shoulder.

a third and final silence settles; this time filled with realisations and unspoken feelings. it settles like the first wave of sunlight waiting to thaw out the fjords of snezhnaya after the long, gruelling months of its unforgiving winter.

childe— no, ajax, chances a glance at you once he’s certain you’ve fallen asleep and he finds that his heartbeat sings in time with yours. they thump in unison, and ajax falls asleep feeling less lonely than before. he cradles you and lets his cheek rest on the top of your head, not before untangling your scarf so that it covers the both of you comfortably.

someday, someday he’d get to hear his name roll off your tongue once again. he’d make sure of it;

and somewhere in the grand zapolyarny palace, the tsaritsa smiles.

published on 27/03/22

heaven on earth

24. picture perfect .. ✮

[ genshin impact smau / idol!xiao x fem!reader ]

“So… you decided that reserving the entire restaurant and arcade was a good idea?”

You slowly nod your head, “Why not? You won’t need to wear a disguise then, yes?”, you replied. Xiao shook his head at your answer, bewildered at how oblivious you are to what he was implying. His golden eyes sweep across the lobby, taking in the view of the arcade and restaurant.

The cook, Smiley Yanxiao, seemed to be chatting along with Verr, a relieved expression on his face. It seemed that reserving the entire place for Xiao had granted him a much-needed break. Considering this… he couldn’t bring himself to be truly angry at the current situation.

From where he stood, he had a clear view of the restaurant. Right on top of it was the arcade, with stairs encircling the inn and converging at the top where a door was located. He got a peek at the arcade when the door of the arcade was opened by a staff member, the only people he could find in this whole inn. It felt odd that the once crowded place was this still and silent. It felt wrong.

Reserving a whole restaurant along with an arcade for a solid 3 hours would’ve cost someone a fortune, plus this place was the Wangshu Inn. Even if you wanted him to enjoy himself without worrying about his career, there were other alternatives. Despite knowing that something was up when you mentioned to him that he didn’t need to wear a disguise, this was beyond his imagination. He should’ve figured it out the moment he stepped foot into this widely known restaurant and there was nobody in sight.

“How much was this?” Xiao asked, still in shock as his eyes darted to every corner, not used to how quiet the once bustling place was. “A few zeros here and there and a swipe of my card.” He internally facepalmed at your answer, rich people things.

Wait. The realization that he had never asked about the reasoning behind your massive amount of money had just dawned on him. Then that familiar voice of yours reached his ears and he decided that he’d leave the questioning for later. “Where do you wanna go first? Arcade or lunch. Hungry?”

It was a rare occurrence that he’d like both options when being given choices. However, he found it hard to decide between the options you’ve given him. With a bit more pondering on the best possible outcome, he uttered, “Arcade, then lunch.”

An approving nod from you solidified his plan. Together, you made your way towards the stairs, leading up to the arcade.

It was a comical sight, something his co-workers would laugh at him for if they saw the scene. The notoriously reserved idol who only ever utters as few words as he can, trying so hard to win at arcade basketball. With his height, sure he had to put in more work but he’d like to think it was worth it when he saw the delighted look on your face with the number of tickets he got from his hard work. The noise of the tickets coming out of the machine and the music from other games filled the empty arcade.

The basket a staff member had offered was brimming with stacks and stacks of tickets in it. Teamwork makes the dream work, yes? No, you just found a game that was so rigged you got at least 60 tickets each time you played it. The tickets were farmed there by you, thus the filled basket.

He was grateful that you spent this much money just for his sake, he was having fun being able to openly enjoy the arcade without the nuisance of others, but he wouldn’t admit it, of course.

Meanwhile, you were having a blast. The arcade was filled with trendy machines to pretty outdated machines that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere - but it gave a sense of nostalgia if you were old that is. There were games that you hadn’t even heard of, adding an extra layer of excitement. Even the lighting was perfect, it was more on the dark side with occasional neon lights arranged neatly, it really added to the whole aesthetic of an arcade.

Glancing around the arcade for more games to play with, your eyes landed on the photo booth. Oh! This is a must! Carrying the overflowing basket of tickets, you headed to the photo booth with Xiao following behind. The confined space inside the booth was just enough for your shoulders and Xiao’s to touch, but neither of you paid any mind to it.

The machine made a little beep! after you had slipped the required amount of coins. “Pose Xiao, Pose!” You nudged the dark-haired male beside you, your elbows digging into his side. A mini countdown could be heard from the machine, giving you guys the time to strike a pose. Silly faces, hand signs, bunny ears, beaming smiles - four photos taken. A faint whirring sound from the photo booth could be heard before the 2 identical pictures were printed out, each with 4 grids.

As soon as Xiao’s eyes landed on the picture, he blinked. The picture turned out well, anyone could tell that the two of you were having fun. Golden irises lingered on the picture, call him cheesy (actually don’t) but a smile really looked good on you. Though the thought made him cringe at himself.

“Come back, you look ridiculous. We’re taking another one.”

The sound of laughter followed Xiao’s words, pink creeping up his ears as he tried to grab the picture in your hand that the two of you received. “Nuh-uh! This is perfect!” Huffing, he accepted his defeat when he saw the look of determination on your face. He looked back at the picture in his hand, and yea, maybe this is perfect.

Your voice rang in his ear once again, “Xiao, look! A dancing game! Let’s compete?”

Oh, he doesn’t mind a challenge, “You’re on.”

Xiao jogged over to where you were standing. You were inserting the coins - the never-ending amount making him gulp whenever he glanced at it. The game consisted of two stages, each having four arrow panels on the floor: up, down, left, and right, simple enough. The machine lit up with a welcoming dialogue inviting the players to select a song and difficulty level, which you allowed Xiao to choose because he apparently was an expert — Matsuri by Fuji Kaze - with difficulty set to normal.

Hitting combo after combo, both of you synchronized your steps on the panels that appeared on the huge screen before you. Xiao was competitive, but so were you. The sound of sneakers squeaking could hardly be heard over the music and the other games nearby.

Curses slipped out of your mouth as you caught a glimpse of Xiao’s score, winning by a small margin. You groaned, “It’s rigged.”

The man standing next to you let out a huff, “Accept defeat.” You perked up when the game displayed the final scores, an A+ for Xiao and an A for you. You dramatically let your head droop into your hand as you made fake sobbing noises. Xiao could only stare at you as you perform your “the world is so cruel” act. “It’s just because I took dance lessons a few times, stop sulking.” he voiced out, immediately feeling embarrassed the moment the words left his mouth. Though, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it when muffled laughter followed his words.

"Next! Race cars!" He grunted at your words, clearly not a fan of driving. Yet, he still followed your footsteps and settled on sitting on the seat beside your game. Just as you were handing him some coins, he waved you off. “I’ll watch ya.”

You blinked at his words, then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Gripping the steering wheel, the machine allowed you to select a map along with some instructions. As you focused on the screen in front of your steering wheel, Xiao stared at you. “Hey, been meaning to ask. How’re you this rich?”

Blame his curiosity but he couldn’t exactly stop himself from letting the question that was lingering in his mind be voiced out. You stared ahead, the screen showing a countdown as you conversed with him, “My family’s rich, that’s practically it.” He hummed at your answer, that did make sense because he assumed you were yet to graduate from whatever university you attend.

Stepping on the pedal, you twisted and turned the wheel in an attempt to remain the first in the race as you conversed with the man beside you.

“Who paid for your apartment?”

“Agency bought it for me. It’s near our studio.”

“How did you guys deal with PAIMON’s tweet?”

“Oh, we had them take it down or we’d sue.”

“Damn.”

The screen showed a “#1” text in bold big letters, showing that you’ve won the race. You took your phone out to snap a photo before shoving it back into your pocket and heading for the one thing that you’ve been meaning to try - the claw machines.

“You know it’s pretty much rigged, right?” Xiao sighed as he stood beside you, watching at your 4th attempt at getting the My Melody plushie, and failing.

“It doesn’t matter! You get it if you’re lucky!” You whined, another failed attempt at going home with the toy.

“Whatever, I’ll buy one myself later.”

Walking away from the machine, you fail to notice how Xiao inserts another few coins into the machine as he tells you to go ahead to the restaurant.

When he caught up with you and ordered almond tofu - apparently he knew the cook - his favorite dish, you watched as he pulled something out of his shirt and stuffed it into his tote bag. The table restricted your view but you figured it was nothing and moved on to make conversations with him.

This felt strangely normal, like it was meant to be, just you and Xiao, sitting and talking. At the same time, you felt nervous talking to the almond tofu living guy. Second guessing your words, worrying how he might misunderstand what you say, strange. Knowing that you would've missed all of this if you hadn't heard him out made you happy with your decision. At the end of the day, fun was the one word you could use to describe this eventful simple.

"Why!? I could pay for it y'kno-" Your words were cut off by his tugging. Xiao had insisted that the both of you should take the subway instead of ordering a cab. He had tugged you along by the arm as he walked towards the nearest station, "Use money wisely. Plus you should use the subway once in a while."

Laughing at his scolding, you teased him. "You sure you just don't wanna spend more time with me by walking there, hmm?"

Xiao averted his gaze, red crawling up his neck and ears as he willed himself to get used to your teasing.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard you say “Oh, that’s the station.” He looked up ahead and sure enough, it was the subway station. He released his grip on your arm when you started to speed up, muttering something about “let’s get this over with.”

The two of you were lucky enough to get to the train just right on time as the doors closed after you had run in. It was pretty empty, a few people here and there but there were vacant seats. You sat down on an empty seat and Xiao settled down beside you.

There was a comfortable silence accompanied by the train noises every once in a while.

Oh right, the plushie!

Xiao rummaged through his tote bag to look for the plushies he got after you left the arcade. He heard Heizou saying something about these types of plushies - Sanrio, was it? He got the one you wanted earlier and then another. Mainly because they were in the same machine.

You peeked over his broad shoulders in an attempt to find out what he was looking for. Xiao took both of the plushies out of his bag and turned to you, accidentally hitting your face with his shoulders.

You heard an oh. before he held your face with a hand, plushies on his lap as he scanned your features. You laughed endearingly at his concerned behavior,

“I’m fine.” He nodded at your words, removed his hands from your face, and went to grab the plushies from his lap, showing them off to you like a kid showing their drawings to a parent. You blinked once, then twice, subconsciously missing the feeling of his hand on your face. You pushed away the thought to focus on the plushies he had gotten.

“For me?” You tilted your head, hands reaching out to grab the plushie and in the process, brushing your hands against his. He nodded at your answer, “The other was in the same machine.”

His answer made you laugh, god, Xiao could be so cute. “They’re matching. Kuromi and My Melody.”

Golden eyes stared blankly at your words, before muttering a quiet “makes sense.” along with a shrug. You glanced at the plushie on your lap, there’s a warmth that slowly filled your heart at the realization that he got it for you settled in.

The announcement from the speakers interrupted your thoughts. Signaling at Xiao, the two of you got off the subway and he led the way to your apartments. The silence was filled with the whooshing of the winds or the small talk here and there. It felt too soon to end the day.

The two of you reached the floor of your apartment. The elevator doors opened and the two of you stood in front of your respective apartments. Xiao was the first and last to speak.

“Thanks for today, [name].”

Maybe it was your imagination, but you swear you saw the ghost of a smile on his face before he turned around and headed into his apartment, giving you no room to reply.

heaven on earth - 24. picture perfect

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synopsis ; 🗝️ — in which you befriend your next door neighbour who, unbeknownst to you, was apart of a soon-to-be one of the most popular bands throughout liyue. you're unable to tell if cupid was helping you or not when things with xiao keept going up and down. will he continue to keep his secret from yours truly?

NOTES — sorry for not uploading for a while! i took a tiny break because i was busy and writing took a while, hope this makes up for it

TAGLIST [OPEN] — @mikctp @ghostlysyntaxed @kazemiya @nnasv @gojoandelsalovechilde @candy-purple-cyanide @kissingkzuha @zyilas @lunaavity @luminescent-light @mave-in @rizakari @riikyu @kokoscutie @starsxnight @sketcheeee @softlie @izakyun @xiaxilia @the-sweet-madame @rifran @milkwithspiceyicecubes @coffeethoughtsandanxiety @rxkan7 @goodthingimsam @pomeiu @fogturtle @farelady-fate @tzu-scara143 @wonderful-worlds @cianalikesbeans @h3xi2g0n3 @jasxiao2317 @rosaryia @proserpinarom4 @offeliaswonderland @ynverse @whats-humanity-lol @gekkow @yuaenri @noosa11 @erosdevil @certaindreampost @venyan @sakurapeach @maisieisbae @unhappyraspberry @wgafa @redsrrrr @leesl0vr @sixieeeee @girl-with-coffe

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