KAapple

The family road trip had been a success until the first bomb hit.

A 15 year old boy was left to pick up the literal pieces of his family so the local authorities could identify them. The soft hands of his mother that had detached from the joints of her wrists. The charred skin of his father’s shoulders, red and blistered from the explosion. His sister’s disfigured face, frozen in a broken scream that would never leave her lips.

One by one, he identified them, collected them and buried what he could before his town was told to evacuate.

After only one year of war, the land of his home planet was steeped in radiation, forcing the people to relocate elsewhere. The IPC had promised their aid, but the most they received were meagre rations that struggled to provide for all the refugees. Many more died on the long journey to freedom, and someone had to dispose of the corpses. The now 16 year old boy was one of the few who took up this role.

The boy didn’t know what to feel. How could he begin to when everything happened so fast? He’d been so fixated on the suffering of his people for so long, what was he without it?

A complete wreck, that’s what he was.

The stoic boy grew into a deeply anxious man, unable to sleep a full night. This wouldn’t have been an issue if he’d slept alone, but he had company now. Company that noticed how he tossed and turned, clawed at old scars until they bled and trembled like a leaf in the wind.

Dan Heng

March, Sunday, Caelus and Stelle had all fallen asleep whilst the Express crew were watching a movie together in the large room the twins shared. Dan Heng was always one to go to bed late, but something specific kept him up tonight. His partner had left the room about half an hour ago to “get snacks from the party car”, but hadn’t returned yet. Although he never considered himself possessive, Dan Heng was aware that he could be quite protective of those he cared for, especially the man he loved. So giving the benefit of the doubt, Dan Heng had sat and waited for him, until now that is.

Rising to his feet, Dan Heng made his way out of the room, careful not to disturb his sleeping friends.

However, once he entered the Party Car, there was no sight of his lover. Asking Shush if they’d seen the man in question, the robot said he had walked towards the Parlour Car with a smile. Nothing out of the ordinary at all.

Dan Heng moved from the Party Car to the Parlour Car and then to the Passenger Car after finding the previous one empty. It was only as he approached the man’s room that he heard the raspy, pained sobs he’d heard so many nights before. The door opened, and Dan Heng stepped in.

His partner’s head whipped around to stare at him, fearful eyes wide, his next sentence leaving him in a panicked garble “Dan Heng?! No, go away! Get out!”

But Dan Heng didn’t move. He couldn’t, and both of them knew that. “I’m here to help. I’m not going anywhere.”

To his lover, Dan Heng was just another variable he had no control over, and control was the only thing keeping him sane. So when Dan Heng moved to kneel beside him, the man struck him hard on the chest, desperate to push him away.

It didn’t hurt, it was the shock of the action that led Dan Heng to jump away. Despite his fragile mental state, his partner had never laid a finger on him before, usually displaying self-destructive behaviour. This change was frightening, to say the least. Was he feeling even worse? Had Dan Heng crossed a line? Dan Heng himself couldn’t answer either of those questions. In lieu of any other option, he did what he knew how to do. Dan Heng sat down on the opposite side of the room and waited.

The other man shouted and sobbed, but Dan Heng stayed sat there until he was ready. By the end of two hours, the man had cried himself into a curled up position on the floor, uttering one last protest. “You should’ve left. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You know that was never on the table. I can’t leave, I love you.”

Moving closer again, Dan Heng sat next to him, back leant against the wall. “But I can’t give you all the help you need by myself.” They both knew this had been a long time coming, but it hadn’t yet been put into words. “We should find a specialist.”

All the other man could do was nod, knowing it all to be true.

“But I’ll be with you all the way, I promise.”

The two men’s eyes met, a look that stretched on for eternity. The future was bound to be as difficult as the present, but they had each other, and for now, that was all that mattered.

"...Thank you, Dan Heng."

Phainon

The legendary land of Amphoreus had finally been reborn, meaning that Phainon could live a normal life at last. A life he shared with his boyfriend, who hailed from another planet entirely. The two had met when the IPC relocated refugees to Amphoreus in the hopes of growing the economy. A meet cute blossomed into a relationship, and for an onlooker, it seemed ideal. But Phainon could tell there was something wrong.

His partner always seemed to be tending to the other refugees when he wasn’t working or spending time with Phainon, so much so that it bordered on obsession. And even when he was around Phainon or their friends, he appeared absent, in a way that unsettled Phainon at times.

As light beamed through the curtains of their shared bedroom, Phainon awoke with the intention of discussing this with the man beside him. Yet as he shuffled over to embrace him, Phainon felt just how much he was shaking, and sobered up from his drowsy state almost immediately. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

In response, his lover flinched, wiping his eyes as he blurted out a reply between frantic breaths. “Nothing, I just,” He cleared his throat, every nerve in his body fighting to stop the shaking. “Bad dream, a nightmare.”

Phainon wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t going to let the one he loved suffer alone. “You don’t have to tell me anything, just look at me. Please?”

“No! I don’t want you to look at me!” His partner shot up from the bed, a move that caught Phainon off guard. “You can’t!”

From this angle, Phainon could see the array of self-inflicted scratches littered across the man’s arms and legs, and his heart sank even further. “You… You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

His partner didn’t reply, instead making his way to the door, rushing to hide himself away. Phainon was much faster than him though, and managed to grab his hand before he could leave. His lover struggled against Phainon’s grip, tugging relentlessly at his hand as he shouted. “Phainon!? Get off me! Let me go!”

“I can’t help you if you don’t let me! Please! I’m begging you!”

Unable to leave, yet too overwhelmed to explain everything, the man buried his face in Phainon’s chest and grabbed his arms in an iron grip. No tears left his eyes but he still sobbed, his groans hoarse and pained. Phainon held him as he did, tears welling up in his own eyes as the man’s hands gripped him hard enough to bruise. But he didn’t dare let go, not when he was needed like this.

They stayed in this position for what felt like hours, until a silence filled the bedroom. Voice so weak he could barely speak, Phainon’s lover finally looked at him with eyes that held more emotion than could be described. But if he had to name one, Phainon would say he looked tired beyond belief.

Without another word, Phainon guided them both back into bed, arms wrapped around the man he adored. He was also the first to break the silence.

“While I didn’t experience the same cycles that the previous version of myself did, I know how much he took on, the price he had to pay.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “We’re lucky enough to live in a time and place that doesn’t need someone to suffer millions of cycles bearing the weight of the world, so don’t punish yourself by trying to.”

Alas, his words fell on deaf (or rather asleep) ears, as the man laid with him had already fallen into a deep sleep. Phainon couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he placed a gentle kiss on his partner’s forehead.

“I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

His sparring session with Mydei would have to wait for another day.

Sunday

Sunday just couldn’t sleep knowing the man beside him was unsettled, yet he wasn’t completely sure how to help either. He had grown accustomed to listening to confessions during his time in Penacony, but Sunday was a different man now, and the man he loved didn’t need the head of the Oak Family. He needed all Sunday could give him and deserved even more.

Despite his own worries, Sunday knew he had to do something once he heard a sob leave his partner’s lips. Turning around to face him, a gasp caught in Sunday’s throat. His beloved had his arms wrapped around himself as he shook violently, nails tearing against reddened skin. Sunday didn’t even get a chance to think before he reacted, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder, the words left his lips in a whisper “Please stop. Let me help you.”

His lover couldn’t stop immediately, hands frantically working to try and regulate the terror he felt. But he rolled over slowly to face Sunday, tears streaming from his eyes, lungs aching as he forced himself to choke out “Sunday…I…I can’t-“

“Breathe, just breathe with me. I’m here. I’m here with you.” Sunday’s hands glided across the man’s shoulders, light enough to not cause discomfort, but heavy enough to prove he was there. He was still unsure, and his own arms began to tremble with the fear of his loved one being in pain, but Sunday couldn’t let him down. His partner needed him. “That’s it, you’re doing well. Just start slowing down, you can do it.”

Eventually the man’s hands slowed to a stop, Sunday talking him through every moment of it. Now his lover was wrapped in his arms, his shuddering reduced to a slight tremble, and Sunday could let out a sigh of relief. The calm silence was broken by a voice hoarse from crying.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would happen tonight.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Sunday assured him, running his fingers through the man’s hair, “if I had done the same, you would’ve helped me too.”

“Still,” the man beside him let out a sigh of his own, “I can’t help but feel guilty. You deserve me at my best, not…not like this.”

“Change is a long process. You don’t need to be perfect to let people into your life.”

A smile, small and resilient, poked at the corner of the man’s lips. “Did Mr Yang tell you that?”

That sight made everything worth it to Sunday. The fact that his beloved could smile after everything he’d been through… One day Sunday would make him realise how impressive that is.

“Mr Yang is a wise man. Without him, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“…Sunday, could you do something for me?”

“Of course, anything you like.”

“Sing to me. Please. It can be anything, I don’t mind.”

Sunday had never thought his voice was anything to pay attention to, especially when compared to Robin’s, but for the man in his arms, it was just what he needed. He fell asleep before Sunday could get to the chorus.

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Sorry I took so long to reply to you anon, I haven’t written in ages so I had no motivation 😭

Please let me know if you would like a 2nd person version (like the Sunday x reader post), for some reason I started writing in 3rd person for this one but I didn’t want to write (y/n) so it may sound a little awkward

I could also do a more generic version with no backstory or one with fewer injuries if you’d prefer that. I’d just feel bad making you wait so long and then writing something you don’t want to read 💔

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Have a nice day/night!

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Ever since media has existed it has found a way to sexualise women and female characters. Even when it comes to animation, female characters are almost never depicted normally.

Look at Genshin for example, there are few female characters in the game that are dressed appropriately for who they are and what they do. The only reason Jean doesn't have full armour is to make her more appealing, the only reason Escoffier is almost naked is to make her appealing (even though realistically she'd have a chef's uniform on). This is fanservice that is basically normalised for most characters in the game, and the sort of thing that goes on in all forms of media.

Don't get me wrong, guys are affected by this too. Varka has a great design, but they're unlikely to give him a beard or large facial scar because that would make him less conventionally attractive. However the extent that this is done to make characters is much less than female characters.

And it's not just design. Characters like Citlali act in unrealistic and over the top ways that are common in the anime genre. Women can be bashful and engage in banter with people they like, but most don't act like tsunderes (I hope😭). Xiao however has taken a long time to open up and trust the MC, this has spanned across versions and events. And by doing this, he has developed as a character, being able to interact more with others and acknowledging that it's important to ask for help.

It's rare that female characters get this quality and respect in their writing and design.

So no, not everyone who disses Columbina's fanservice while liking Varka's is a misogynist. Female characters being reduced for the purpose of fanservice is something we've just grown to expect and naturally become tired of. It's rare that male characters get the same treatment, so when it happens people are obviously more receptive.

Why is Sandrone being sent to fight on the frontlines when VARKA AND ARLECCHINO aren't? I know that there may be logical explanations for this, but for an overall story it makes no sense. Why would you bring in an incredibly strong knight, a grandmaster, when you leave him on the bench? I feel as though there wasn't much thought put into how these characters would actually fit in. I can't really explain why, but I feel like even Dottore is a victim of this (as much as I love him and his boss).

To illustrate my point more clearly, I want to talk about this year's Lantern Rite compared to previous ones. I've seen people talking about how cool it was to see Zibai stop a celestial nail and to see Istaroth too. And objectively, yes, those things are cool. But I can't help feeling that these moments are put in because the writers are running out of ways to get people interested.

I remember playing Gaming's Lantern Rite (I can't remember the year😭) and being blown away by how human the story was. He didn't become some deity stronger than the archons or perform any other crazy feat, but he didn't need to. Gaming became one of my favourite characters after that quest because I loved the plotline with his dad so much.

As well as this, other characters like Xianyun, Shenhe and Zhongli had appearances in the story that didn't feel like cameo's or out of place, even though Xianyun was the new five star. Their moments were related to the main plot and still displayed aspects of their relationships and personality. (I mention this because I was pretty disappointed with this year's Lantern Rite lol)

Again, these things weren't insanely epic hype moments, but they made the story feel natural and impactful nonetheless.

To conclude my huge yap, in my opinion, hype moments and increasingly powerful feats have been put in the recent story to try and get people interested in it. Natlan received lots of negative feedback, and to try and avoid this with Nod-Krai, they pulled out a bunch of cool characters and made them do insanely OP things so people would pay less attention to the poor writing. This isn't good, because now they've actively ruined first impressions of characters like Varka by not using them to their full narrative potential. It also means that the surrounding lore of Teyvat becomes messy after stronger and stronger forms of power are shoved in there without much consideration.

If you've read this far, firstly thank you, and secondly I want to clarify that this doesn't mean you can't enjoy Nod-Krai or Lantern Rite or anything else. This is all my own thoughts and feelings that I really wanted to get out, and if you don't agree that is perfectly fine. There were parts of the story and characters I really liked in Nod-Krai, despite my negative opinion overall.

I think calm debates are healthy but please don't send me hate. I doubt many people are still reading, but I really don't want to start a fight with anyone over this 😭