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that-ari-blogger · 2 months

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Amity's Fate (Escaping Expulsion)

Found family stories are fun, aren't they? They have become a dime a dozen in recent years, and I think that that's a good thing.

Family comes in varying forms, and The Owl House explores that as a core tenet. Lilith is surrounded by the theme. Belos and The Golden Guard feature it as a secondary characteristic. Luz can't escape the theme. Even Kikimora's arc deals with it.

Odalia is the main antagonist for this idea. It's her entire deal. And the way in which she acts as that familial final boss is fascinating to me.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD (The Owl House, Rise of the Guardians, One Piece, Critical Role: Campaign 1)

What makes someone "important"?

In fiction, this is rather easy to tell. A character is important if they have a significant effect on the plot, and this is usually rewarded with time in the spotlight. Most often, the most important character in the plot is the one the reader will see the most. Obviously, there are exceptions, but this is a general rule.

But in terms of real life, what exactly is it that makes someone important? And how do you define "important"?

You could argue that inventors hold this title, or entrepreneurs, or politicians, as they define the overarching structure of your world. But I would say that my friends and family have more of an influence on my personal daily life. They are the ones who have made me into who I am today.

Maybe the most important person to you is your significant other, or a teacher, or someone random on a bus who accidentally reshaped your entire worldview six years ago.

Importance of plot and importance in reality are two different things, and my take on Odalia is a weird twist on that. Odalia is important to the plot because she is completely unimportant to Amity.

The arcs surrounding Odalia, those of her children and husband, revolve around them realising that they have better parts of their lives than her. Amity, for example, spends a decent chunk of the series learning that she doesn't need Odalia in her life and that Luz and co. are a much bigger influence on her than her mother's teachings.

Essentially, Odalia is only important because people think she is. Once they realise, she fades from relevance. I think that's a really cool writing decision.

When Odalia and Alastor were introduced, back in Understanding Willow, the choice was made to obscure their character designs to silhouettes because who these people were wasn't important, and the episode focused on what they had done.

But now, the audience is treated to their full appearances, and I'd like to take that apart.

Alastor is a mess. He hasn't been bothered to get into formal attire for a business meeting, either because he doesn't own a suit or because he doesn't care. Judging by the fact he lives in a mansion, I am inclined to believe the latter. He is covered in stains from his research and wears a set of goggles to lean into the professorial atmosphere. Combine that with the unkempt hair and his design is drawing heavy inspiration from Victor Frankenstein, something I will come back to in detail in a later post.

Odalia is Amity's final evolution. Everything about her is Amity taken to the extreme. She has the same nail polish, earrings (although her earrings change between shots), and hair colour, but the hair is more tidy. Her outfit is also more regal and more purple. She is what Amity will become; a path laid out for her. It is almost as if she has sculpted Amity in her image.

Odalia's design also reminds me a lot of Mrs Tweedy from Chicken Run for reasons I cannot articulate.

Upon looking at Amity and her parents, it is obvious that Amity and her mother are related, but Alador seems like the odd one out, right? Except for two things.

Amity's hair is her means of expression in the story. When she dyes it different colours, it is an outward manifestation of her internal development. When it is left to its own devices, she has naturally brownish red hair, similar but not exactly the same as Alador.

Amity is her own person who bears a ton of similarity to her father figure. But someone, most likely herself at the behest of Odalia, has made a concerted effort to cover that up.

The other element of Amity's design that links to her father's is something nobody can cover up. Amity has her father's eyes.

Rise of the Guardians is an egregiously underrated film that I love. It deals purpose and finding joy, but its pivotal scene is relevant to the discussion of Amity and Alador.

"You have big eyes." "Yes! Big eyes, very big, because they are full of wonder That is my centre. It is what I was born with: eyes that have always seen the wonder in everything! Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air - this wonder is what I put into the world!... It is my centre. What is yours?"

Santa Claus in Rise of The Guardians is a character who relies imagination and creativity, and there is a difference in the film between born gifts and who a person chooses to be. Santa was born seeing the world differently, and he used that to create and preserve that imagination in others.

Amity and Alador both see the world in the same way. They both look at the world and see what could be. They are intelligent, but less in the restrictive, linear ideal of "being a good student", they are more inventors, and Odalia has taken that intelligence and confined it.

That, is where the final element of Odalia and Alador's character designs comes into play, their expressions.

Alador looks tired all of the time. He isn't happy at all in this episode, and he only smiles twice. His entire demeanor tells you that he doesn't want to be wherever he is.

Odalia, however, alternates between arrogant superiority and scheming gremlin, and that reveals her personality as much as her actions. Odalia believes herself superior to others and is having fun with that confidence.

Amity is presented with both of these parental figures as options for her to develop into. The series is offering a good and a bad option, but then it does something clever and takes another rout. Amity becomes her own person, informed by her father, but unique in her own way.

To my point of Odalia's practical irrelevance, it's notable that all of Odalia's influence on her daughter is impermanent. It's her clothing, hairstyle, and expression, all of which Amity drops like a stone when she starts to achieve her autonomy.

Speaking of autonomy, this episode actually has stuff happening in it.

Starting with a side note. Gus barely reacts to the threat of execution and looks more horrified by being expelled. Everyone else in this scene looks and sounds equally upset by both, with the exception of Amity's relief at the second option. But Gus doesn't make a noise and just looks surprised by incoming death, as if it's a class he doesn't particularly want to go to, but has no choice in the matter. Does that concern anyone else?

I want to point out that Amity doesn't ever look afraid of her mother. She reacts to the execution gaff similarly to everyone except Gus, but to everything else, she just looks sad. This isn't a physically abusive relationship, but an emotionally abusive one. Amity spends the entirety of this episode feeling trapped.

"Luz, was it? Please, this isn't personal. I actually appreciate your tenacity. We're just trying to teach our daughter a valuable lesson in business."

Once again, this is the end result that Odalia has set out for Amity, complete uncaring ambition.

Now, I am not skilled in the art of business, I know that one line from A Muppets Christmas Carrol and that's about it. But I think Luz's response to Odalia is pretty neat.

"How does this teach anything? We're still gonna be friends with her. I'm calling applesauce on this business baloney!"

I do have to thank the writers of The Owl House for making Luz's dialect so incomprehensibly Luz, because it makes navigating the transcript (link) so much easier.

Anyway, as Luz points out, Odalia is just petty here. She is seeking revenge against her daughter for messing up her business promotion and is leveraging her unrivaled power to do so. She's not as uncaring as she thinks, and to her credit, she realises this in the moment.

But, Odalia is still cruel and entitled, being self aware doesn't diminish her villainy, and so she offers Amity' position to Luz. She has a mould, and she doesn't particularly care who fills it, just that it is filled. Odalia is another villain in this series who represents that theme of constraint.

Luz's dialect is actually important in this scene, because it positions her as a thematic opposite to Odalia. Luz doesn't care about the rules of "polite conversation" and will say whatever nonsense comes to her head if it gets the point across. Luz is free in her verbal expression, and Odalia restricts that of her family to barely a word.

However, Luz doesn't confront Odalia on a thematic level. The themes of the story are expressed through Luz's sheer presence, but in this situation, she isn't actively trying to prove the superiority of her worldview. Instead, she applies more of a Monkey D. Luffy approach.

For those who haven't read One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy (Third from the left) is a character who wants to be the freest man in the world. His antagonist is the World Government, who is restrictive and oppressive, and Luffy exists to oppose abuse of authority and injustice.

Luffy doesn't actively do this. He doesn't really care about the theming of his own story, it just happens around him. Repeatedly in the series, most notably in Enies Lobby and Arlong Park, Luffy declares comes into conflict with villainous powers who thematically oppose him. But, he doesn't confront them because of that theme, but because they hurt his friends.

Luz does the same thing across The Owl House, taking on Belos and Lilith in season one because she doesn't like how they treat Eda, and taking on Odalia here because she doesn't like how she treats Amity.

If you look closely, she actually does it twice in this very episode.

"Luz, you don't have to do that." "Yes, I do. Willow and Gus don't deserve this."

Luz gives in and takes up Odalia's offer to protect her friends, not because Odalia is nebulously villainous.

Back to Amity, she doesn't get as many actual lines in this episode as usual, but she is very much present in every scene she shows up in. From the silence, to the expressions, to the frustrated growling at every hinderance. Her worlds are colliding, and she can't keep everything under control.

This hits a breaking point with the confrontation.

"No, you're gonna listen to me for once. Luz, Willow and Gus are my friends! They're nice to each other, they listen to each other. They make me think about the kind of person I really want to be!"

Let's talk about Taryon Darrington.

Critical Role is a D&D live play that is currently in its third campaign. Halfway through the first campaign, the audience and players were introduced to the character of Taryon Darington, an artificer and human disaster in the most positive of ways.

I genuinely love Taryon, and have an entire post in the works dedicated to him and his significance for TTRPG culture as a whole, so I won't dwell too much here. Suffice to say this: Taryon's parental situation is similar to Amity's, in that his father viewed all of the Darington estate as means to an end, without the care and affection necessary to actually raise a family. When Taryon confronted him, he gave a speech remarkably similar to Amity's in Escaping Expulsion.

"In my year of travel, I didn't just dilly-dally around the world having fun. I was learning about the world and about life and about family. I was learning from these fine people what it means to really be a family, and care about each other. I learned from Grog and Vax what it means to be a man, and to be a father. I learned from Pike what it means to be a caring mother. I learned from Keyleth what a real sister is like, one who loves you and cares for you. I learned from Vex what a best friend is like. These are things you never gave us, growing up. I even learned from Percival, the type of man I would want to marry one day."

This is a speech of separation. It says officially that Howaardt (Taryon's father) has no bearing on his actions, and that Taryon will go about his life without a care for the foolishness of his father's actions. It is claiming autonomy, and it is pointing out that Howaardt was only important to Taryon because he told him so, in reality, the connection was minimal.

Amity's little speech is the same. She is proclaiming that she doesn't need Odalia's fake affection and conditional acceptance. She wants to be around her friends, as they make her into a better person. Amity is more influenced by the actions of those she surrounds herself with than her mother.

Most of all, Amity is influenced by Luz and the example she sets. Light, do not faulter.

That's some good found family storytelling, right there.

Final Thoughts

Odalia and Amity's story will continue until the end of the series, but it really ends with season two's penultimate episode, which I will get to.

I wanted to do a whole thing on how purple is associated with wealth because of sea snails (its more complicated than that), but I couldn't figure out a way of putting it in the post and relating it to the abominations and Amity's hair dye later on in the series.

I didn't talk about Eda and Lilith discovering more nuanced glyph magic, and that's because... I don't like the writing in those scenes. This episode is really good overall, but the dialogue in Lilith and Eda's scenes doesn't sit right with me, it feels too simple, like it's trying too hard to be turned into memes. But that's just my opinion.

Next week, I am looking at Echoes of the Past, so stick around if that interests you.

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borathae · 2 years

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↳ Index [Chapter 05 - Baicha]

Warnings: cute & wholesome moments, Yoongi plays the guitar, just him being complete husband material, the slow burn in this chapter is killing me, a plottwist :O

Wordcount: 10.8k

a/n: writing this story is like therapy, i feel so content with every sentence

Today will be a good day. You received a call from Namjoon’s wife this morning, telling you that they were planning on doing a barbeque later today and that they want you there. You said yes instantly and ever since then the day had been nothing but wonderful. Work in the garden felt easy to do and you ate a light salad to truly keep your stomach empty for later.

Barbeques at the Kim brothers’ place are always a blast. They are there, as are the Jeon brothers, Hoseok will be there with Mickey and Jimin will make sure to bring some cupcakes with him. You will bring some tea for when the night’s colder and together your group of friends will have an amazing late summer night on the Kim brothers' farm.

You were really hoping that they would be planning a barbeque again this summer, as they are always the most fun to have.

You leave the cottage at around four, after having told Levi to take good care of it and making sure his bowls are filled up.

“Oh?” you hear a voice behind you.

You turn around, meeting Yoongi who was in the middle of ringing your door bell. There he is. The man who made you look like a complete fool just two nights ago.

“Oh Yoongi? Hey”, you say, fumbling with your hair nervously, “what brings you here?”

“I uh…wanted to pick you up.”

“Pick me up?” you study him from head to toe. He is wearing a white linen shirt today with red stripes. It hangs over beige pants which he combined with a pair of black Birkenstocks. He looks so handsome that you feel your heart flutter at the view.

“Yeah, Sooyoung called me and told me that they are having a barbeque and that you would be there too, so I thought I’d pick you up so we could go there together.”

“Oh? They invited you too?” you exclaim and giggle, “wow, the day became even better now that you’re there too.”

He blushes vividly, lowering his eyes. This just took three hundred damage on his heart and sanity. He will be swooning over it for the next five business days, thank you very much.

“Just wait here, I’ll get my bike and then we can go”, you say, skipping off to your shed.

Yoongi waits in the meantime, looking at the impressive flowerbeds which are framing your entrance path. They are wildflower beds, showing of an array of bright colours and humming in the bees and bumblebees feasting on the sweet flowers. Your grape plants are in full fruit, framing your door and soaking the air with a sweet scent. Yoongi inhales deeply and hums in contentment.

“Nice smell”, he mumbles.

“The grapes?” you ask him, having appeared next to him with your bike.

“Yeah”, he says, “they smell really sweet.”

“Yeah right?” you agree and then pick a handful of the dark purple fruit, “try them. I don’t use any pesticides so they’re good to eat.”

Yoongi tries them with a shy thank you, widening his eyes at the incredibly sweet taste.

“Wow, those are the sweetest grapes I have ever tasted”, he gasps, chewing deliciously.

“Yeah, right? It’s from all the sun they’re getting here. I love it when they bear fruit, I always start off my day by standing underneath them and snacking on a few grapes. It makes me feel so good.”

“I can see that, they are so yummy.”

“Here. Take some, you can snack on them as we drive”, you say, ripping off two big bundles to place them each in your bikes’ baskets.

“That wasn’t necessary.”

“No please, I insist. It’s the least I can do for the mess up last time we met.”

“Mess up?”

“Yeah uhm”, you sneak a glance at his lips, “you know”, you say, pointing at your own lips.

“Oh that”, Yoongi widens his eyes, “it’s fine, I was just..haha”, he laughs nervously, scratching the side of his neck, “it was my fault. I was being weird and nervous, I just...haha, sorry.”

“No it’s good. I just read the situation wrong.”

“No you didn’t, I was just nervous. I don’t know why I pulled away.”

“Ah, so uhm. Ah okay, so uhm…we’re still...you know, good?”

Yoongi nods his head and grins.

“Okay phew”, you exhale in a huff of air, “well then I’m glad.”

“Me too”, he says.

You and him exchange a look, having to look away in giddiness just seconds later. So he doesn’t see you as just a friend. You guys are still very much going strong. Oh, what a relief.

“So you’re ready for all those hills?” you ask him.

“Not at all”, he says, making you laugh.

The two of you climb on top of your bikes and then begin your journey to the Kim brothers' farm. Like always with Yoongi you go slow, enjoying the scenery while making sure he doesn’t die of exhaustion. It’s endearing because even on the little incline which separates your cottage from his’, he is huffing and puffing.

“You really have the worst stamina, don’t you?” you tease him.

“No I don’t, I just hate hills”, he defends himself.

“Ah of course, it’s the hills.”

“Yeah they are”, he insists with his lips in an adorable pout.

You pass by his cottage. You inspect it from far away. He kept the upstairs windows open, but locked all the ones on the ground floor. His flower beds look in better shape than they did last time you looked at his cottage.

“You cut the roses?” you ask him.

“I did. It was the easiest task to do today, before I had to leave. I didn’t want to start something big, which I would have had to pause in the middle of it. I cut all the dead branches. I hope they grow back tenser now.”

“I’m sure they will. I always tell Levi. You have to cut back your plants if you want them to really grow.”

“You seem to know a lot about gardening.”

“Yeah, I do. It’s basically all I do next to making tea”, you say and laugh.

“That’s great. It’s a good life.”

“Yeah, it’s the best”, you agree, having to smile.

The first hill is climbed after some struggle. You take a short break on top of it, looking down at your cottage and Yoongi’s. You like that view. Colourful splotches of your gardens on the green and brown canvas of the surrounding landscape. It looks so very nice.

“You have to give me a tour of your garden one day”, Yoongi says then, sounding very out of breath.

“You would want that?” you gasp, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

He nods his head.

“Wow, of course I can give you a tour. But tell me when because then I will make ice cream and we can eat it under the birch trees. I have a little pond there and some chairs. It’s a really nice place and I like to argue that I’m making the best ice cream ever.”

“I’m sure you do. I’m looking forward to it”, he says, giving you a smile.

You retort it and then you already turn to speed off into the distance.

Yoongi follows you after calling your name and mumbling about “how fast you are” to himself. He catches up with you on the decline of the third hill, announcing himself by ringing his little bell.

You look to your right, meeting his gaze and feeling the need to smile. It is truly peculiar, you look at Yoongi and feel so happy to see him that you always feel like smiling.

“You’re finally here?” you tease him to which he rolls his eyes.

“It’s not my fault that you are speeding. You’re worse than Hobi”, he teases back.

“Okay, good Sir you take that back. I am not worse than Hobi”, you complain in a laugh.

“Never, you’re worse.”

“Wow, so mean.”

You pass by Misses Kang looking out her window. She greets you by screaming your names and then almost toppling out the window by waving way too enthusiastically.

“Careful Misses Kang, you’ll fall”, Yoongi calls back.

“Oh you two! I will go to the temple today and pray for your long relationship!” she tells you.

“Thank you, this means a lot”, you tell her, sending colour to Yoongi’s cheeks.

You also meet the old Mister Choi. Like always around this time of the day, he is napping in his rocking chair, but lifts his head upon hearing the distinct jingle of your bells.

He stands up hurriedly to lift his hat and wave with it.

“Where are ya going?” he asks you.

“The Kim brothers, we’re having a barbeque”, Yoongi answers him.

“Well, that’s splendid. I met the young Mister Park too, not too long ago. Said he’s on his way to them too. Tell them my blessings.”

“We will, thank you Mister Choi.”

You and Yoongi speed off afterwards, taking the sharp turn safely. You look at him. He notices and sneaks a glance at you.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, touching his cheek in case some insect decided to land on him.

“I just thought about how shy you were in the beginning”, you say and smile, “and now look at you, you’re part of our village.”

Yoongi’s lips curl into a fond smile, his cheeks become rosy.

“I’m glad I am. I love it here.”

“Yeah right? It’s the best place to live.”

“It is. Now race, whoever reaches the valley last has to do ten push ups”, he says and then speeds off.

“Min Yoongi!” you gasp, “give me a warning first! This is unfair!”

His loud cackling is the only thing you get.

“Just you wait”, you murmur, furrowing your brows in seriousness.

You end up winning, solely because Yoongi miscalculated just how insane you are on your bike. He was so sure that he would win until suddenly you sped past him like a maniac, screaming about how you are the queen of this race and making him eat the dust of your wheels.

“What the hell ___?” he says once he reaches you in the valley.

You cackle, doing a little victory dance, “I won, you can’t beat me. I am the queen of the world.”

“Yeah and a total maniac. I literally thought you’d fall.”

“Me too”, you snicker, “I was so scared that I’d eat dust, but I didn’t. You did”, you point at him, wiggling your hips, “now do the push ups.”

“Are you serious? Here? But it’s so dirty”, he whines, earning himself a fond roll of your eyes.

“Fine, but I will get my push ups. Now come, we’re already running late and I don’t want to miss out on Sooyoung’s mimosas.”

You drive next to each other, taking up the entire earthen field path. People drive here rarely – even if it is the only road leading to the faraway city – but it seems that once you have found your way into this valley with its sparkling river, endless fields and cozy mountain villages, one doesn’t really feel the need to escape again. That is why the paths are still earthen and the air isn’t tense in fumes. People rarely leave this place.

“Do you sometimes miss the city life?” you ask Yoongi.

He looks at you, studying your features.

“Why should I when I’m here with you?” he answers you, sending heat to your cheeks.

“Yoongi, dear”, you gasp, “what the hell, that came outta nowhere.”

“Sorry”, he mumbles, blushing vividly.

This is the first time he so obviously flirted with you and you are a mess because of it. You stifle a giggle and decide to look at the path ahead instead. You can already see the Kim brothers’ bridge as a little dot on the horizon. You are still far away enough that you can’t make out their flags, but you are sure that they are as colourful as they always are.

“I do miss ordering takeout”, Yoongi says then, calling your attention.

“Yeah, I get that”, you laugh, “it’s so exhausting sometimes to always have to cook.”

“Yeah, totally”, he chuckles, “but it’s alright. It’s so easy to sleep here. The city’s always noisy.”

“Agreed and it’s even better to live here now. Did you hear?” you look at his side profile, “Hobi said that his village is finally getting a supermarket. Which means we don’t have to take the bus to the city anymore.”

“I know, he told me on Wednesday. I’m so looking forward to it.”

“Me too. We gotta go there together once it’s done.”

“Totally”, Yoongi nods enthusiastically, sending flutters through your stomach.

The two of you have finally reached the bridge. You look up as you drive over it. You were right. The flags are as colourful as ever.

It’s not long anymore. Small garlands of lights are guiding your way, painting the path in a golden hue. You are sure that Taehyung was the one who wrapped them around the fences. He always says that it is to make sure that people don’t get lost on their way to their farm.

“They did proper work here”, Yoongi says.

“Yeah right? It’s so pretty here”, you agree, sighing in contentment.

And for the rest of your short ride, you let the lights guide your way.

“Guys! Finally you’re here”, it is Taehyung who greets you with a bright smile, holding the door open for you.

“Hey Tae. How are you?” you ask him, entering his farm house with Yoongi following close by.

You both leave your shoes on after Taehyung tells you that they have to clean up tomorrow either way because of Namjoon running around the ground floor in his stable boots.

“Awesome”, he grins, “y’all were the only ones missin’. We’re waitin’ on you with the mimosas.”

“Oh dear we’re sorry. If we knew you were waiting we would have pedalled faster”, you say, but Taehyung dismisses you with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t cha worry”, he says, “Junghyun’s tellin’ stories so we havin’ lotta fun.”

Taehyung leads you through his house, catching you up on all the stories Jungkook’s brother has been telling up until now. You both listen intently, making your little “ooh”s and “aah”s whenever Taehyung is telling an especially thrilling part.

The others greet you with happy smiles and big grins and just moments later you all share Sooyoung’s mimosas, listening to Junghyun’s stories until Jimin interrupts the moment with a little.

“Okay but, am I the only one really hungry already?”

To which all of you agree that indeed you were also hungry. Seokjin leaves to get the grill ready, Jungkook and Yoongi soon follow after him, chatting about their own barbeque experiences. You leave with Sooyoung and Mia (Seokjin’s wife and total comedian just like him) to work on all the side dishes and after finishing his mimosa, Jimin follows too. The rest of your little gang stays behind, setting up the table in the hay stables. And yes, Taehyung is the official garland decorator of the evening.

Once the side dishes group returns with the finished dishes, the hay stable is lit up beautifully. Mixed with the sweet scent of dried hay and the moment is enough to make everyone smile.

The barbeque group soon returns as well. Part of it at least. Jungkook sits down next to his older brother, asking him if he wants another beer and if he should get it for him. Seokjin sits down next to his wife, placing his hand on her thigh and giving her a little cheek kiss before asking her if she is happy to which she retorts that she couldn’t be any happier.

“Hey Kook.”

Jungkook turns to you, “yes, noona?”

“Where’s Yoongi?”

“Oh, he’ll be here soon. He wanted to stay behind and watch the fire.”

“Ah, I see. Thanks.”

Jungkook gives you a cute grin and then continues talking to Junghyun. He stays turned to you however, signalling you that you were more than welcome to join their conversation. You end up doing exactly that, soon finding yourself lost in too many tales and stories.

It is Jimin once again who interrupts the moment.

“Okay but where is Yoongi and when’s the meat finally done?”

“You are right”, Hoseok says, “where is Yoongi?”

They all look at you simultaneously. You stop mid-sip, setting your (third) glass of fruit punch down gently.

“Why are you all looking at me?” you ask them.

“Do you know where Yoongi went?” Jimin asks.

“How should I know?”

“I mean, you are his girlfriend after all, maybe you and him share some sort of telekinesis.”

Yes, your heart just sped up uncontrollably and yes you are currently swooning inside. No you will not let it show.

“I’ll just go looking for him”, you say and get up.

You leave but not before telling Namjoon to stop eating the gimbap or else he won’t have space for the meat.

The others soon return to their conversation, but not before having one talk about just how adorable you and Yoongi are together and that you complement each other perfectly.

You spot Yoongi outside at the back of the hay stable. Seokjin set up his barbeque station there, as it was safe from wind and the view was amazing too. Just hundred yards from you, behind a meadow of flowers and high grasses, the river was winding its way past you, framed by big willows and giving your ears a free concert of frogs and crickets.

Yoongi is standing by the grill, looking at the view with his hands on his hips and his tummy sticking out as he arches his back slightly.

"Hey."

Yoongi turns, meeting your gaze.

"Oh, ___ hey", he says, fixing his posture "what's up?"

"Nothing much, just checking up on you because you've been gone for a while.”

“I know, sorry. It’s so beautiful here. I just wanted to look at it.”

“I know, it really is”, you agree and lift your glasses into view, “I also got you some fruit punch.”

“Wow thanks”, he says, accepting the glass with a grateful smile. He sets his lips against the glass and takes a big sip, “mhm, very fruity.”

“Yeah, right? Mia makes the best fruit punch. It’s always so sweet.”

“It is. I like it a lot”, he agrees and after taking one more sip, he sets the glass down on the little wooden table beside him. He has his grilling tools on there as well and the meat is waiting to be grilled in a safe container.

“So how long are you still gonna miss from the party?” you ask him.

"Not for long, I just wanna make sure the heat's right."

You round the grill, claiming the spot right next to him. He sneaks a quick glance at you.

"It looks good to me", you say, counting the red glowing coal.

You have counted seven pieces when Yoongi talks again.

"Yeah, we're getting there”, he says, “you know, the most important thing to a good barbeque is patience."

"Really?"

"Mh-hm", he nods his head in a way that makes his hair bounce up and down.

You watch him with delight. It’s so nice to listen to him talk about stuff.

"And why's that?" you ask him.

"Well, uhm", he says and furrows his brows as he thinks, "because the meat will taste better", he decides and nods his head, "if you get the heat just right and then let the meat cook slowly, it will really show off its flavour and juiciness. That’s what makes the barbeque really yummy."

"Aah I see", you say and hum in agreement, "you sound as if you have lots of experience."

"I do. I, uhm", he studies your features for just a second, "I had lots of barbeques in my past", he says.

"I see, I see", you say, looking back at the coal, "well, then we can be glad to have you here tonight. You know, Seokjin normally does the grilling and he's amazing at it, but I’m excited for how your cooking will taste."

"God, now I’m nervous", he confesses and laughs.

"Why?"

"I don't want to disappoint."

"No, trust me. You won’t", you assure him, giving him a smile.

He retorts it, before feeling shy and looking back at the grill. He stretches his hand to it, checking the temperature.

"And?" you ask him.

"Perfect, the meat will be done in no time."

“Oh that’s great. Now I’m happy I came outside when I did. I can watch you put it on now and maybe learn a few things", you say.

Yoongi hums in acknowledgement, but other than that stays silent. He is too concentrated on hanging the meat just right.

"Come, I’ll help you”, you offer, setting down your glass.

“Oh? Thanks”, he murmurs.

So you and Yoongi work together at putting on the well marinated piece of meat on the grill. You click the button for the spinning mechanism to turn on and Yoongi is the one closing the lid.

You high five each other afterwards, holding hands for only a second too long while looking at each other’s lips. His lips are so pretty. Gosh, how pretty they really are.

"So uhm", he pulls away with glowing cheeks, "that'll take some time now."

You blink quickly. Have you been staring? You have. That’s so embarrassing.

"Some time?” you clear your terribly dry throat, “oh dear and I’m already so hungry."

“Same, but don’t worry. It’s gonna be so worth it.”

“I trust it will.”

You stay by the grill for a while, sipping on your fruit punch and listening to the crickets. It is truly so peculiar. You couldn’t imagine anyone with whom you would want to share silence with more than Yoongi and yet you feel so nervous when you and him don’t talk. Is it because you like him so much that silence feels so nerve wrecking?

Luckily for you, Yoongi breaks it for you.

"The crickets are so loud."

"Yeah, right? It’s such a soothing sound."

"Agreed. Although I have to say, it took some time getting used to for me. I hated them at first because they were so loud."

"Aren't you used to noise? You lived in the city."

He laughs, "I did, but I weirdly enough didn’t hear the traffic anymore. I think it'd annoy me so much these days though."

"Mhm, same. I like the silence."

You don’t say a lot after that, except for the time Yoongi checked up on the meat and you asked him how it was looking to which he told you that it was looking great.

Yoongi glances at you after a while.

“Do you want to walk to the river?” he asks shyly, hoping with all his heart that you would say yes.

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not. I’m sure it’s beautiful.”

“I’m sure it is. Okay, let’s go.”

Yoongi lets you take his hand and then lead him down the stairs and over the meadow. The glass of fruit punch you both forget on the table, feeling too busy with holding each others’ hands to really care about how empty your other hand felt.

You inhale deeply, closing your eyes for just a moment. Hay, night dew and grass cooling down after a warm day.

“I love that smell”, you say.

Yoongi takes a deep breath and exhales.

“It’s nice”, he says.

“Yes, so nice. I think hay is one of the best scents ever.”

“Mhm yeah, it’s very good. It reminds me of summer.”

“Yes, me too”, you agree and draw closer to him.

You like that. You like holding his hand and being close to him and walking over a flower meadow in the bright full moon with him.

The frogs become louder the closer to the river you get and the crickets, hidden in the high grasses, give their concerts all around you. You can also hear the faint cracking of your feet stepping on the high grasses and the soft sighs of them whenever they brush along your legs.

Yoongi’s hand feels so right to hold. Big and clearly strong. His palms are a little rough, most definitely from all the renovations he has been doing. Despite that, he holds you with softness, with tenderness and care. Holding hands with Yoongi is truly the greatest thing you have ever done.

“I like that”, you tell him softly.

“What do you like?”

“Holding your hand. It feels nice.”

Yoongi gives you a soft squeeze, “yes, it does.”

“I’m sure you must be so thrilled right now.”

“W-what do, do you mean?” he gasps, gawking at you with widened eyes.

“Because you love holding hands”, you explain and giggle.

“Ah that”, he seems to relax. He chuckles, “you’re so mean, don’t tease me. I never should have told you."

“I’m not. I think you’re adorable.”

“Oh”, he blushes. Even in the moonlight you can see that he is blushing, “thanks”, he whispers, averting his gaze away from you. He feels so giddy whenever you compliment him. Oh, Yoongi is currently bursting with happiness.

You soon encounter a big tree on your journey. It has fallen over during a storm, resting across the meadow as if it has always been part of it. Droplets of night dew are sitting on the dark moss, glimmering in the moonlight and strands of delicate grass are growing all around the stump, making it part of the meadow.

“Careful now, the moss is slippery”, Yoongi tells you, holding your hand oh so tightly as you climb over the fallen tree.

“I’m really good at climbing over things”, you tell him proudly, jumping down on the other side with a tiny grunt.

You turn to Yoongi, holding his hand tightly as he begins his climb.

“Are”, a grunt as he gets up on the tree, “you?”

“Yep, I am. I’m really proud of it because I couldn’t even properly walk after the accident and these days I’m climbing over stuff. It feels so good.”

Yoongi looks down at you and smiles, “I’m happy you can and I’m proud. You worked so hard."

"I really did and there were times where I wanted to give up, but I didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t."

"Me too. I – oh oops, ah”, he swallows whatever he wanted to say now that he clumsily slipped and is screaming for his life.

“Careful”, you gasp, catching him safely with your hands on his waist and his arms around your neck.

Yoongi lands on his feet with a low thump, stumbling into your body so close your noses are actually touching.

Your body lights up in fireworks in an instant. Your hands tug him oh so incredibly close in instinct.

“Oh dear”, you laugh, craning your neck to look at him better, “are you okay?”

Yoongi gawks at you with big eyes and glowing cheeks, “I’m okay”, he whispers, trying his hardest not to look at your lips. He should, but can’t, pull his arms away. He feels your touch, feels with what strength you hold him. His knees are so weak because of it, his heart does somersaults in his chest.

You feel it too. Just how strong the urge to kiss him is, just how good it feels to hold his waist, just how unbearable the threads between your hearts seem to try to tug you closer. Closer and closer. The tug is oh so strong. So, so strong. Closer and closer.

“It’s so funny”, Yoongi says and lowers his head, “I’m telling you to be careful and then I’m the one slipping on the moss.”

You swallow heavily, aching. Why did he pull away again? What’s with him?

“Yeah, uhm”, you force a smile to your lips, “just glad I was there to catch you.”

Yoongi lifts his head, locking eyes with you. He notices the disappointment in them, feeling his stomach twist in guilt.

“Sorry”, he whispers.

“No it’s…” you falter, “actually, I’m sorry too. I should have asked, I don’t know why I’m always just going for it.”

“Don’t, I’m just…” he stays silent for a while. It makes you wonder what he is thinking about that makes him falter oh so much.

“Am I assuming here?” you ask him.

“What?”

“Have I been making a complete fool of myself for days now while you are trying desperately to find the best possible way to friendzone me?”

“Friendzone you?”

“Yeah. Good god, I’m actually gonna say it”, you say and take a deep breath, “I think you’ve already figured out that much, but someone is very much into you”, you say and point at your own face, “I’m that someone.”

Yoongi lowers his head.

“I don’t want to friendzone you”, he whispers, “I like you too.”

“Yeah? Oh wow, that’s such a relief to hear”, you say and laugh.

Yoongi laughs and nods his head, crossing his arms behind your neck. The movement reminds you just how close you and him actually are. Your stomachs are touching, his waist is between your hands, your noses are so close to brush against each other again.

The butterflies in your stomach begin fluttering like crazy. You are so close and he likes you. This is the best night ever.

“So uhm”, you begin, tracing his sides slowly and sending shivers down his spine, “can I maybe kiss you?”

Yoongi looks at your lips and lets out a shy chuckle. He lowers his head.

“I’m nervous”, he whispers.

“Me too. You'd be the first boy I'd kiss after the accident”, you confess, moving closer just enough that your nose brushes against his cheek.

He gasps, looking at you with shy eyes.

“I, I don’t want to, to take advantage of you”, he confesses with his voice barely audible.

“You won’t. I want it”, you assure him.

“Really?”

“Yeah”, you laugh, “why’d you think I’ve been trying to kiss you for days now?”

He lowers his gaze again, “I guess. Sorry, I’m a mess.”

“It’s alright”, you whisper, “you’re cute.”

He blushes, "you think so?"

"Yes, I do. You’re really cute", you say, abandoning one of his sides to cup his cheek instead.

Maybe your eyes are deceiving you, but it seems that only for a second Yoongi is leaning into your touch.

"So cute that I wanna kiss you like crazy", you breathe, dancing your thumb over his lips.

He sighs, switches his shy gaze between the ground and your eyes. He can barely even keep up eye contact for a second and then he already breaks it again.

Yoongi gasps when you finally move closer. His knees are so wobbly that he feels like collapsing any second. His heart is racing so much that it gets hard to breathe. Truly, the only thing still keeping him standing is your strong, safe hand on his waist, feeling like electrifying fire on his skin.

“So uhm”, you whisper, tilting your head to the side while your eyes become droopier and droopier the closer you get.

Yoongi lets out a soft sigh and closes his eyes. He can’t stop it anymore. The feelings in his chest are too much. He has to let it happen. It will ruin him otherwise. He licks over his lips once to wet them and then finally moves in closer too.

“Noona, hyung. Oh dear- ah crap.”

You and Yoongi flinch away from each other, turning your heads to the intruder.

Jungkook is staring at you with big eyes.

“I, I didn’t see what, what you were d-doing”, he stutters, “I, I just wanted to tell you that, that the meat’s finished.”

You exchange a shy look with Yoongi. He seems devastated.

“Sure, thanks for telling us”, you mumble, trying very hard not to curse at Jungkook right here and there.

You just want to kiss Yoongi! Is this too much to ask?

“Okay sorry uh yeah you’re welcome and also sorry. Sorry, bye”, Jungkook babbles and then turns to literally sprint down the meadow back to the others.

“So uhm”, you look at Yoongi, “that just happened.”

You both know. The magical moment is ruined and you both feel too shy to initiate it again.

“Yeah, right”, he agrees and breaks away from you, “I think we should go back. You said you’re hungry.”

“I am”, you say and huff out air, “goddamn it Yoongi, are we ever gonna kiss?”

He chuckles and intertwines his fingers with yours.

They are all gawking at you as you enter the stables. Hoseok even wiggles his brows at you. But other than that they don’t say a lot, offering you some of the food as an apology for interrupting your precious time.

You find yourselves outside once the dinner is finished. Sitting by the bonfire Seokjin lit with Yoongi’s help and drinking fruit punch.

"Can anyone here play the guitar?" Jungkook asks.

Nobody answers. Like every time your little group has a barbeque. Jungkook bring his guitar only to fail miserably. It has been like this for years.

"Hyung", Taehyung says, tapping Yoongi’s shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you a music producer?"

"Yes?"

"Wooah you are?"

"What the hell that’s so cool!"

"Who is the most famous person you met?"

The others seem thrilled to find out this fact about their newest friend. They are all staring at him with sparkling eyes and a big grin.

"I don't meet my clients. I just uhm, talk to their management through mails. It’s the easiest that way", Yoongi explains shyly, fumbling with his thumbs.

"Wow that’s so cool", Jimin says, "so you basically know all the celebrities?"

Yoongi shakes his head, "I barely know anyone."

"Aah", Jimin lets out and nods his head in understanding, "but who's the most famous person you worked for? Tell us."

Yoongi shifts on his chair, looking rather uncomfortable. He scratches the side of his neck, sneaking a glance at you.

"Guys stop it", you speak up, "I'm sure he can’t talk about that. You know how secret you have to be with celebrities."

"Ooooh", the others gasp in unison, widening their eyes as if you had just told them the secret existence of aliens.

"Is that right?" Hoseok says, "can you not talk about it?"

Yoongi nods his head, "I try not to."

"Wooow", they gasp again.

"Wow hyung you’re so cool. You like a secret agent or somthin", Namjoon says.

"I guess", Yoongi mumbles with his cheeks burning up.

"So does that mean you can make music?" Jungkook asks to which Yoongi gives him a shy nod, "and can you play the guitar?"

"Maybe, I’m not good at it."

"Okay you have to play", Taehyung insists, picking up Jungkook's guitar to press it into the hands of Yoongi.

Yoongi gawks at it and blushes.

"I'm really not good", he insists.

"Doesn’t matter, play us something", Taehyung stresses.

Yoongi sneaks a glance at you. You seem mesmerised by him. With a racing heart, he decides to play.

It's just two notes and the others are already ooing and aaing about it.

"So good!"

"Wow, so talented!"

Yoongi lowers his head and tries to blend them out. Music will always be his safe space. It’s no different tonight. Soon he can’t hear anything else except the song he is playing.

You watch him in awe, feeling butterflies dance in your stomach. So Yoongi can play the guitar. You should have figured that he can and yet it surprises you in the best way possible.

He seems so lost in the music, so entirely at peace with himself. The melody is familiar to your ears. It’s one of the pop songs which have been playing on the radio on most days.

It feels so special to listen to, because you know for a fact that it played on most Tuesdays whenever he visited. Perhaps you are making things up, but it almost seems as if he picked out this song because of your tea shop.

You sigh and rest your chin on top of your hands. He sounds so nice when he plays.

Yoongi knows exactly why he picked out this song. The reason is currently gazing at him as if his face was the prettiest artwork. He has been thinking about this song for days now. He calls it his Tuesday song, his tea shop song, his ___ song. It makes him think of you and somehow you were the first thing popping into his mind when he started playing.

He finishes it with a perfect note, lifting his head upon hearing the applause.

"That was amazing!"

"You are so talented hyung!"

"This was the best!"

Your friends are praising him passionately. Seokjin even goes so far as to give Yoongi a brotherly pat on the back.

But Yoongi only looks at you. He loves the reaction of the others, but it is your reaction which really counts for him.

“That was so good. Wow, I have goosebumps. Look”, you say, showing him your arm.

Yoongi is melting. So you liked it.

“Thank you”, he murmurs and lowers his gaze.

"Another one, give us more", Junghyun asks to which the others agree with nods of their heads.

With confidence in his chest and a tingling stomach, he starts a new song. It’s a song, which he has known for years. It has been with him through a lot and he wants you to hear it.

“Oh I know this song”, Seokjin exclaims and begins singing the lyrics.

“Ah right, that’s the song. I knew it was familiar”, Jimin says and then joins in.

Yoongi lifts his head, watching in awe as one by one you all seem to join in. Jimin and Jungkook and his brother have their arms around each others’ shoulders as they harmonise. Namjoon and Sooyoung are holding hands, looking at each other as they serenade each other. Seokjin is so lost in the music that he doesn’t even notice at first when Taehyung takes his hand to hold and then sway from side to side. Hoseok has his phone out, filming the moment with sparkling eyes. And you? You are looking at Yoongi with a smile.

He smiles and begins singing as well.

So this is how it feels to connect over music.

Yoongi plays another song after that and soon that song turns into countless songs and a night filled with singing and laughter.

You leave far, far into the night. Seokjin offered Yoongi, Jimin and you a lift home. One you all accepted gladly as driving uphill in the middle of the night sounded like torture to all of you. Jimin took the passenger seat while you and Yoongi decided to get comfortable on the hood of the truck.

So now tugged under a blanket and with another blanket under your heads as a makeshift pillow you are looking out into the endless night sky while from the opened windows a faint melody from the radio reaches your ears.

You can hear the distant chatter of Seokjin and Jimin, but the purring of the truck is loud enough to distort their conversation into inaudible mumbling. You don’t mind that you can’t hear them. They have their own conversation and you have Yoongi with you.

“This evening was epic”, you break the silence.

“Yes, it was.”

“I didn’t even know that you could play the guitar.”

“Yeah, I taught it to myself years ago.”

“That’s so cool. You play so well.”

“Thanks”, he murmurs and blushes.

You look at him, “what instruments do you play?”

“Just the guitar and the piano.”

“Woah, that’s so cool. You are so talented.”

“No, I’m really not. I just do it because it feels right to do.”

He makes you smile. You settle back with a content sigh.

“That’s good to hear. It’s a nice reason to want to do something”, you say, “I bet it’s really useful for your job too.”

“I guess”, he murmurs quietly.

You sneak a glance at him.

"You don’t like to talk about your work, do you?" you ask him.

"Not really."

"Is it because you actually have sworn some oath of secrecy?" you joke and giggle.

When Yoongi doesn’t laugh with you however, you stop, looking at him with widened eyes.

"Wait, did you really?"

He shakes his head, "I just don’t want to define myself as my job anymore."

"Anymore?"

"I did. For the longest time, I was work and work was me. I don’t want to be that person anymore. That person ruined a lot of good relationships and hurt the people I care about. He was selfish and I hate him."

"I see”, you murmur, “if it helps, I think you’re very far from that person.”

When Yoongi doesn’t say anything you look at him, meeting his just slightly glassy gaze.

“You really think so?” he whispers.

You nod your head, “you’re sweet and you take time for everyone you meet or who needs your help. I can see that you do and that people feel comfortable in your presence. And I think that that’s far from how you tell me you were in the past.”

His fingers intertwine with yours then. Under the blanket and so tightly that you wonder if he decided to never let you go again.

“Thank you”, the words are barely audible, but carry great meaning. You can’t figure out what the exact meaning was, but you feel that with those two words Yoongi is thanking you for something grande, something that seems to bring tears to his eyes and for his fingers to clasp you oh so tightly.

“Don’t mention it. I mean it”, you tell him, caressing his knuckles with your thumb, “also, if it helps. I think your job is really cool. You get to create something out of nothing and that’s wonderful."

"You do that too."

"What?" you laugh, "no, I don’t? I just make tea."

"Yeah exactly. You make tea and with it create feelings."

You snort, furrowing your brows at him.

"If I wanna be relaxed I'll order something with lavender or chamomile. I wanna be happy? I damn well should order Hobi's oolong. I wanna feel refreshed? I'll just get an iced tea. You make feelings and moods with your tea and that’s wonderful in my eyes."

Yoongi gasps when you fall against him in a tight hug. Your arms are around his waist, your cheek is squished against his shoulder.

"Thank you", you whisper, squeezing him, “that’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about my tea. Thank you.”

Yoongi falters for just a second, looking at you with widened eyes. With a fluttering heart, he places his arm around you, rubbing your arm softly.

“I mean it.”

You nod your head in understanding, “thank you”, your voice is barely there, but filled with gratitude.

You think the moon is brighter all of a sudden, as if Yoongi gave the night a certain magical glow to it. You can see the rice fields and the cut down wheat fields, which appear a bluish white under the moonlight. Even the mountains, far far away, are visible to your eyes, standing against the dark sky as even darker shadows.

"I had a burnout", he murmurs into the silence.

"Huh?" you lift your head just enough that you can glance at his face.

"That's another reason why I hate talking about my work. I know many people have a burnout and I’m not special", he laughs painfully.

"No, don’t say that. I haven’t met someone who had a burnout before. You’re not ordinary."

"Thanks, I guess", he murmurs.

"Did work make you have it?"

"Yes, it did. I worked day in and out, without ever taking a break. And one day I woke up and couldn’t get up anymore. I physically couldn’t get up anymore. I knew that technically I should have been able to, but I just couldn’t. I slept it off that day, blamed it on the sleeping pills I took the night before."

He scoffs.

"Next day I thought I was better and went to work again, only to pass out right in front of my studio."

"No", you gasp, "that sounds awful."

"It was. Passing out isn’t fun. Next thing I know is I'm in the hospital, strapped to some machines and the doctors telling me that I had a major burnout and that I'm highly malnourished and dried out and that I was lucky for passing out when I did."

"Gosh, I’m sorry."

"Yeah, well…" he lowers his head and scoffs, "shit, I’m sorry. I know you’re probably thinking that I’m such a crybaby. You were in an actual accident and here I am, whining about working too much."

"No, don’t say that. I'm not like that. I would never want someone to feel as if their bad stuff is less bad compared to mine."

Yoongi sneaks a glance at you. He smiles softly, using the back of his hand to caress your cheek.

"You're so sweet ___, do you know that?" he whispers.

"You're sweet too", you say, feeling your cheeks burn up, "gosh, now I’m getting shy", you confess and giggle, hiding your face in his chest.

Yoongi smiles to himself, settling back against the truck with you in his arms. It sways from side to side, humming its mechanical song as it drives along the endless path back home.

"I'm glad you were here today", you break the silence, moving your head in a way that would allow you to look at the stars.

High above your heads they are the only roof keeping you covered. Tonight is such a clear night that you can see every single star in the universe. You wonder just how long it would take you to count all of them.

"Me too. I really loved today", Yoongi speaks softly.

"You always have to come to our barbeques from now on."

"If you want me there, I’ll gladly come."

"Of course I want you there", you sneak a glance up at him.

You can see his soft cheeks and his chin and his pouty lips and how nicely his button nose sits on his face. You can also see how his eyes are fixed on the stars and how every now and then they are blinking slowly.

"I'm always so happy when you’re somewhere too", you confess.

Yoongi visibly flusters, looking at you through the corners of his eyes.

"Me too", he whispers then hides his face behind his hand, "urgh god, now I’m getting shy."

You giggle, nuzzling into him.

"Sorry, I know this was so cringeworthy to say, but I just wanted to tell you. I really like spending time with you."

"Me too, ___", he whispers, closing his arm around you.

"Mhm nice", you sigh dreamily, "I'm a little cold, but it’s nice because we are sharing warmth."

"Yes, it’s so nice. I was really chilly too."

"It's crazy just how cold the nights can get, isn’t it? The days are always so hot and then at night you almost freeze your booty off."

He chuckles and agrees with a nod of his head.

"But that’s nice. Don’t you think?"

"Yes, it’s so nice", he says and caresses your arm.

You sigh happily and close your eyes. The truck sways so nicely, lulling you into relaxation. Yoongi smells nice. You can confidently say that he does now. This is the first time that you are close enough to him to actually smell his cologne and you like it a lot. It feels so weirdly familiar to you. Just like a lot of things with Yoongi. Oh so familiar, as if you had smelled his scent a million times before. You wonder if that is because he is supposed to be your other half. Maybe that is how it feels when you meet someone who is just right for you. That must be it. You found him and now you can confidently say that you like how he smells.

He also gives nice hugs.

And his body feels nice against yours. Not in a weird, creepy way, but in a snuggly, comforting way. It’s really, really nice to hold someone that way.

You probably did so before in your previous life, at least you hope you did, but you have no memory of it. It’s so very nice to experience it right now.

"Did you know that there are entire galaxies out there?" Yoongi breaks the silence.

"Mhm?" you hum, realising just how sleepy you became when his voice actually startles you.

"Did I just wake you?" Yoongi gasps.

"No, I was pretty close though."

"Sorry, then I'll keep my astronomy facts to myself", he whispers extra carefully.

"No, please tell me. It wouldn’t be good if I fell asleep on a truck right now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, tell me all the star facts you have."

“Okay so. Did you know that most stars you see are actually bigger than our sun?”

“Really?”

Yoongi nods his head, “they’re just really far away so they appear really small in comparison to our sun, but if you’d put them next to each other, the sun would look like a little dot next to them.”

“Wow, that’s so crazy to imagine. The sun’s so big and you’re telling me that stars are bigger?”

“Yep, they are.”

“Wow, so cool”, you whisper, “do you know how many stars there are? I think there are millions and millions of stars.”

“Probably, but I heard that we can only really see around three thousand on a clear and moonless night.”

“Only three thousand? I don’t believe that. Look at how many there are.”

“Yeah right?” he agrees, “I don’t believe that fact either. I think that there are at least three million stars in the universe.”

You nod your head, “I think so too. Maybe even four.”

“Yeah, maybe even four.”

You sigh happily as you try to find patterns in the starry sky. Every now and then one of the stars twinkles as if it was trying to greet you from far, far away.

“Do you know why stars twinkle?” you ask him.

“It’s actually not the star that twinkles, but it’s because the light has to go through our atmosphere. The atmosphere has different layers of density and because of that the light sorta bounces off of it and that makes the stars twinkle. If you’d be outside our atmosphere stars don’t twinkle.”

“Woah, you actually know?” you gasp, making him chuckle shyly.

“Yeah, I fell down a rabbit hole one night and looked up so many star facts.”

“That’s so cool”, settling closer into him, “thank you, Yoongi. I learned so much right now."

"I watched videos about them, that’s how I know."

"And I learned from you, that’s so cool."

"Yeah, it’s pretty cool", he says and grins.

You yawn, making Yoongi yawn right with you.

"You're getting me sleepy too", he says mid yawn, smacking his lips afterwards.

"Sorry, I know. It’s just that this is so relaxing."

"Right? The truck's swaying so much."

"Yeah and it’s nice to cuddle."

Yoongi sneaks a shy glance at you, realising that you have your eyes closed. He feels so giddy about the aspect of you labelling what you and him are doing as cuddling.

"I like cuddling. Do you think that I did it in my old life too?" you say.

"Yes."

"Yeah? You’re sure about it?"

"Yes, I’m sure you did lots of it."

You giggle, "gosh, I kinda wanna know if you’re really right", you look up at him, "who do you think I cuddled with?"

"Probably someone who loved you with all their heart", he says, looking at your lips.

"Oh dear", you have to look away in giddiness.

"And someone who would have picked the stars for you if you only you'd asked", he whispers.

"Okay now you’re just being silly", you say and laugh.

Yoongi stays silent.

"It doesn’t matter though, because I'm here now and I have my amazing life here and I have you and if someone really loved me so much that they would have picked the stars for me, then they would still be here, but they're not and that’s okay."

Yoongi tightens his arm around you, "I guess you’re right."

"It's really okay, you know? I wouldn’t want to give up this life even if it that meant I could go back in time and gain back my memories."

"Mhm."

"What's wrong? You really don’t like it when I talk about what happened to me, do you?"

"It just…it… it makes me sad", he confesses.

"Don't be, I’m not sad about it, so I forbid you to be sad in my stead."

Yoongi chuckles, "fine, I’ll try not to be sad."

"Good", you say and giggle, "gosh sorry Yoongi, let's not talk about it anymore. Do you have another star fact for me?"

"I don't think I do. I already told you all of them", he says, making you chuckle.

Everything he says makes you want to smile and laugh and be happy. He is so funny and nice and every word he speaks sounds like sweet honey to you. Listening to him makes you so, so happy.

"That's okay too. Then let’s just enjoy the silence", you mumble and snuggle closer, closing your eyes.

"Yeah okay, silence is nice too", he says quietly.

You open your eyes again when Seokjin bangs his hands on the truck.

Dizzy and confused, you sit up. Yoongi looks just as confused.

“Did you guys fall asleep right now?” Seokjin asks and laughs.

“Yeah, I guess”, your murmur, rubbing your sleepy eyes.

Seokjin laughs and then begins unloading your bikes.

“Well either way, we here and you guys gotta go”, he says, putting down Yoongi’s bike.

“I guess we do, damn Seokjin your truck’s amazing to nap on”, you say, holding his hand as he helps you get off.

“Don’t tell Tae that or he’ll feel encouraged to keep nappin’.”

You snicker, “I won’t tell.”

Seokjin helps Yoongi too, holding his hand tightly because the poor man is so droopy that Seokjin fears he might slip and fall if he wasn’t holding him.

“Thanks hyung”, Yoongi murmurs.

“Course, you guys go to sleep now. See you ‘round.”

“Yeah, see you soon. Thank you for the invite”, Yoongi says.

“Sure, I’m just glad you guys could come. We gotta do that again very soon.”

“Most definitely”, you agree.

Seokjin rounds the truck and gets back inside. He sticks his head outside and gives you a wave of his hand.

“Good night, you guys.”

“Good night”, you say, waving back.

Jimin sticks his head out as well, giving you a beaming smile.

“Sleep tight, you guys. See you Monday”, he says.

“See you, Jiminie.”

The truck drives off afterwards, purring quietly as it climbs the hill.

You turn to Yoongi once it disappears behind the hill. He is holding his bike, using it to keep up right.

“So we are basically old people”, you say and laugh.

His eyes, once focused on the hill, flit to you.

“Why? Cause we fell asleep?”

You nod your head, giggling so sweetly that Yoongi has to smile.

“I guess, we are”, he says.

You exchange a shy look. It makes you so nervous to look at him after what you just did. Falling asleep while cuddling. It feels like something so impossible to do now that there was distance between you and him again. Were you really that brave back then? And where is that bravery now that you are truly alone?

“So uhm, I guess we have to say goodbye now?” you say, fumbling with the handle of your bike.

“I guess”, Yoongi says, touching the side of his neck.

“I will, uhm…” you abandon your bike and step closer, placing your hand on his chest.

It’s now or never. You can’t go yet another night without a kiss. It would probably ruin you.

Yoongi lets out a shaky breath, looking at your lips with widened eyes.

"We're alone so I thought we could try again", you explain your reasoning.

"I, I see."

You move closer and Yoongi stays, even tilting his head to the side just slightly. It makes your body tingle and your heart flutter. Oh it’s actually happening.

Your eyes flutter close. Then.

“Wait”, he presses out and pulls back.

“Hm?” you blink rapidly, “did you not want me to kiss you?”

“No uhm”, he exhales shakily, cupping your face, “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while I just-“, he begins trembling, “-I have to show you something.”

“Show me something? What could be more important right now than kissing under the moonlight?”

“Trust me, you’d want to know”, he says and takes your hand to lead you up the path to his cottage.

You abandon your bikes in his garden for now. You’ll get them later.

Yoongi unlocks his door, still holding your hand.

“Is this your way of seducing me?” you joke and giggle.

“Ha”, he laughs nervously, shaking his head.

“Well now I’m curious. Do you want to show me your lamps?”

“No, uhm you’ll see.”

He leads you inside, watching you shyly as you look around for a bit. The floors were all new, dark wood with a perfectly done polish. The walls were finished too, all the holes and cracks have been filled out and plastered over and a dark blue paintjob makes them look brand new. It was surprisingly well furnished too. Wood, all of them tainted in a dark brown. The living room was the first room you enter upon leaving your shoes by the door. A spacious couch invites you to relax and in one corner of the room a brown piano was waiting to be used. It was a little lighter in colour than the rest of the cottage, giving it a feeling of importance against all the other pieces of furniture. It must be important to Yoongi and well loved as well, judging by the cracks in the leather of his piano stool. He must have spent many hours in front of it, creating melodies which once hadn’t existed on this earth. The living room also housed a fireplace, red brick. It was turned off right now, but you can imagine how lovely it must be to snuggle up in front of it in the cold winter months.

“Ooh Yoongi it’s looking so cozy here”, you gasp, “wow I must say I’m impressed, I really didn’t think you would be so far already.”

“Yeah, uhm thank you. It’s still really unfinished upstairs.”

“Well, given that you’ve only been living here since April, I must say it’s still very impressive how far you are. Is the entire lower floor done already?”

He nods his head, fidgeting from one foot to the other.

“May I see?”

“Uhm…”

“Sorry, gosh I’m overstepping my welcome aren’t I?”

“No i-it’s not that, I just-“, he hesitates, studying your features, “___ I need to tell you something.”

“Okay? What is it?” you laugh, “gosh, you’re being so serious right now.”

“Please stay here, I’m going to get something.”

“Alright, do that”, you say, watching him hurry upstairs.

You furrow your brows, “he’s so weird all of a sudden”, you murmur.

You turn to the piano then, closing the distance between you and the instrument and opening the cover. The piano keys are wiped cleaned and yet there were imprints of time on some. You smile, playing the keys on which the marks of his fingers were the most prominent. It is wonderful to think that there are notes which sound sweeter than others to Yoongi.

The man of the hour clears his throat behind you, startling slightly.

“Oh!” you turn around, face heating up, “sorry I was just looking.”

“It’s fine”, he assures you.

Your eyes flit to the envelope in his fingers. He is fumbling with it and if your eyes weren’t deceiving you, his fingers were shaking the slightest bit.

“What’s that in your hand?” you ask him.

He lowers his eyes to it, twisting and turning it a few times. He takes a deep breath.

“Oh god”, he says and gulps audibly, “I’m gonna throw up.”

“What’s going on?”

He exhales loudly, bending forward, “okay, okay I can do this. Fuck”, his voice cuts off again as he coughs in nervousness.

He is worrying you deeply. You have never seen Yoongi so nervous. He looks close to passing out. His face is as pale as snow and his eyes are glassy.

“Are you okay?” you ask him.

Yoongi straightens up, shaking his head, “no. I uh, shit”, he exhales shakily, “___ I have to show you something. Please don’t hate me”, he chokes out, handing you the envelope.

“Yoongi don’t scare me, what the hell”, you murmur, staring at the blank envelope, “what am I going to see inside?”

You look into his eyes. He seems scared.

“Proof that I’m a bloody coward.”

“Okay?”

You look at the envelope again, reaching for the flap and opening it slowly. You pull a card free.

“Save the date”, you read and chuckle, “you’re not asking me to be your plus one on someone’s wedding, are you?”

He stays silent, biting on his thumb so harshly that he can already taste blood on his tongue. He should stop, but he can’t.

You open it.

You know now how a heart attack must feel like. How it must feel like to be punched so hard into the stomach that you can’t breathe.

“What the fuck is that?” you choke out, stomach twisting painfully.

You are staring back at yourself. You and Yoongi, holding hands and smiling for the picture. Your names are written next to the picture and one single date in early spring. It was dated nine years back.

“I’m sorry”, Yoongi chokes out with tears streaming down his face and his hand thrown over his mouth.

Your eyes meet.

“Is this some sick joke?”

“I’m sorry”, he sobs.

“What is this Yoongi?”

“I should have told you sooner.”

“What is this?!” you screech, shaking him by his shoulder, “what is this Yoongi?! Who the fuck are you?!”

“I’m sorry ___, I’m so fucking sorry”, he presses out and sobs, reaching for you to hold you but you shake him off. No, you push him away so hard that he stumbles and almost falls to the ground.

“Don’t come near me”, you spit.

Yoongi sobs squeakily, sinking into himself.

“This, this invitation what the fuck is this? Why am I on there? Why are you on there? Why is it dated nine years ago?”

“You married me on that day, that’s our wedding invitation. You chose the font”, he croaks.

“Holy fuck”, you stumble back, dropping the invitation, “you’re….my husband?”

“I’m sorry”, he croaks falling to his knees, “I’m so sorry.”

“Why would you do that to me? Why would you lie about knowing me?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Holy fuck I think I’m going to be sick”, you say, bending forward and gagging. Your eyes flit to the invitation and your smiling faces, “jesus fucking christ, holy fuck, fucking shit.”

“Please don’t hate me, I-I never wanted you any harm”, he pleads, folding his hands in front of his chest.

“You lied to me!” you scream, making him flinch, “you acted as if you didn’t know me while we, we had fuck knows how many years of memories! How could you do this to me?”

“I’m sorry”, he sobs.

“You knew about the accident, didn’t you?”

He says nothing.

“Didn’t you?!” you yell.

Yoongi flinches and nods his head, whimpering painfully.

You were wrong. This right here feels like you imagine a heart attack to feel like. True and utter betrayal feels like a heart attack.

“Holy fuck, you’re a psycho”, you choke out, stumbling back.

“No please don’t say that”, he begs, hiding his face behind his hands, “I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner but, but I was so scared that you’d hate me. I’m so sorry.”

You look at him. He seems broken and filled with honest regret. You can see that the guilt is pushing him down onto the floor, keeping him there with a painful grip around his neck. You can really see that and yet you can’t find it in your heart to forgive him.

“Don’t ever contact me again and don’t you dare come anywhere near me or my friends ever again”, you press out with your voice shaking in rage.

“I’m sorry”, he wails, raising his head only to see the door close behind you as you disappear into the night.

#yoongi romance #yoongi fluff #yoongi fanfic #yoongi fanfiction #yoongi x reader #yoongi x you #bts romance #bts fluff #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts x reader #bts x you #bangtan romance #bangtan fluff #bangtan fanfic #bangtan fanfiction #bangtan x reader #bangtan x you #fanfic: only yesterday

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ad-ciu · 1 year

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Hello! When researching Conall I read some description of him (can't remember what or where) where they described his one black eye as being completely black (as in, the iris and the sclera are both black), but in all other descriptions (mainly thinking of Da Derga's Hostel, the retelling of Conall's death by Candlelit tales pod, and the Championship of Ulster) where he is described with one black and one blue eye (just the iris I assume?). What are your thoughts on the completely black sclera?

(I'm sorry if this post is a bit stifled or weird, I had a few reflexive Ctl-Z's that have had me rewriting chunks of this post several times) Heya!

As far as I am aware, that description of Conall is only found in that portion of Togail Bruidne Da Derga (which, for those unfamiliar, I provide an excerpt from Stoke's translation) that you mention. ‘There I beheld in a decorated room the fairest man of Erin's heroes. He wore a tufted purple cloak. White as snow was one of his cheeks, the other was red and speckled like foxglove. Blue as hyacinth was one of his eyes, dark as a stag-beetle's back was the other. The bushy head of fair golden hair upon him was as large as a reaping-basket, and it touches the edge of his haunches. It is as curly as a ram's head. If a sackful of red-shelled nuts were spilt on the crown of his head, not one of them would fall on the floor, but remain on the hooks and plaits and swordlets of that hair. A gold hilted sword in his hand; a blood-red shield which has been speckled with rivets of white bronze between plates of gold. A long, heavy, three-ridged spear: as thick as an outer yoke is the shaft that is in it. Liken thou that, O Fer rogain!’

Now, this is a very interesting description. What stands out to me is the description of his curly hair catching nuts, which is obviously connected to descriptions elsewhere of warriors' hair (or in one instance, a boar's razorback) being so spiky that falling apples are spiked on it. And then, a similar description appears in Fled Bricrenn (which I'm assuming is the Championship of Ulster you mention there?) which I will provide the incomplete ITS translation (which you can read in full here).

The scribe of Fled Bricrenn is probably borrowing from Togail Bruidne Da Derga or from another earlier source (which Togail Bruidne Da Derga would also be drawing on), because we know that whoever composed this story originally was very well versed with Ulster Cycle material. For example, the description of Bricriu's Hall is based on the description of Conchobar's Hall in Tochmarc Emire. If we look at the death of Conall Cernach (Aided Ailella 7 Chonaill Chernaig, which has been edited and translated by my Academic Big Sister for her PhD right here) we can see that there is no reference to Conall's eyes (similarly, the older translation by Meyer also doesn't have this detail). So, what appears to be the case is Candlelit Tales was expanding on the actual source material by incorporating elements from other stories. But, on to your question: What do I think about this eye? Well, because I am an academic I will apologize that before we get to my thoughts, we must cover the previous scholarship on the topic. This has only been discussed once, in an article entitled 'Portraits of the Ulster hero Conall Cernach: a case for Waardenburg’s syndrome?' in Emania 20 (2006) pages 75-80, by William Sayers. As you likely can guess based on the title, in this article Sayers argues that this description of Conall is modeled on Waardenburg's Syndrome. Now, of course, this isn't impossible. However, I am generally of the opinion that attempting to diagnose historical or literary figures is a very challenging thing to do. While it can certainly be done (particularly when combined with archaeological finds), when dealing with a literary figure we would need to take into account contemporary medical knowledge, and I'm unsure if we have any examples of medieval Ireland being aware of such a syndrome. If they were, we should be interpreting it through their medical knowledge rather than our own. That aside, I actually do have my own opinion on the matter. I think this is an artistic flourish intended to communicate how terrific (in both senses) Conall is, which I would argue is apparent when we take into account another notable example of a described heroic body. As mentioned above, this description of Conall is already incorporating visual elements from the 'Apple Hair' scenes in other stories. And then, we can take into account descriptions such as this of Cú Chulainn from O'Rahilly's Translation of Táin Bó Cúailnge Recension 1: ‘In the chief place in that chariot is a man with long curling hair. He wears a dark purple mantle and in his hand he grasps a broadheaded spear, bloodstained, fiery, flaming. It seems as if he has three heads of hair, to wit, dark hair next to the skin of his head, blood-red hair in the middle and the third head of hair covering him like a crown of gold. Beautifully is that hair arranged, with three coils flowing down over his shoulders. Like golden thread whose colour has been hammered out on an anvil or like the yellow of bees in the sunshine of a summer day seems to me the gleam of each separate hair. Seven toes on each of his feet; seven fingers on each of his hands. In his eyes the blazing of a huge fire. His horses' hoofs maintain a steady pace.'

Now, this scene (another example of it is found in Recension 2 but it is different in some elements) often confuses people I am teaching this material. This is supposed to be a description of how wonderful or beautiful Cú Chulainn is, but his body appears strange or different. Burning eyes, seven toes, seven fingers. In Recension 2 he has four multi-coloured dimples, seven pupils in each eye, so on and so forth. This doesn't seem beautiful, it seems... awesome, both in the more recent positive sense, and the older more 'overwhelming' sense. I have been asked before if Cú Chulainn always looks like this, or if this is a transformation, or something else. And, well, it is not entirely clear. We have descriptions of Cú Chulainn where this clearly isn't the case and others where it isn't established. For Conall, we don't get many descriptions of his complete body (as an adult, we have one of him as an old man which is quite different). What we can say, though, is it clashes with the idealized flawless heroic body discussed by McMannus (McMannus, Damian, 'Good-Looking and Irresistible: the Hero from Early Irish Saga to Classical Poetry,' Éiru 59 (2009): 57-109). With this in mind, I think that these scenes aren't really literal, but more figurative descriptions going into luscious, awesome, terrific depth to establish the seriousness of the moment, the glory of the hero, and so on. The hero isn't as much transformed as being cast in a different light to communicate the moment. And this! I have a great analogy for. In animation, artists often distort or change a character to similarly communicate 'feeling' in the moment. Take three examples from the television show One Punch Man, all of the same character, Sitama.

In these scenes, the character Sitama isn't 'transforming'. These changes in his body aren't something 'seen' by people inside the story world. It is a visual effect intended to communicate things to us, the audience. In the first, we have a standard illustration of Sitama. In the second, a serious moment where we see him putting his complete effort into something. In the last, a comic moment. I think these descriptions of Conall, Cú Chulainn, and other ones for other heroes are similar to this. They're intended to communicate the feeling, the sense, and the emotion in the moment, rather than something we are intended to understand is how they 'always' look. However! What remains in this is to ask, if this is some sort of literary trick to communicate tone or feeling or the like, what do the individual parts mean? What's with the Apple-Hair stuff? Why the fire in the eyes? Why the seven fingers? So on and so forth. Well, a lot of this is lost to us, but parts we can identify. Personally, I think the Apple-Hair thing is a reference to Boar's Razorbacks (in the scene with Conall, this is being riffed on and changed to work with curly hair) connecting warriors to boar. The 'fire in the eyes' thing is just an Indo-European motif for warriors (see: McCone, Kim, 'Warrior's Blazing Heads and Eyes, Cú Chulainn and Other Firy Cyclopes, 'Bright' Balar, and the Etymology of Old Irish Cáech 'One Eyed',' Zeitshrift fur Celtische Philogie 69 (2022): 183-200). Exactly what the situation with Conall's eye is, I'm unsure. But, I think it exists within the broader literary tradition as a 'tone setter' rather than necessarily a literal fact of his appearance.

And all of that to say! What do I think of the difference between Conall having a black Iris v. a fully black eye? The one text of which I'm aware where it is mentioned doesn't clearly state what it means in regards to the eye. In the original language (Knott's edition) it reads: duibithir druimne duíl in t-súil aile. I think both interpretations of the eye are valid, but I expect that it is just intended to be 'iris' based on the description of Étaín's blue eyes at the start of the text using a similar grammatical construction (glasithir buga na dí súil, compare with the description of Conall's blue eye, glaisidir buga indala súil).

#mythology #celtic #irish mythology #celtic mythology #cu chulainn #celtic myth #conall cernach #medieval irish

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nonbinaryaubrey · 11 months

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God I want to talk to you(or anyone, but you seem very friendly!!), about my OMORI AUs. I'm like- mentally ill about them all, tbh. Especially bout my magical girl au(or maybe moreso on my delinquent Sunny au, or just- all of them tbh).

Cuz like- last night, I had a dream,, and tbh it was just me as a magical girl and after having a meeting with Wooly(not from Amanda The Adventurer, since tbh the creature that was ig the one who gave me magical girl powers(lying, awesome *lie*), was just a sack of wool that had a face or smth I dunno), and at the end I got some like- roller skates, and my mind went like: “for balance”. And then once I woke up, and I had that idea for my magical girl Sunny design n stuff

Mari is bedridden, due to her bad knee getting worse(me not having an idea on how to make her a magical girl🤭). Sunny wants to help her(oh yeah, all of the cast of Omori here are all fem or ambiguous,, more fem leaning so yayay!! all lesbians !!!), and so she wishes for Mari to “be back to normal”(weird ass wish but my gal is, :autism:).

Sunny's design is like,, soft and puffy at first(like a cat or a sheep!!) but after like- some major stuff ig she can change her dress n stuff to be more like,, mature looking in the future(gives that white gown feeling to it, and stuff ig I dunno a wolf?? dhsjhdbeshb).

Sunny has an undercover magical girl name(the rest do as well) and her name is “White/Black Swan”(White for good/true ending, Black for bad/knife/hikkiomori ending)

More on her design tho!!! She wears the roller skates, that are colored red, also with the red hands(“to be normal” implies that smth was abnormal to her with Mari when she made that wish, and so she has the red hands and roller skates for comfort/balance. The red hands help her legs to focus on running!). Her dress design color is like, how headspace kinda is(purple/violet/lavender, light blues, and pastel greens with yellows and bright reds abit). Her dress is very puffy, like Madoka's,,, The insides of her hair are dyed purple, and is long like Mari's(even tho that's rlly long for a 12yr; yea she was 12 when she made that wish).

Oh yeah! This AU is called “OMOGIA: Winter hell”, cuz it's based off of four things. LMK Winter au, “Alice of Human Sacrifice”, OHHELL OMORI(my au on where Kel dies, Delinquent Sunny, etc), and Madoka Magica(the records moreso).

Her witch form. Okay so witches here, are called “Boxed Spirits” <- minor, “Boxed/Caged Demons” <- major. Sunny's Caged Demon form is called “Dorus Gray”(first name was "White Wing", then changed to "Dorian Gray", now it's this). Caged Demon form, takes the looks of 12yr Sunny, with abnormal long hair, that then (ig) kinda swallows Sunny or goes to hide her eyes(“Dorus Gray” uses he/it pronouns, as it moreso looks like canon omori,, ina way- like that mystery potion but reversed n all)

Sunny turns into Dorus Gray in her room, but the barrier also looks like a Hospital('She couldn't get the place out of her head, now that Mari is gone... All because she fell out of her bed, and messed with some of her wires that kept her alive..' Sunny failed Mari. How could she!). Dorus Gray just sits on the bed, while having his familiars stay with it. The familiars all have Mari's hair, but they also look like combinations of her friends(Kel, Parsley, Aubrey, Hero). The “Parsley” familiars are also much closer to Dorus Gray, and stand out the most due to their blond/light baby blue hair. The “Aubrey” familiars also stay close to Parsleys. Kels and Heros, stay close as well but they are also.. they seem distant in personality and relationship(“it's strained ever since Hero's girlfriend(not "gorlfriend" what), died in the hospital.. she was never okay after that.. ... now here I am! Stuck in this place, and I get saved by you..!” Kel said with a smile towards the now mature-looking Sunny, but it looked weird in a way).

Heros are also the ones farther away from Dorus Gray, while the others are closer to Dorus Gray(but also father as some want to stay away from Dorus Gray). Dorus Gray doesn't mind that though. He doesn't need to. All he needs to do, is “be normal”, so with that? It'll sleep. While it covers Sunny's eyes, it sleeps to show Sunny a utopia. Sunny didn't fail Mari, she's normal.

Oh yeah! I think I forgot to say, that I gave Sunny a full name! Her full name is; Zen “Sunny”(a nickname) Yanagi. Zen can have an ‘O’ or an ‘A’, but Sunny doesn't rlly care bout that, so yeah. (Sunny is Greek/Japanese here, learning English! ,,, that's where the "Dorus" part comes from,, it comes from the Greek/Greece(?) side of her family). I work on Sunny too much- I need to give her/him a break honestly,, djbdjsbdnsb

(if I told you I am just coming up with this along as I go, would you believe me?? Cuz tbh I can't believe meself too,, making lore out of words- woa)

Sorry if this was wayy too long!!! Djbdhdbs

ohoh!!! forgive me if im not able to add much (sleepy...nothing in my brain) but :O!!!! sounds prrretty interesting ^_^ !!! neat!

#asks #sotomogal #aubrey.txt #sorry abt not saying much again... dont know what to add -w-'

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adobe-outdesign · 2 years

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thoughts on the crabrawler line? ive been staring at crabominable for a While and wondering WHAT is going on here. what is that thing.

I'm almost surprised it took Gamefreak this long to give us a coconut crab Pokemon, because they're one of the biggest crabs and frankly they're already feel fake. I mean, look at this:

Anyway, I really love Crabrawler's personality. The design itself is fine, as I'll get into a minute, but something about the perpetually blackened eye and the way the pupils are uneven give it a determined yet slightly off-kilter look, like it's gotten punched one too many times and now has a permanent concussion. Great stuff.

Visually, outside of the face, I like how the antennae form "hair" of sorts, and how the mouth is just a pair of mandibles. The claws also look appropriately boxing-glove like.

Honestly, my only issues are the colors. It's not that they aren't accurate to an actual coconut crab to some extent:

But I much prefer the shiny palette. It's not that the blue is bad, but the red gloves help to make the boxing theme much more clear, and coconut crabs can be red/orange anyway. I would've switched the regular and the shiny, or just used the palette of the shiny but with a darker, slightly desaturated blue in place of the purple. (The blue might've also been used to tie into the evolution's ice-type, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.)

Also, the placement of the colors is a little weird; why is part of the arm randomly yellow, or the joints between the legs? I get wanting something to break up the purple, but I feel like the second-to-last joint could've been yellow on all the legs, so there's a purple -> yellow -> red pattern established.

However, with all that said, it's not like the current palette is terrible, the theme is solid, and the personality is great. So overall, Crabrawler's pretty solid.

no seriously, what IS this thing, I wanna know too

Okay to be fair, there is kind of a concept here; Crabominable is based off of a yeti crab, IE this thing:

It's also kind of going with the idea that coconut crabs can climb, so Crabrawler quite literally climbs to the top (of a mountain) and gets lost, gaining the fur and ice-typing as an adaptation.

However, the issue is that Crabrawler already had a theme (not related to what kind of crab it was) with the boxing thing. So we basically end up with an evolution that not only has a completely different personality than the original, but that doesn't even have the same theme. Boxer to yeti is possibly one of the strangest evolutions out there (save for the Remoraid line, though to be fair it had a weaponry theme in the beta that was dropped).

And even putting the theming aside, Crabominable is just kind of a bad design, if I'm being honest. Why does it randomly get two human buck teeth instead of keeping the mandibles of the original, especially when the bottom "teeth" are just its fur? Why that random purple patch on the chest that serves no purpose? Why is the hair A) no longer antennae and B) the only part of the design that's yellow? Why the random purple patches on the arms/claws? Why do its claws not look like claws? Why the paws? (I guess it's because it leaves yeti tracks when it walks, but why would it be putting those legs down in the first place? In fact, why are the longer legs the middle ones all of a sudden?) Like honestly, it's just kind of a hot mess.

Here's a quick two minute Photoshop job where all I did was remove the teeth, remove the chest plate, and make the hair white. It's obviously not perfect nor does it fix everything, but even this is a much less messy design:

I mean, I do like the idea of a yeti crab Pokemon, the personality's different but still pretty fun, and I also like the weird horizontal pupils. It's not like it's unredeemable, but it is abominable, and not in a good way.

So overall, Crabrawler is a pretty good crab. Unfortunately, Crabominable had good intentions, but a combination of a poor design and strange thematic changes don't really make it work. Maybe it would've been better off as just a different form or a counterpart to Crabrawler or something.

#crabrawler #crabominable #pokemon #pokemon reviews #outdesign attempts to edit

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starsong13 · 8 months

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Oc recycling centres #1 customer ✨

[I'm so fucking lazy]

I just wanted to waffle about these fuckers don’t mind me

1 [Star Song]

I tried to faithfully recreate how the colors looked on paper digitally (because 95% of my art was on paper at the time)

I can't remember what the black spots or red streaks were about

I know I put ties & bow ties on many characters during my times of gender confusion

The style of hair is a result of the times of the show, many background characters would often have rainbow dash looking hair, and while most of it is based off of the mare style, the back part is specifically the stallion

The wings are a result of the fandom at the time, with many people adding color to wings because of Cadence

2 [Star Song]

This one isn't exactly a TV head it's technically called a droid, this character was created very quickly in an ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ for the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ fandom

In their quick creation I basically reused most of the colors from the pony because I didn't have time to be creative

Many of their design aspects between both results you see here are because of challenge posted on the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

Even the character being a fusion is because of these posts - however because of one person saying oh like "Garnet from Steven universe?" I've always explained the character in reference to Garnet (a character I didn't know, from the show I didn't watch)

3 [Star Song]

At this point the character being a fusion had been long established on the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ and I had added more colour to the hair to make them full rainbow when combined and half rainbows when split. This is supported by the heart on the chest and the heterochromia

Sometime between the first design and this design, one half of the fusion became male (gender confusion strikes again)

4 [Star & Musica]

These characters were again rapidly created as a result of fleeing the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ - ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ now you can see how they split, hot & cold

While one of them was always more prone to anger, and lashing out when the other one was much quieter, and kept to themselves - polar opposites in the most boring way possible

Things like this where it's painful how lazily these were created, literally the only thing I changed about the designs was what they were, they were no longer a droid they were now humans, I didn't change their eyes didn't change their hair didn't even change their names

5 [Maya & Sam]

Wow I Actually Leared How To Colour A Character Without Making Your Eyes BLEED, It's A MIRACLE

I also stopped being a fucking coward and gave Sam his shaven sides that I had wanted to forever

And I made him trans in a way that made sense

Sam is his own person now with his own skills and abilities

He’s a gymnast and artist who practices astrology and studies chemistry

(although he's still neglected in comparison because I haven't been able to flesh him out as much as Maya, he's still much more of a character than before)

Despite the history of her original creation (and past gens) Maya has become my most fleshed out character out of any fandom (even earning multiple timelines, ex. the purple)

The scars on her lips were transformed into “joker” like scars on her mouth and they aren’t random (ex. the ones on her cheeks before)

Her grey teeth, rather than the off-white yellow that Sam has, is not a mistake either - the real ones were shattered in a fight

Same with the robotic arms being extra arms and not replacement ones, as well as the beep head not being permanent - she wants to remain has human as possible while still experiencing her work

I also changed their hot and cold, dynamic to Ying and Yang one and actually fleshed it out is that they have similarities and differences like real siblings

6 [Star Song]

Again I learned how to digitally color properly

Now with later seasons having more detailed background characters I felt more confident making a more unique design

Darkening the coat, throwing away the green and yellow, getting rid of those weird marks and tie

The hair now being just three shades/hues of blue that fit well over the cooler purple

They are no longer just a full pony

The wings being princess size rather than a normal Pegasus (+being unable to fly properly) and being a taller body type make them more unique

The heart on the hoof is a call back to gen 3 dolls

The feathers on the ears and legs are from hippogriffs

Coloured horseshoes/wings and the design of the feathered legs are from Gen 5 (the last being concept art only)

Anyways that’s all I wanted to waffle about for now, this whole page was about looking how far I’ve come with these characters and seeing how much I’ve learned over the years.

Looking back through my old art and looking at these old designs as I went... I can really see how some of my special interests in certain cartoons influenced the way I drew. One day I might go back and analyze all of it and write it all out for my own sake of self study... But not now

#this was a fun exercise #and looking through that old art was a trip because who let me draw like that holy shit #mlp oc #tv head oc #tf2 oc #hunters things

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occult-roommates · 1 year

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5 fun facts about Daniele

Well I’m bored now so time to do some fun fact about my boy, Daniele.

1) Rossini is a fairly common surname in Italy, which indicates someone ancestor had red hair or a ruddy complexion and like...we can see why his family ended up with it. They almost all gave red hair. Though Daniele got his hair color from his dad, and his mom has purple hair, and spellcasters are matriarchal so he got his surname from his mom but anyway...His mom is the weird one with her purple hair if anything. By the way, purple is obviously his favorite color.

2) He’s into fashion and likes to criticizes how people dresses, which makes sense as he used to live with his aunt and uncle who are designers. Also he works for them as a tailor.

3) Considering he grew up rich and works for his relatives, he probably has more money than all the other roommates combined. It’s why Charlie accepted him in the apartment in the first place. Actually, while the apartment is not very big, it’s in a quite nice area to live in, which is why he wanted to move there in the first place after graduating high school...Also it’s why it is their rent are so expensive but hey, that’s San Myshuno for you!

4) Obviously he was homeschooled in Tartosa, but when he moved to San Myshuno, he ended up going to a regular school. And yes, he was disappointed that American high school is not like in movies.

5) He has dyslexia, but only with the Latin alphabet. Spellcasters have their own script which he can read no problem. Sadly for him, it is not really widespread and is actively dying. Even grimoires in the traditional spellcasters language and script are becoming extremely rare nowadays.

Daniele is done, I actually should do more with his job actually we saw him doing it like...Once. Anyway up next is Rudi...I only have them and then Audrey and Ralf and the glitch is still not fixed shit shit shit.

#ts4 #simblr #occult roommates #daniele rossini

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timelesslords · 2 years

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Hi!! Hope you're having a good day (so far, at least, and if not, going forward!!)

Rank taylor swift album covers! You can choose to combine the TVs with the originals, do just the TVs/originals, or both, or whatever you want!

(regular caveats, only if you want to, etc)

(also I'm back!!!! Hi 💗)

Hi!!!! You’re back!!!! My day is going well I’m having a chill one at work and I get to leave early 😌 also I love this question I’m gonna put it under the cut bc I’m about to get into it I have VERY strong feelings about this 👀

Coming in dead last and surprising absolutely no-one is debut. She’s cute but very 2006. Negative points bc I was scared to have this up around my parents when I was a kid bc her hair is covering her shirt straps and I thought she was topless. Not her best work!!!

Evermore and Folklore tie for 7th. I think folklore is slightly better but loses points for starting my least favorite trend of taking the album title off of the cover. Evermore is fine and has a decent concept but overall they’re both boring

I get what she was going for but the composition doesn’t really work for me. The angle is so weird??? And her tips dyed era was…. Something. Not my favorite look from her. I like the background at least!!

This is such an iconic cover, I love every inch of it even knowing it’s objectively not great. It gets bonus points for the fearless TV recreation which i think perfectly updated the original and captured the vibe. Also gets points for the hilariously poorly photoshopped deluxe edition

The green 2012 era filter. The bowler hat. The red lips. The font. Everything about this cover is ICONIC and perfect. The red tv recreation is good but I don’t love the lack of album name (tho it gets points back a lil for the ring)

The way this cover continues to have me in a chokehold. Everything about it is perfect. Concept is brilliant w the newspaper type, execution is gorgeous. The way it’s the first cover where she completely shows her face from the front since debut. The hair, the makeup, the choker. I love this cover so much it’s perfect for the album

This cover is SOOOOOOO 👩‍🍳💋 the way I wanted this dress so so so so bad in 2010. The seamless combo between photo and painting, the speak now font, the PURPLE and SPARKLES!!!!! Beautiful incredible gorgeous 10/10 love of my life

Number one had to be 1989 there was simply no other option. The handwritten sharpie, the TS, the Polaroid concept, simply too iconic for words. It perfectly captures the vibes and themes of the album, and the way that it looks like a Polaroid in the physical CD case is some of my favorite product design. It’s just kind of perfect top to bottom and I think that 1989 was so successful in part because this was such an intriguing cover

#asks #taylor anon

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darknightsandfairylights · 5 months

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I don't know why shouting into the void of the internet helps, but sometimes it's an invaluable tool on this journey. So today, I shout.

TRIGGER WARNING: Talk of unhealthy dieting, body dysmorphia and body image issues

I'm in a weird spot, mentally, with health and fitness. I grew up very out of place. I come from stocky people, but was adopted into a family of fast metabolism. I never quite fit in. Combined with other issues (poor socialization, small private school, general awkwardness), I never had many friends or social interaction in general, which I chalked up to not being pretty or popular enough. In high school, I joined Weight Watchers, starved myself, but didn't work out at all, and so I ended up much thinner but VERY unhealthy. And with basically no muscle mass. I stayed roughly in that (bad) weight range for about 3 years - until college. I had semi-helicopter parents, so I never really learned how to regulate my own eating, and I also went through a horribly abusive relationship that triggered depression and massive anxiety my last year of high school and the summer into freshman college. So, left to my own devices, I gained the freshman 15. Then 20. Then 30. Then second semester, I met someone with disposable income, and suddenly I was eating Domino's multiple times a week, and other takeout besides. 30 extra pounds grew into 50, then 80 by the end of college, then a new trauma / depression spiral the first 2 years out of college bumped the number up to 120 extra pounds. Almost as much as I weighed to start. And the whole time was horrible yo-yo dieting, juice fasts, several stints in Weight Watchers, a ton of fad diet books, and emotionally bullying myself, horribly.

So now we come to the latest "era" of my life. The era of childhood healing, true self care, and hard fucking truths. It took a lot of work, and I doubt I'll ever be completely "done", but I've done quite a lot to lessen the voices telling me fat = bad. I no longer consider fat to be a moral failing. It's not something to be celebrated either - it just is. It's morally neutral. It is an emotionless fact about me, much like the color of my hair. Brunette isn't bad, blonde isn't shameful, it's just... hair.

With that said, being morally neutral like hair, I believe it's objectively OK to want to make a change. If I want to dye my hair a slightly darker shade, no one will really care. If I want to go red, or purple, or oil slick hair, no one's gonna care. (I mean. With some bright colors / multicolor shenanigans, there are some angry people that might take personal offense, but these aren't people whose opinions I value.) Wanting to change my weight and physical health should be so morally neutral. The answer to both is "do what makes you feel good." Purple hair makes you happy? Dye it. Growing muscle makes you happy? Hit the gym.

Because of my history though, I freak out about eating anything I see as a "health food" (we aren't even talking dieting, because I never want to see a fad diet again. I just mean like... eating a side salad with dinner) because I don't trust myself. What if a salad turns into a slippery slope and suddenly I'm an unhealthy skinny weight again? What if I go off the deep end and spend way too much time in the gym and drive away everyone I love? What then?

I know these fears are unfounded. There's a balancing act, finding that sweet spot. If I stay with morally neutral, and keep food morally neutral, so cake and pie hold the same moral value as fruits and veggies, I may find (if I allow myself) that I actually like eating a mostly veggie / fruit / bean diet ("diet" as in "things you eat" in this sentence - not as in "strict eating plan"), and I may find that I love the gym, and my metabolism is great, and weight just falls off. Or I may find I still want to eat a lot of pasta and potatoes and desserts, but I can add on enough fruits and veggies, and go to the gym enough, that I slowly get to a healthier equilibrium. But I have to stop being so afraid of the journey to even let myself start.

I don't know whether this helps. You, or me. I'm still overwhelmed. And tired. I Aldo hate meal prep. If I had someone making me fresh acai bowls and salads and bean burgers, this would be easy. But alas.

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musashden · 1 year

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I posted 171 times in 2022

75 posts created (44%)

96 posts reblogged (56%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sockythedog

@miss-galaxy-turtle

@diamond-night

@angelsaxis

@cgbk10

I tagged 128 of my posts in 2022

Only 25% of my posts had no tags

#musashden - 56 posts

#digital art - 36 posts

#my art - 27 posts

#fanart - 22 posts

#encanto - 19 posts

#art - 17 posts

#drawing - 16 posts

#comics - 14 posts

#red - 12 posts

#wip - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 93 characters

#he can't make eye contact because now he's in love with will and that scares and confuses him

My Top Posts in 2022:

Nataniel Lago

Okay... so something happened while I was coloring this. That bottom right sketch of the two of them - I cut it off at a weird angle and when I colored it it looked like Nat was missing the bottom part of his right arm and... I went with it. I have never made a character that is an amputee. Anyone who knows me knows I love doing research and writing new things - especially when I feel like I’ve fallen into a rut. So here we are!

Meet Nataniel, a 17 hunter that lives in a forgotten part of the Encanto. So far away from Casita Madrigal that it’s literally a mile away and partly over grown. He is the leader of a group of orphans that range in age. He and Camilo meet by chance while they are rebuilding Casita. Camilo is instantly curious as to why he has never seen Nataniel before and proceeds to... well, stalk him until Nataniel notices him and Mirabel not being stealthy.

Because I just decided to make him an amputee I have not come up with how he lost his arm but since he’s a hunter I’m gonna go ahead and say it was a hunting accident. One that has not detered him from hunting. He still takes care of all the kids in his part of town and he often refuses help. So he’s a bit bullheaded and determined to prove that he can do things on his own.

Camilo knows how capable he is but he also makes it his mission to spoil Nat with kisses and cheek squishes... aren’t they cute? I just love them already:

See the full post

23 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

Morning Glories

I had to start the year off right. Had to get a sexy man out before the end of the month. I was torn on who to draw until I realized I was wearing one of my favorite shirts. A shirt I have had for over 20 years because that's how long I have loved Future Trunks. Purple is my favorite color. It explains why certain characters resonate with me - like Trunks here. I saw a post on twitter that said he got his father's looks and his mother's color. Don't tell anyone but I used to think Vegeta was handsome but then when Trunks came along I was like DAYUM - blood runs hot in that family. Future Trunks was that first tragic/sexy character that lit up my teenage brain and honestly he's got it goin' on. What's funny is that I'm not nearly as in love with present day Trunks. And the version of him from DBSuper is just... meh. Go fig. It's definitely the purple hair. If this gets enough likes I'll turn him into a print Future Trunks belongs to Toei/Akira Toriyama

33 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

Treasure Planet: Platinum

Treasure Planet turns 20 this year. 20! I can hardly believe this movie came out 20 years ago. I still love it. I still love Jim even tho I'm no longer a broody teen like him. I remember going to see it in theaters - this movie resonated with a small fandom back when it came out. Those who loved it REALLY loved it. It wasn't until years later when they started showing it on Toon Disney that the fandom got way bigger. And who wouldn't love Jim - he's voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is honestly the perfect pick for the character. I love how they combined two totally different styles to make him emo + surfer. The ending of his movie had endless potential but Disney never did anything else with it. Their loss - I'll take him if they don't want him. Since it's been twenty years Jim would be about 35 years old here. I imagine even tho he went to the academy and became a professional spacer he still builds his own surfers and in his downtime you can find him stuntin' in the ethereum - trailing comets. I was gonna give him facial hair but it refused to look right. Still iffy on his tattoos. If I think of something better I'll update it. Likewise when I make the speedpaint video. Catch some of the light coming off my man 💫

34 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

Just something I did to brush off the rust. I haven’t really drawn anything in a month - with Dark Schneider being a rare exception - I need to practice a little before my drawings look any good after so long. So I decided to draw all the canon characters I’m currently writing fanfics about. It’s a lot lot LOT of slash going on here.

Most of these faces should look familiar - I decided to put them in order of age. I had a bit of a debate with myself over where Owen fit in. Technically the persona of ‘Owen Burnett’ has only existed for about ten years (as of 1995) but Puck is much older. His folklore dates back to about 1600′s so he’s only about 3,000 years old. Certainly not older than VHD. Canonically D is something like 10,000 years old (depending on who you ask)

I love that canonically Daken is older than Jackie Chan. The real Jackie Chan was born in 1954 where as Daken was born sometime during World War II making him older than Jackie Chan LOL Cartoon Jackie was supposed to be in his 30′s which in 2002 the real Jackie was.

The bottom row is just a bunch of jailbait cuties. Terry McGinnis is the oldest teenager clocking in at seventeen at the start of his series, though honestly he was one huge 17 year old. X-men Evolution Kurt Wagner I think starts out the series at 16. And then there’s the baby of the group: Camilo Madrigal who is 15 y/o in his movie. I age him up in most of my art of him and my oc Nat so I feel slightly less like an old creep but what ever.

I might draw the OC counterparts I created for them but for now... just this

36 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

121 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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demon-of-the-ancient-world · 2 years

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ASOIAF House Fashion Headcanons : Part 1

So idk if I'm gonna get in trouble for this bc I'm not like, super deep into ASOIAF lore as some people are and might get things wrong, and I'm not very prominent in the fandom, but I'm big obsessed with costume/clothing design so hey, I'll give this a shot.

Basically I've recently been inspired by the art and words of wonderful people such as @persephones-plantpot, @inky-duchess, and @shebsart who have talked about the cultural clothing differences between the 7 kingdoms and I...wanted to do my own? I haven't been brave enough to draw them yet (one day! I'll update when that day comes!), but I do have ~ideas~ for my personal takes on the fashion of Westeros and I'd humbly like to bring them out. Based more on the books (as much as I love the show's costuming!) as sort of an alternative take - not necessarily 100% consistent with what they say about the clothing, but I try to stick to it occasionally. I love hearing different people's ideas on the clothes so I've thrown my own little opinion into the mix.

Warning: I'm wordy. Very.

The Targaryens: So here I'm less talking about Dany and Viserys, because while I'm sure they will have retained some of their cultural heritage through clothing (especially Viserys), they're detached from their homeland and family customs, and therefore have to adapt to whatever clothes they come across in their exile. Daenerys especially I think would adapt quickly, being younger and having virtually no memory of Westeros, and be wearing pretty much only Pentosi clothing at the beginning of the series.

ANYWAY onto the old Targaryen dynasty, pre-rebellion.

In terms of historical inspiration, I actually came up with a weird combination of traditional Russian/Slavic clothing and classical Roman/Greek dress

(Also, @persephones-plantpot drew her version as Byzantine inspired and THAT stuck in my head so, now there's Byzantine touches in my headcanon too *shrugs*).

Lots of Roman-style drapery, but with big yoke/collar situations going on, metal belts, torcs, arm bands and cuffs, hair jewelry and headdresses (similar in shape to the kokoshnik), and of course tons of dragon imagery in a variety of ways.

Big shoulders. Long coats with funky split sleeves for the men and long trains on the womens' gowns, all of it in expensive fabrics like velvet, silk, satin, and intricate brocades - they were the royal house after all.

For all the houses I want to stay away from sticking ONLY to the house colours, but did use them as a base to jump off from. So the Targaryens would obviously have red and black, but instead of a bright ruby red it's a whole swath of darker, more subdued tones. Maroon, burgundy, blood red - they're an old dynasty with a lot of weight behind them, so the shades in my mind would be "older"

Grey and white would also come up, with light draped outer garments in warmer weather

Also - purple. Dany wears it several times in the books, and as it's the traditional colour of royalty I can see them wearing it.

I even wondered if - in true Medieval fashion - they were the only ones allowed to wear purple, or certain shades of it, during their reign (or perhaps only during the reign of certain rulers)

Likewise, I see amethysts being a big part of their jewelry - they can be so polished and soft looking but also raw and spiky and dangerous.

Black stones too; onyx and (possibly raw) obsidian in all it's dragony goodness, and garnets that are such a dark red they're close to black. Diamonds as well. Elaborate jewels and beadwork would be worked into the clothing in a variety of ways.

I also have a headcanon that the majority of their jewelry would be mounted on silver or white gold, but never yellow gold to distinguish them from the Lannisters.

The Starks/North

Like many others, I headcanon a Scandinavian look - somewhere between Viking and traditional Saami clothing

Warm materials of course - mostly a variety of wools, linens, and even some kind of flannel - though I want to honour that velvet and silk are both mentioned as part of the Starks' wardrobe. The northerners tend to value comfort and practicality over aesthetic but the ~fancier~ Starks + allies would wear them for sure

Colour scheme would be fairly limited, mostly grey, white, and shades of blue and brown, but I don't want to ignore the fact that Sansa wears a lot of green in the first few books as well, so I'd like to think there's green in their palette

Not much in the way of jewelry, but a lot of heavy and complex embroidery

I can also see them being masters at pleating and smocking details

What jewelry there is would mostly consist of simple necklaces, brooches, pins and cloak clasps of etched iron and bronze, though I can see amber being used for beads, carved wooden beads as well.

Viking-style tortoiseshell brooches

Possibly walrus ivory used in both jewelry and craftwork along the coasts and in the far north.

Amber is fossilized sap, right? So it wouldn't be implausible to think that ancient Weirwood sap could form a rich, blood-red amber that's considered a Northern specialty and highly valued.

High collars to stave off the wind. Lots of fur.

I feel the common folk (and the nobility to some extent) have mastered the art of visible mending - using patching and stitching on worn clothes as a form of decoration. Northern clothing is durable and made to last, but I feel like the people would also push their clothes past the wearable limit and repurpose them for other uses (i.e. an old dress being cut up into fabric for a shawl or gloves, shirts into skirts, cloaks into dresses, etc.), so you'd see a lot of that

Hats! Hats! Hats! It's cold up there you guys!

Lannister/Westerlands:

Ok here I headcanon an early Renaissance/late Medieval sort of vibe, so like late 14th-early 15th centuries but sort of fantasy-ified

Especially the classic Burgundian dress

The Lannisters are very wealthy, so I'd expect the most expensive fabrics for them and other surrounding nobility - silks, velvets, satin, and lots of damask and brocade

Fancy headdresses, slight variations on those tall pointed hats

Also long veils, not so much covering the face but artistically and elaborately draped over the hair

They're all about house pride, so I feel like their house colours would be reflected more obviously in their clothing, so mostly bright, rich reds and gold/yellow shades, though I can also see some vivid greens and warm coppery browns mixed in

Cloth of gold and even metal-infused fabrics could be a thing

ALL about jewelry. Most of it's gold, but they won't say no to silver, copper, or bronze. Heavy and intricate necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, or jewels just sewn right into the clothes themselves

All kinds of rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds , pearls, opals, any precious stone they can get their hands on really

While they like to show off and make a statement with their clothing, I feel like they'd still have a sense of classiness about it - they're just vain enough to toe the line of gaudiness, but still snooty enough to judge those who cross it

Idk I just picture Cersei having bright red fingernails so. Nail polish.

Greyjoy/Iron Islands:

Someone made a post (that I unfortunately can't find) that described the Iron Island culture as being like a cross between Vikings and golden-age-of-piracy-era pirates, and...yeah that's pretty much my headcanon too

I'm going mostly Viking with this one but I can see some flowy shirts and long 18th century-style coats thrown into the mix

They wouldn't be that colourful though; mostly black, grey, brown, some dull greens, blues, and dark gold

Mostly wool and leather, often waxed to make it water-repellent (yes I stole that from the show's costume designer but you know what, it works That Much)

Also, I can weirdly see knitwear being popular. I know it doesn't match with their vibes, but hey, it's warm, and you can't tell me there isn't at LEAST one Iron Islands granny out there insisting her grandson wears the sweater she made for him before going out raiding so he doesn't get cold

Also also: shawls, fingerless mitts, scarves etc

Also also also, complex cable patterns are a big thing in both Irish and Scandinavian cultures, so I love the idea of them as well as having house sigils having like, family knitting patterns that they wear to identify them (or etched into a leather jerkin, that works too)

On that note - the sailor tradition of wearing a gold earring so if they die at sea their funeral can be paid for totally applies here, though I can see wealthier people wearing other ear piercings just for The Look as well

(Part of Theon's Full Hardcore Ironborn initiation in ACOK involved him getting his ear pierced and you CAN'T convince me otherwise)

I've recently seen a lot of people drawing/headcanoning the Ironborn with tattoos and I gotta say I agree

Possibly facepaint too? Like a war paint situation? Eyeliner??? Yes.

I think much of their jewelry/decoration would come from plundering, so there's stuff from a lot of other cultures

However; amber, iron, bronze, mother of pearl, and pearls (I love the idea of them using primarily black pearls) would be their home specialties

I love the idea of some of the more experienced raiders (like Euron and Victarion who have gone all over the place) wearing foreign/ Essosi coins as ornamentation on their clothes or as jewelry

Temple rings? They were more of a Slavic thing but they were a Viking thing too so *shrugs*

I think the women's clothing would have a hint of rural 18th century dress, though less structured, and they'd often cover their hair, more for practicality's sake than modesty though

Like the Starks they're practical, but I think Fancier Islanders would wear sealskin coats and wraps

THat's it for now, there'll be a part 2 soon and I feel really inspired to draw these so you might even get that at some point if I've got time. Feel free to debate or add your own ideas !

#asoiaf #got #house targaryen #house stark #the north #house greyjoy #the iron islands #long post

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quindolyn · 3 years

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Wanna Hear You || James Potter

Word Count: 1497

Notes: This was not proof read, oops. But I know people wanted more sub!James so I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: smut, mommy kink, sub!James, riding, I believe thats about it

Masterlist

James was gorgeous, propping himself up above you on his forearms, rutting into you, hitting a spot deep inside of you that you didn’t even know existed until you had met James.

“Jamie!” His name left your mouth in a moan as you locked your ankles together on the small of the man’s back, your hands reaching up to scratch your fingernails up and down his shoulder blades. “Feels so good, Jamie, making me feel so good.”

The praise spurred the raven haired man on, encouraging him to speed up his thrusts, the head of his cock brushing a sensitive spot inside of you making you jolt in his grasp, moving your hands to paw at his rippling biceps.

The pleasure began to build in the pit of your stomach, the combined sensations of your body rubbing up against the sheets with each thrust and Jamie pressing further and further into you as you leaned upwards to slot your lips against his, drinking him in like ambrosia.

An idea hit you and in an instant, you had flipped the two of you. James’ body lying against the red sheets, his angry red shoulders melding uncomfortably with the admittedly soft fabric of the sheets.

You smiled down at him, huffing and puffing trying to catch his breath, his cock still buried deep inside of your warm, slick cunt which was pulsing around his length. Teasing him, hinting at the vice-like grip he knew you were capable of.

“Hi pretty boy,” You murmured, running your hands up and down his chest, pausing at his nipples to tweak them, watching his face contort in pleasure and his mouth take on the shape of an “O” at the subtle stimulation.

His large, calloused hands found your hips, hinting to you that he wanted you to move, but you weren’t going to let him off that easily.

“What, Jamie? Tell me what you want.” Your demand was stern but kind as you brushed the hair out of his face, allowing you to get a better look at his flushed, beautiful face.

“Want you to ride me,” He whined, bucking his hips up into yours.

“Come on baby, ask nicely.”

Huffing, he let his hands give your hips one final squeeze, “Ride me please darling, want you to bounce up and down on my cock please, need you, pretty please.”

“Now that’s a good boy,” You extolled, his begging triggering you to shiver as pleasure raced through your veins. Bracing yourself by planing your hands on his waist before lifting yourself off of his member so that just the tip of his prick remained inside of you. The sensitive head, red and leaking inside of your walls.

“Can you help me Jamsie? Can you help me ride you?”

His response came in the form of a muffled groan and the nodding of his head as his hands found their way to your bum, using his hold on your supple flesh to assist you in your efforts.

Breathy moans escaping your lips mingled with the grunts and mutterings of James from beneath you. Through the combination of the noises, and your concentration on the waves of euphoria rolling through you as the new position allowed for a different angle allowing Jame’s to press up against your g-spot with every single thrust, you almost didn’t hear the distinct words leaving his mouth.

Almost.

“What was that baby?”

He didn’t respond, instead turning his head, trying to nuzzle into the sheets to hide his blushing face from you.

“Nu uh,” You scolded, turning his head to face you, squishing his cheeks together in your grip, using the pad of your thumb to rub the saliva leaking out of his lips all over the pretty pink cushions. “Answer me baby, what did you say?”

After a beat he still hadn’t responded, resulting in you tightening your hold on him, “Say it Jamie, what did you say?”

After a moment of intense eye contact before James realizes you’re not going to relent and gulps before confessing, “You make me feel so good Mommy.”

Oh holy fuck.

“Say it again,” You commanded, picking up your speed, “Wanna hear you.”

“M-Mommy.”

The moan that left your mouth rang through your apartment as your clit rubbed against his pubic bone sending truly delicious waves of ecstasy through your core and through out the rest of your body, leaving your limbs feeling like someone has set them on fire. “Such a good boy for me, Mommy’s good boy.”

“Wanna be your good boy Mommy,” He whimpered, thrusting his hips upwards once again to be deeper inside of you.

“You are baby,” You soothed, leaning down to smooth a kiss along his cupid’s bow. Even though 5 minutes ago you could’ve sworn you were ready to go another half an hour before your orgasm hit you, but James calling you mommy had spurred you on beyond belief. “Gonna make Mommy cum pretty boy, gonna make her make a mess all over your cock. You want that baby?”

He nodded his head vigorously, gritting his teeth together as he threw his head back into the mattress, arcing his back in order to be as deep inside of you as possible. “Wanna hear you baby tell me what you want.”

“Wanna make you cum Mommy, want you to make a mess on my cock. Please Mommy, let me make you cum.”

A dry laugh left your lips at his desperation, he was so pretty begging for you, for your body. And to top it all off he wasn’t even begging to cum himself, he was perfectly content with getting you off.

“You’re gonna make me cum Jamie! Doing such a good job at making me feel good, you’re such a good boy.”

He whined at the praise, it spurring him on as he bucked into you again, the tip of his cock brushing your cervix.

“Oh fuck baby, I’m gonna cum!” You screamed as you tipped over the edge of pleasure, it wrapping around you and squeezing you similar to how you assumed you were squeezing around James’ length.

Black ebbed at your vision as you rode out your orgasm, somehow finding the strength within yourself to continue to ride the man beneath you. You could hear the blood rushing in your ears but the sound began to quiet as you came back. Quickly noticing Jamie beneath you, panting heavily, his eyes glued to your face.

“Did you cum darling?” You managed out through deep inhales.

“No Mommy,” He gritted out, his thighs trembling in the effort not to cum, not without your permission, to continue to be your good boy.

“Why not baby?”

“Because you didn’t say I could Mommy,” He whimpered, his hands balling the sheets up in his fists.

“No, I didn’t, such a good boy for waiting.” As the praise rolled off your lips a ginormous grin overtook his face. “Do you wanna cum now baby?”

“Yes Mommy,” He nodded desperately, his eyes shining at the mere prospect of getting his release.

“Alright baby then cum, go ahead and cum inside me.” You encouraged, resuming your movements up and down his cock, loving the friction of his cock slipping in and out of your sensitive cunt.

James was always vocal when he came, and this was no exception. “Gonna cum Mommy, gonna cum.”

“Do it baby, cum inside of me.” You ran your delicate fingers through his hair again, smiling as you felt him release his load into you, painting your walls in his release. You stayed fully sheathed on top of him, waiting for him to come back to you, which you assisted him in doing by unclenching one of his hands from the sheets, interlocking his fingers with yours.

“Hey baby,” You crooned, as he blinked his eyes open. “Did such a good job for me, yeah?”

“Was I your good boy Mommy?”

“Always,” You punctuated your affirmation with a delicate kiss to his nose, “Loved you calling me Mommy,” Your kisses trailed down his face to his jaw line where you began sucking hues of purple and blue into his flesh before dragging your teeth over them, delighting in the way he winced and shivered.

“Really?” He asked, sounding nervous, “It wasn’t weird or anything?”

“Of course not baby,” You leaned back a little bit to take in the entirety of his appearance, black tresses tangled and splayed out against the bed, face flushed as he panted, marks beginning to take shape on his jaw and neck. “Gotta clean you up now baby,” You said, easing yourself off of him.

But James wasn’t having it as he pulled you back down on top of him so that your naked chests were pressed together. “No,” His voice was muffled as he buried his face in your hair, “Wanna stay right here.”

“Okay then baby,” You giggled, nuzzling deeper into his chest.

“I love you (Y/N).”

“I love you too Jamsie.”

tagging: @randomoutsiders @weasleyposts @kittykylax @amourtentiaa

#harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #harry potter fanfic #harry potter smut #marauders #maraduers x reader #marauders smut #james potter #james potter x reader #james potter smut #james potter fanfiction #james potter fanfic

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youryanderedaddy · 3 years

Text

Best Friends Forever

Summary: Your best friend finally has you back after all these years, tied up on his bed and ready to learn your lesson.

Tw: nsfw, non-con, slight mention of blood, threats, choking, slight degradation, dirty talk, cursing, infantilization, possessive behavior, patronizing behavior, overuse of petnames, slight dom vibezz

You knew your boyfriend was a lost cause, an addict so gone he would have done anything for a fix, but you never expected him to stoop so fucking low.

You had woken up in a suspiciously familiar place, laying on sheets oh so soft, puffy and white you simply couldn’t mistake the bed you were on. The walls were painted in black and blue, a combination so deeply engraved in your mind you couldn’t shake off the feeling you weren’t trully conscious, but dreaming of a happy yet distant memory of the past. It took you less than a second to realize you were in his room - the one where you had spent so many joyfull sleepless nights back in your youth. The relief was short - lived, though, because the moment you tried to move around, you became aware of the tight rope keeping your sore limbs tied to the wooden bed frame. After a while of twisting and thrashing around while screaming at the top of your lungs for help you finally heard the door open. You hoped you would at last be able to go home now, still desperate to believe this was merely a prank, a way for your junkie of a boyfriend to scare you into giving him money.

“There is no use trying to escape the bonds, my little love.” His voice emited through the small room, low, smooth as butter and softer than ever. You tried to lift your head and catch a glipse of the person talking, just to make sure you weren’t imagining things or going insane. And there he was in all his glory, the boy, no, the man you knew well looking so different from how you remembered him, but still it felt impossible not to see the many similarities - from the unruly dark curls to the warm gray eyes that used to be your only guide during times of misery and pain. This was none other than your childhood best friend and you had absolutely no idea why you were tied to his bed. “Oliver, why on earth am I here?” You asked as soon as the initial shock had worn off, completely forgetting to address the weird petname the student had called you.

He smirked slightly before crossing the distance keeping him away from you, and carefully sat down by your left side. He reached out to stroke your cheek in an affectionate way, his fingers lingering for a moment too long for it to be considered a mere platonic gesture. You tried to turn your head away from the warm touch since it made you feel uncomfortable and left you with so many new questions. “I missed you so much, precious.” Oliver took a deep breath and smiled at you, gently moving your jawline so you had no choice but to face him once again. “I was so happy when that disgusting piece of shit you call a boyfriend offered you to me.” The man bent to your shoulder-level and whispered in your ear, his tone so full of sick satisfaction you could swear there was honey dripping from his mouth. “I paid a lot of money to have you back, sweetheart.” He licked his lips in an obscene, suggestive way and you had to supress the sudden urge to vomit as you finally remembered exaclty why you had stopped contacting your best friend once you had started college. The boy used to be clingy, obsessive even, but you could have never guessed it was that bad.

“Oliver, please untie me, you are scaring me.” You pleaded in a tiny voice, hoping to summon what was left of the goodness he had tucked away deep in his heart. In response the male only chuckled and shook his head as he placed a small kiss against your neck, causing you to shiver in discomfort and disgust while you were mentally debating whether you wanted to kill him or your ex boyfriend first. Soon your spiteful thoughts were replaced by panic when your captor brought his hand to your t-shirt and started unclasping the small buttons one by one. You couldn’t help but turn red from embarassment the moment you felt your nipples harden under his palm and you became painfully aware you weren’t wearing a bra underneath. Your former friend had your tender breasts exposed to the cold air in a matter of seconds, his terrible fingers already pinching and pulling at the erect tips. “You have such pretty tits, darling.” He said huskily while squeezing your boobs, licking and biting the stretched skin. You hissed in pain and squirmed in a desperate attempt to move away but the rope was holding you in place, tightening around your sore injured wrists even more.

“I have wanted you for so long, angel.” The student admitted quietly, his stormy eyes fixed on yours, his stare so intense it could burn a hole through you. “Tonight I will make you mine.” Oliver declared with a clear sense of confidence and claimed your lips in a quick rough manner, muffling your pitiful whimpers like a man starved and hungry for flesh. The forced kiss and his deranged words made your stomach turn but something in his longing gaze told you there was a lot more in store. The guess, much to your horror, was soon confirmed when the dark - haired male reached down between your parted legs and easily slipped your panties down to your ankles. With your last bit of protection gone you felt awfully vulnerable, literally naked in front of the beast too keen on the past to see how much he was hurting you right now, in the present. You wanted to scream the second his fat grabby fingers pried your folds open, but choking on your desperate sobs proved easier at that moment.

“Aww, don’t cry, angel.” Oliver growled playfully and slid his index into your tight entrance, quickly adding a second one before you had the time to adjust properly. “I have to prepare you, baby, otherwise my cock may just tear you apart.” He remarked in low sickening voice, the excuse too crude and vulgar to be an act of caring. You whined as your walls clenched down tight now that there were three fingers stretching your hole, and you berely managed to utter “too full” before your friend pulled you for a deep kiss again, his tongue devouring your mouth, leaving you breathless and queit while sucking in the sweet pained moans. “You can take it, babygirl.” The man groaned against your swollen red lips and grabbed your hips in a strong hold - you were sure there would be purple bruises there tomorrow.

Eventually, after half an hour of pushing his fingers in and out of your channel, lapping at your neck and leaving wet love marks all over your collarbone, the student was satisfied with his work. He had turned you into a whimpering mess and was ready to thoroughly enjoy the fruits of his labor, whether you liked it or not. “I am going to put it in now, precious.” Oliver pecked you on the cheek just to lick the salty trace of tears off your puffy skin. “I will force my whole length in your perfect little pussy.” Your captor bit your sensitive earlobe and you broke down in tears like a kid, the threat ringing in your ears like the gospel. “This might hurt a bit so I advise you to stay still and relax, baby.” The way the man continued casually, almost cheerfully, as if he wasn’t about to brutally rape you, made your skin crawl, but there was nothing you could do. You were all tied up, powerless to stop him. Suddenly, without any warning, his hard thick member entered you, piercing pain spreading through your whole body. The student panted in pleasure as soon as he thrust his manhood into your heat, the way it sucked him in leaving him high and blissful. You let a few miserable whimpers, the ache too much to bear, his moves too harsh, sudden and deep.

“Don’t give me such a-agh tormented expression, my love.” Oliver quickly shushed you by putting his hand over your mouth and pressing down to prevent any noise that might have escaped. His gaze was lustful, insane, but also loving in a twisted, perverse way. “Fuck, I love you so much.” He muttered, his voice gentle for a split second before going back to being taunting and mocking. “I used to be so angry each and every time you dated another guy, another asshole who was only after your body.” The man was rambling now, his face turning red at his own vicious thoughts, his growing anger reflecting in his cloudy pupils and his painful thrusts. “You always chose them over me like a stupid little bitch ...” He whispered dangerously and lifted your body towards his own so you could take his hits even deeper, so deep that you could feel the tip of his member kissing your cervix. “Well, now you don’t have a choice, angel. I have claimed you and I will keep you here forever.” You were crying out in agony, your pussy clamping down around the enormous length slapping again and again against your core. It burned so bad you wished you could dissapear somewhere far away just so you could have a moment of relief. “Oh, sweetheart, I know it hurts, but it’s almost over, you can take it for me, right?” The male cooed at you, switching back to that disgusting, infantilizing baby voice you had already grown to despise. When you failed to respond he gripped your throat, squeezing so tightly blood rushed to your cheeks and you inhaled sharply though your mouth only to feel the suffocation cut your breath short. “Answer me.” He barked through gritted teeth and you nodded frantically, desperate to gasp for air and cling onto dear life.

“Good girl.” Your former friend purred, pleased with your obedience, and let go of your neck, grabbing your hips instead. You coughed and drooled pathetically until you managed to resume your breathing, but the man, still buried deep inside you, seemed too caught up in chasing his own pleasure to notice how badly he had hurt you. Fortunately for you Oliver was really close, that much was obvious by his furious shoves at your abused cervix and his low growls each time he lowered his head to kiss you. Soon he came with a loud moan, painting your walls white, your ruined hole dripping with his seed and your blood.

Your captor seemed satisfied afterwards, peaceful in a way - there was a small smile adorining his cold lips as he wiped the tears off your face and squished your bruised body against his strong frame in a tight hug. You bit your tongue to stop the tears from overflowing once again, but to no avail. He let you sob in his arms until there wasn’t liquid left in your red, puffy eyes.

“You did very well, my love. I am really proud of you.” Oliver kissed your temple gently, resisting the temptation to graze you all over again with his lips, tongue and fingers. “I will help you clean up, then I will fix you some nice dinner.” He murmured in your ear, tickling the heirs on the back of your neck with his warm breath. “Doesn’t this sound good, baby?”

You closed your eyes and nodded slowly.

#yandere #male yandere x reader #yandere smut #male yandere #yandere oneshot #yandere oc #yandere male x reader #yandere oc x reader #yancore #male yandere x you

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llamagoddessofficial · 3 years

Text

Thank you @eldritch-and-tired for commissioning this lil’ /Reader piece of @megalommi‘s Sans, Baggs. I will ALWAYS be a simp for this sexyman. Enjoy!!

Tw: injections, unwilling hypnosis/mind control

...

You giggled.

The light was so pretty. Swirling, undulating, cyan and magenta warping and shifting in and out of one another in an endless hypnotising rhythm. It made you think of a funfair... spirals everywhere, from the tops of the stalls to the decorations on the rides, to the signs leading you around to those huge lollipops that tasted tooth-meltingly sweet. Happy memories, carefree, far away and non-solid but still wonderful. What were you doing? You couldn’t remember anything. You liked blue and purple, they were everywhere, all around you, such pretty colours.

Pretty, pretty...

“... there we go. easy now.”

... You didn’t realise he was even there until he (somewhat cautiously?) spoke. Your senses were just colours. The voice was odd and a bit disembodied at first but slowly, slowly, you became aware of its source- a face hovering just over you. The awareness spread to your body, too... you were bent at an odd angle with your feet just barely lifted off the floor, your back flat on a rather uncomfortable table, gravity pulling your hair and cheeks. And he... he was just a few inches over you, pinning you by one of your wrists.

...

A tight and tense, cutting smile, clear signs of stress around his face and shoulders making it obvious that this was the smile of a man on the edge and not one of any particular joy. Deep sockets, so wide they looked borderline painful, glaring down at you with so much intensity...

... You could feel his body heat. And his breath against your face. Your heartbeat, your slightly itchy nose, how tight he was holding your wrist.

“... Mh... Huh?” You said, ever-so articulately, vision spinning in the same direction as the swirls emanating from his left socket. A similar way to how the world rocked when you were dizzy... except for you, it never righted itself. It just kept spinning and spinning and spinning. Everything was so bright, as you fell under a pleasant fuzzy sensation burrowed into your chest and mind, blanketing your thoughts as if you were just in the middle of a nice dream where nothing much mattered.

“shh...”

When he gently closed his gloved fingers around something you had gripped in your pinned hand, you put up no fuss, loosening your hold and allowing him to take it... when did you pick up a scalpel? What an odd thing to have. The back of your head hurt and your knuckles felt the telltale aches of having been tense a few moments ago, even though they were now just an unwound coil like the rest of you.

... Dr. Baggs let out a long slow, breath. You could feel it against your nose and neck, he was that close... his mouth open barely a crack, the magenta hue of his tongue glinting against his fangs.

“... alright.” He said, voice silky, gentle on your thrumming ears and head, sockets easing around the edges as he calmed down. The bluish shadows of sleep deprivation under them became more apparent as the tension in the room, face and posture waned. “that’s better.”

... Yeah. You thought, relaxed and calm. It is.

... He gave you the bare minimum of personal space, leaning back and helping you to sit, lifting you with the perfect combination of gentle but firm as if he knew you’d immediately feel so dizzy when you became upright. Your hands moved up and held onto his shoulders to steady yourself- the fabric of his lab coat was surprisingly soft, it was very nice to touch.

... He was so close. Supportive but strict hands on your elbows, your knees on either side of him, he smelled like... the artificial flavouring they added candy that just wasn’t quite natural. And a specific, scented brand of antiseptic; clean and sterile and prepared.

“... well.” He hummed, reaching out of sight for something with one hand. Your forehead would bump his collarbone if you leant forward any more. His voice was so soothing and calming, especially since you were only a few inches from his clavicle... you were getting pretty close to shutting your eyes at this point, but a prick in your arm kept you from completely nodding off- you barely noticed it, too busy studying the aesthetically pleasing purple trim to his coat and enjoying the funny fuzzy sensation in your chest and temples. Oh, he suddenly had a full syringe in his hand that he was putting a cap on... where did he get that?

“i knew from the start you’d be uncooperative, but... not that kind of uncooperative.”

He held something up to your face. You opened your mouth, (wait, why am I opening my mouth...) and he quickly placed it on your tongue. You swallowed, again, without knowing why... it was like your body was following a list of instructions that you couldn’t see or hear. Someone else had taken the wheel; tugging the right strings to make the right parts of you move when they were needed.

... You didn’t think about it much. No panic, no confusion, no considering the implications. The thoughts were disconnected... just ships in the night, sailing by your muffled brain. All you could really think about was how whatever he’d given you was very strange and bitter and ew, you cringed, an odd acrid taste lingering in the back of your throat.

... Another prick in your arm. That’s weird, he keeps pricking me. Oh well. This time, you looked just in time to see him removing a now-empty syringe; he wiped where he’d poked your forearm with something very cold, then placed a little circular red band-aid over it.

...

There were six other band-aids on that forearm. Two green, three navy, one black... and now the red one.

Hm... I feel like I should be alarmed by that...

Again, all you could think about was how nice you felt right now. Dizzy, warm, safe. Like you’d had a little too much to drink, but now you were laying out in the sun with your friends... I miss the sun...

“most of my ‘patients’ are at least... consistent.” Baggs hummed, continuining to hold you carefully by the elbows, predicting your post-jab swaying. He didn’t seem to realise he was talking aloud, just a scientist observing his experiment, and you weren’t really paying enough attention to what he was actually saying- too many words to process, boooring. “uncooperative awake, uncooperative under. you’re always displaying aggression toward me... and yet as soon as you have no control, there’s an obediency so immediate it’s borderline subconscious. rather fascinating.”

Instead, you...

“... Sexy voice.”

...

“... what?”

Apparently, that was enough to finally break him out of his thoughts. You glanced up at Baggs’ face, still only a few inches away, you kept forgetting where things were around you... the cushion around your soul never wavered but for a moment there was a little blip in the swirls. A slight interruption.

“Mmmhm.”

...

... His expression sort of... well, ‘melted’ was the wrong word. It was more akin to the sun peeking out from between two clouds. The detached, observational, scientific air to him thinned and began to evaporate... revealing something a little more warm.

The razor and unfriendly edges of his smile were rounding into something organic. Perhaps even, daresay, resembling forward.

“my.” He purred. “how forward of you.”

“S’very nice. Very smooth...” Your tongue felt... eh. And your arm, where he’d poked you, was starting to itch. “And you have a nice face too... handsome man. I think so.”

...

His smile started growing even more, and he leaned back an inch or two as if to look at all of you and make sure you were really the same person he’d brought into this examination room less than an hour ago. “... oh really?”

“Yeah...” ... Your hands had been just holding onto his coat... but, spurred on by your sudden drunken confidence, you properly looped them around his neck.

... He blinked, but he only let himself appear taken aback for a moment or two. Despite how ominously his magenta eyelights glowed in his dark, shadowed sockets... you could tell he was enjoying himself, and this sudden turn of events. “i’m flattered.”

You laid your head on his chest. It was getting kinda hard to stay upright.

... Your nose scrunched.

“Funky smell, though.”

That was enough to get an actual laugh out of him- albeit shortlived, his skull cocking like a curious mirthful bird. “are you... genuinely telling me that i smell, darling?”

“Yeah. Because it’s true. You’re gremlin.”

“i’m... gremlin?”

“Mhm.”

“stars. i wish i could tell pap about this.”

Your body shifted, enough to make you lightly squeak- things were spinning so much that it took you a minute to realise Baggs had picked you up, an arm hooked under your legs and another around your back.

“you’re all done for the day, pet.” His eyelights had become a thrumming, almost amethyst colour as he looked at you, a far gentler shade of purple than his previous headache-inducing magenta. You weren’t sure what’d caused that but you weren’t complaining. You weren’t sure what’d caused him to carry you either, considering he usually just brought someone to collect his ‘patients’ for him... but, again, not complaining. “it’s time to get back to your room.”

“I feel funny.” You mumbled.

“that’s normal.”

He started walking. The halls all looked the same, as he moved through them, blending into one another... white and sterile, a few doors dotted inbetween if you were lucky but mostly just the exact same tiles and patterns and lack of anything that would clue you into the fact that people had actually (at some point) existed in this area.

“Hm... is this where you work...?”

A little chuckle. He was sounding further and further away. “yes. this is my job, dear.”

“It’s so g... ug-ly.”

“oh? you think so?” Baggs’ tone had become... light? Perhaps a little teasing.

“Jus... put up some nice posters, or something.” Your head was so heavy. Since when was it this heavy? You had to rest it against his chest, feeling that nice fabric against your cheek, hearing an equally nice humming sound from inside his ribcage. “Paint the walls. It’s so... white. Clini... ...clinicic... Calic...”

“clinical?”

“... Yeah.Tthat.”

A gloved phalange touched your arm. It was probably an attempt at a comforting gesture- stroking the skin. “good to know. i’ll make sure to pass that eloquent advice along to the decorating team.”

“Good.”

He brought you to a cell-like room. It was... vaguely familiar? A bed with one pillow, thin white sheets... some strange posters and a window with bars over it. You felt like you’d spent a long time in there, but it was impossible to think straight enough to actually muster up any memories.

Baggs laid you down on the bed, slowly, handling you like you’d fall apart at any moment. You made a little noise- it wasn’t a very soft bed... but it was good enough. And your body felt so strange and tired that any soft surface honestly was nice enough to lay down on forever.

“comfy?” He asked. Since when did he inquire if you were comfy?

“M... no. S’whatever.”

...

You peeked at him, crouched by your bed... and you reached out, pressing your inexplicably heavy finger against the top of his nasal cavity in a booping motion. You mumbled a little victorious “Silly skeleton.”

...

He took your hand in his gloved one, gently, before it could go limp and flop down. You couldn’t really make out his expression at this point.

“don’t tell the other subjects...” He murmured... he sounded amused, at least. “but i think you’ve become my favourite.”

“Course.” You shut your eyes. “I’m... m’amazing.”

“... yes. course.”

A feeling, like a kiss on your hand, before he placed it by your side.

“... go to sleep.”

...

And just like that, your body obeyed him before your head could even process what he’d said, and you were asleep.

#commissions #megalosomnia #baggs sans #not my sans #but damn #i wish i was his [pensive emoji]#i fuckin LOVE writing hypnosis if you couldnt tell hfsdkjf

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