( i am the darkness)

Yingxing is good at research, both in that he tends to remember what he's learned & he knows how to find the information he wants quickly. As a short-life species, he didn't have the same luxury of time as others, thus he has learned how to be efficient with everything he does.

Oftentimes, he would grow so absorbed in what he was doing that he would forget to eat or drink. Having knowledge he did not have the luxury of a long life, he acted as if he had no time at all, throwing himself into his projects & ideas with passion. Even with defective products & scraps, Yingxing could find a way to create something that worked well & looked nice.

He refused to allow any form of challenge to be one he could not overcome, both with his work & passions, but also with his friends. He preferred to talk things out with others rather than lose their company, viewing arguments between himself & others as yet another obstacle rather than a potential end to things.

When it came to forging, he was adept in the creation of weapons & using mechanisms to create creatures & such. However, he was also adept in the art of sculpting using gemstones / stone & glassblowing. He was well-known & respected for his abilities.

Yingxing had a tendency to be obsessive when it came to his goals & projects. in some form, this also bled into the way he acted toward other people — when it comes to those he cares for, he feels a deep need to find out everything he can about them, even secrets they may not want him to know. While he does his best not to directly ask others & respect the wishes of others (as well as their boundaries), if someone were to ask if he wanted to know something about a loved one, he would be unlikely to say no.

Yingxing would often gift his friends with things, whether it was weapons he created without reason (the product of his ideas rather than done with a purpose in mind) or smaller things, such as snacks or trinkets. He sees this not only as an expression of care toward his friends, but as a way to give them things to remember him by when he inevitably reached his end.

While Yingxing was typically someone who was bold & unafraid to show care to his friends, he typically kept most gifts rather impersonal. When it came to gifts created specifically for loved ones, he often found it rather anxiety-inducing, worried that his gift would not be well-received. Thus, he would hold onto items for a long time before finally giving them to others. When he is unable to give out such a gift due to a friend leaving, he finds himself regretting his shyness concerning his friends opinions.

When he is in debt to someone, he does his best to pay it off in any form as he dislikes owing others, even those he is close to. However, he doesn't extend this same attitude to others, never believing he is owed anything when he offers help to those he loves.

He is concerned about the image of his friends, careful to keep things quiet that may cause them issues with others, whether on a personal level or wider scale. Yingxing is good at keeping the secrets he is entrusted with, determined to take any knowledge that he isn't to share to his grave.

While he cares deeply for his friends, he has a tendency to be distant to people he doesn't know well or doesn't trust. Yingxing often keeps to himself with the exception of his close friends & thus, he sees no reason to speak to anyone else aside from necessity & feelings of obligation.

He isn't necessarily a positive person, simply someone with great ambitions & the will to carry them out. Yingxing was typically rather pessimistic & all too aware of being a short-life species.

A SUMMARY OF HIS PERSONALITY:

Yingxing is an aloof person who cares deeply about the few people he allows into his heart. He is good at keeping secrets & often generous with gift-giving, albeit easily embarrassed & rather shy when it comes to anything he creates with the express purpose of giving it to a friend. He has a good memory & throws himself into learning & acquiring skills related to forging / glassblowing / stone sculpting. While he can be obsessive in his research (both into his craft & finding out new things about his friends), he is careful not to let it show. Despite this, he does his hardest not to cross boundaries & to respect the wishes of those around him. He views arguments, especially major ones, as an obstacle that can be overcome by finding a solution (i.e not repeating what lead to it) rather than an end to relationships. He isn't a particularly affectionate person. He struggles with verbalising his care for others & he isn't the type to initiate touch, although rarely will be rebuff it if he's not angry with the person. He shows love through the action of creating personalised items for his friends & giving them smaller, more impersonal gifts at times. He is a blunt person with a tendency to ignore social convention when it comes to people he sees no use in showing kindness to. However, while he can be unkind, Yingxing is not a cruel person nor does he try to be. He is pessimistic & while he would call himself a realist if asked, he's completely aware that others may not see him as such.

WHICH OLD GOD ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH?

The God of Fear and Hunger

A newly-born being able to rival the power of the Old Gods. You find yourself affiliated with her. perhaps in your life you have gone through many changes. some you wish not to speak of. but do not lose them to time. remember you beginning. remember your life. if humans are anything but two things that is hunger and rage. and like the ones before you, you can consume, swallow and devour until you are sick but you will never be satisfied. you may find yourself at a inability to express yourself, like your tongue has been cut right out of your mouth. by the hand of your father or god. it doesn't matter to you. you will change. you will change yourself and others. no one can tell if you are showing mercy or thinly disguised cruelty.

tagged by: @maquiscursed tagging: anyone who has yet to do it.

WHICH OLD GOD ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH?

Rher

An Old God. You find yourself affiliated with him. perhaps in you life you have been likened to a cat. you may have been called crafty or slick. sharp tongue and quick feet. you'd tell some it doesn't bother you. others you'd tell them it does. it picks at your skin until it tears. but when are you telling the truth? do you secretly love scaring people a little? being one step in front of them while simultaneously being right behind them. do you stick up for what is right or do you stick up for things because nothing is worse than being wrong. then being on the end of being bested. for once you fall flat on your face and realise it is not so easy getting back up when you have no one to lean on. Cats hide in the shadows but follow the line of the warm sun. to live is to not be stagnant. a corpse in the sky you say goodnight, farewell.

tagged by: @maquiscursed tagging: anyone who has yet to do it.

WHAT FLAVOUR IS YOUR SOUL?

rosemary

ah, the old soul, nice to meet again. the time of ages is etched into your bones, you see clearly. you've watched the heartache in this realm and sworn to solve it. but kindness without limits is self destruction. oh little leaf, strong and wise, you seek to bring peace with your presence. I'd be wrong to say you fail at this effort, but you mustn't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. you wish to please everyone, to protect them all. but if you shield the saplings from the sunlight they will never grow, and you one day will wither. protect yourself too. you know there are no happy heroes, so don't be one. be a friend. your loved ones will not forsake you for not being perseus slaying all their demons. you have your own monsters, why not meet them first before you conquer anyone else's nightmares. oh true-hearted paladin you are brave, and you are good enough. you know that right? be true to yourself, one cannot do anything saintly if they did not tend to their own wounds first.

tagged by: @erabundus tagging: @acernusarbor & anyone else who wants to do it.

ask my muse about their relationships // accepting. anonymous // Caelus, what do you think about Dan Heng? If you could ask him anything, what would you ask?

AFTER ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED LATELY, Caelus would admit his feelings about Dan Heng had been complicated — the resurgence of his friend's secrets, the past he had never spoken of, a focal point of their current escapades. Perhaps it was fate that they would all face their pasts ( written in a script, one they found themself an unwilling participant in ) & someday, he is sure even his own ( forgotten long ago, inconsequential these days ) will be revealed to him.

( they aren't sure they wish to know it. )

❝Dan Heng is someone I think of as a close friend. Even if he tends to keep his distance at times, he's always keeping me and March out of trouble, even if it doesn't mean he's succeeding.❞ Then again, it seems it was in Caelus' nature to attract trouble, from the future he must face to the lance that had once been thrust through his chest — that day haunts his dreams more than he would like to admit.

❝He can be pretty cold sometimes, but he cares. At least, I'm sure he does, otherwise he probably wouldn't spend much time with us. Although... He keeps a lot to himself & sometimes I wish I knew how to help or what to say.❞ Even now, when asked if he had questions, he had remained silent, stewing in his own complex feelings in a way that was rare of him. ❝If I could ask him anything... I'd ask if he trusts me.❞

( because they know he cares. they know that. but care does not always mean trust is awarded. care does not always mean truth is given. )

prompts that make me go 👀 // selectively accepting. @maquiscursed // [ WAIT ]:  realizing the receiver is about to leave the room, the sender hastily reaches out and catches their wrist, preventing them from continuing their departure. (xiao to abyss aether or post-abyss aether)

SHADOWS OF THE PAST HAVE ALWAYS HAUNTED AETHER — ever since he left, this mimicry of meetings from long ago had remained within his heart, whether he wished to hold onto the ghost of a time he can never return to ( the type in their memories. the type in their dreams ) or wished to abandon it, to cut loose everyone he had ever loved until there was nothing left tying him to others. Until there was nothing left of Aether, the traveller who had failed to protect his newfound home.

Aether, who had abandoned the people he adored. Aether, the person of past that he wished he could carve out from beneath his skin as if he were some wretched monster & not simply himself: the coward hiding from the rest of the world to avoid truly facing sins of the past, ones he knows were his & his alone, for why else would he have ever chosen to leave & to hurt & to claim he was right if it had not been who he was to begin with?

( influence of other beings be damned. )

This moment is simply another one that has repeated & repeated yet never changed no matter what happened. In his dreams, Xiao would grab his wrist & beg him to stay, but he would leave. He would always leave. The few times he had done so while Aether was awake had been much the same — a moment of weakness without words to accompany it, quickly rescinded as Xiao let go as if touching him had burned ( & perhaps it had ) & followed by one of them leaving.

( one of them always left. never did both of them stay. )

Yet this time, Xiao's grip does not slacken. This time, Aether turns back to look at him, to gaze upon the other's face with a melancholy, with a resignation, that was not so easily won from him before now. He knows, really, that he should pull his hand free & walk away. He knows that he should return to Sumeru to be under Nahida's watchful gaze because at least then he can't hurt anybody else — but that is not what Aether wants & perhaps he is tired of doing what everybody else expects of him.

Perhaps he is tired of doing what is best for the world while he drowns in a sea of his own desires that he pushes away as if he does not deserve anything other than the sorrow that threatens to suffocate him at every moment of his life. More than anything, Aether knows, he is sick of walking away from someone he has missed so dearly. Loved so dearly.

( & maybe Xiao is tired of it too. they would like to think, at least, that he wants them to stay. that he is just as exhausted as they are. )

He remains quiet for a moment before he reaches out, gently prying Xiao's hand off his wrist & instead, locking their fingers together. ❝It's okay.❞ Aether murmurs, a whirlwind of emotion within his words & he could never hope, never dare, to name each & every feeling that wells up within his heart. He takes a step forward, loosely wrapping his other arm around Xiao & resting his head on his shoulder. ❝I'm not going to go anywhere from now on. I promise.❞ He means every word, that much is obvious & he closes his eyes as he speaks; as if to begin committing this moment to memory.

He squeezes Xiao's hand, gently. Once. Twice. Perhaps there is no way to truly fix what lives & dies between them. For now, all he can do is stay & maybe, if he dares to dream, that will be enough.

prompts that make me go 👀 // selectively accepting. @maquiscursed // [ FOREHEAD ]:  placing a hand on the back of the receiver’s neck, the sender guides them close and rests their foreheads together. (kazuha to arakan)

THE FIRST THING THAT REGISTERS IS JUST HOW CLOSE KAZUHA IS — it is typically Arakan who initiates touch, taking his hand as they walk throughout the streets of Sumeru City beneath the sun or leaning against him when they take breaks within the rainforest; hugs when their proximity & activity allows for it, albeit those are not quite as common as the way their touch lingers every chance they are given to do so. Rarely is it, in their opinion, that Kazuha is the one to initiate closeness between them & that is simply because he does not have to.

( it is by their own design, a way to prevent rejection & mistake. if it is always them to touch him, to take his hand, then the day he hits it away instead of reaching for it would not hurt quite as much. it will still hurt the same. )

The second thing they notice is that they do not wish to move away — perhaps that in itself is a mark of their odd friendship, one that hinges on forgotten pasts & unearned forgiveness readily offered without rhyme of reason. Typically, they might have stumbled back if someone were to get in their face like this, ripples of anger making themselves known, but this... is peaceful & nothing more. It is not some intricate dance that Arakan doesn't know the moves for nor is it an attempt to intimidate or done with a lack of respect for their personal space.

Because that is not how Kazuha is. Arakan knows that much of their friend — he isn't the type to put them in an uncomfortable position for the most part & thus, it is likely he has thought about the potential consequences of this & decided the risk of Arakan's wrath is worth it. Or so they hope, otherwise they would have to describe this as a foolhardy effort to... They aren't sure, actually, what the purpose of this is.

( his hand on the back of their neck is gentle, warm, & they wonder how those hands would feel wrapped around their throat like they deserve. )

❝What do you think you're doing, exactly?❞ They eventually question, breaking their silence after what has felt like an eternity but is likely less than a minute — & how utterly ridiculous it is that they could have their concept of time thrown off by such a small act of affection, one they would readily return in a heartbeat. Their voice itself is slightly shaky, a sign of their embarrassment that they are sure he will pick up on simply because that is what Kazuha does.

He knows all the things Arakan does not say & all the things they cannot.

❝If you wanted a hug, you could have asked.❞ They pointedly ignore the way their voice cracks slightly, the way they refuse to turn away despite their protests & they wonder if he knows that it is all for show. They wonder if he cares. ❝Is there something you're after, Kazuha, or do you just think I have pretty eyes?❞ It is spoken sarcastically, accompanied by a roll of the eyes & a laugh that is only half amused, an attempt at retaining some sense of normalcy.

It doesn't help at all, their pathetic attempt at ignoring the feelings they aren't used to ( so disgustingly soft ) that well up in their chest simply contributing to their abashed demeanour in this moment. How inconvenient.

daisy jones and the six ep1 // accepting. @ayahimes // “there you are! i was looking for you.” ( for aether )

THERE ARE FEW PEOPLE HE IS HAPPY TO HEAR THAT FROM — the longer he has travelled, the more such words begin to grate on his ears; a bad omen, a prophecy that something is about to go terribly wrong. Regardless, when someone searches for him, Aether has always been one to heed their call, to walk into disaster with arms held open as if to greet an old friend in the chaos. Some days, he wonders if things will ever calm down or if this is his burden: travelling place to place, never finding peace.

( strife has followed them for an eternity. it will follow for eons more. )

Whatever dread had initially risen up in his heart is quick to dissipate as he lifts his hand in a wave, smile gracing his lips as it always does. It is easy to ignore whatever feelings he has dredged up in his chest when greeted by a friendly face, to pretend everything is fine when it isn't — to live in the moment is all he can do, these days, for the future remains uncertain & the past has become a path diverged from over the course of a few centuries.

( maybe some day, they would no longer find apathy anywhere within. maybe some day, they would know something more than their current existence. )

❝It's good to see you, Ayaka.❞ The words are spoken with a joyful tone, one that is only half-feigned — his optimism has never known bounds, albeit that did not always translate to happiness, no matter how much he wished it did. Regardless, there is no use to dropping the act he so often puts on, even around someone he views as a good friend. There is always the chance she had been looking for him because she needed him to do something, as was typically the case with most of those he had met in Teyvat.

Although. he would rather not think that way considering Ayaka had asked very little of him that he wasn't willing to do himself. The requests of those in Inazuma had been equal part requests for help & requests for friendship, in the end, & perhaps it is the latter that matters most right now. ❝What can I do for you?❞ He questions, head tilted to the side slightly as if to punctuate the tone of curiosity that is held by his voice.

❝Or- I meant to ask why you were looking for me?❞ It is spoken sheepishly, as if concerned his previous words may have been a little rude or lacked some sort of tact that he typically made an effort to have. ❝I'm always glad to see you, but I figure if it was something urgent, you'd have sent a letter or left a message with Katheryne or someone from the adventurer's guild...❞

( maybe it doesn't really matter why, in the end, & they should just allow themself to relax & enjoy the company of a friend who seeks them out. )

𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒆𝒔  𝒐𝒇  𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆  :  𝒅𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒔  𝒂𝒏𝒅  𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒔  𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔

bold what definitely applies to your muse. italicize what somewhat applies to your muse.

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unprompted asks // always accepting. @eternalbxtterfly // ☆ Put this star into the inbox of your favorite blogs. It's time to spread positivity!!!!

Thank you so much <3 You're one of my favourites too, I absolutely adore seeing your writing on dash.