Tumgik
#ethereal magical mystical mythical !! everything !!
happyheidi · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Bev Staunton & Rachel Stewart
Mount Congreve Gardens, Waterford, Ireland
35K notes · View notes
fragileheartbeats · 18 days
Note
Create another valyrian household that escaped Valyria. They hid themselves away by magic on an island not visible to anyone, they don't wish to be seen. On an island with a huge fortress accompanied with another smaller fortress which is basically a library. They are similar to Targaryens, but much more knowledgeable on everything (thanks to Valyria). They ride dragons, purple shades of eyes, silver-gold hair. Only two differences being, they have never been married outside of family(yuck) with no Westerosi blood therefore very different customs, fully valyrian customs and traditions rather than Westerosi+valyrian(Targs, Vels). Hope you have fun, thank you:)
Tumblr media
𓈒ㅤׂㅤ 𓇼 ࣪ 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄 𓈒ㅤׂㅤ⭒⠀
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
꒰͡ ⠀ ִ 𝐺𝐸𝑁𝑇𝐿𝐸 𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐿𝑂𝑉𝐼𝑁𝐺 ⠀ׂ ⠀ ͡꒱
─ 𝘈 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𖤐
─ 𝘈 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𖤐
Tumblr media
In the rich tapestry of Valyrian history, woven with the threads of power, magic, and dragonfire, the House Lyrielle stands as a testament to the enduring grace and wisdom of Old Valyria. Their story is a whisper on the wind, a secret melody sung by the waves that surround their hidden island sanctuary. Known to but a few, the Lyrielles are the guardians of a legacy untainted by the ambition and corruption that led to the Doom. The sigil of House Lyrielle is as enigmatic as the house itself—an angelic dragon, graceful and serene, enwreathed in a ring of white roses against a backdrop of deepest emerald. The dragon, smaller in stature but fierce in its intelligence and agility, represents the nature of the Lyrielles' own dragons. The emerald ground symbolizes their secluded island, a jewel hidden in the vast sea, and the white roses signify the purity of their intentions and the mystical barriers that veil their home from the unwary eye. Their words, "Beyond Sight, Within Light," speak to the heart of the House Lyrielle ethos. They live beyond the sight of the known world, in a realm of their own making, where knowledge and virtue shine brighter than any Valyrian steel. These words are a promise of their commitment to the greater good, a reminder of their hidden presence guiding the fate of the world from the shadows. The Lyrielles, in their seclusion, have preserved the purity of their Valyrian bloodline, untouched by Westerosi influence. Their customs and traditions remain a living tapestry of Old Valyria's glory, a culture preserved in amber amidst the tumultuous seas of change. Education and learning are held in the highest regard. The smaller fortress, known as the Lyceum of Light, houses a vast collection of scrolls and tomes, not only on magic and dragonlore but on the sciences, arts, and philosophies of the wider world. Even though the Lyrielles seclude themselves from the outside, they possess an insatiable thirst for knowledge that keeps their minds as sharp as their swords. The Lyrielles are ethereal in their beauty, with eyes that hold the mysteries of the universe—shades of purple that shift with the light. Their silver-gold hair flows like liquid moonlight, a hallmark of their Valyrian bloodline. They are skilled in the art of healing, their touch capable of mending wounds that would confound even the most learned maesters. Their bond with their dragons is profound, rooted in a deep understanding and respect for these majestic creatures.
Their dragons, lithe and swift, mirror their masters in both appearance and temperament. With scales that catch the moon's light, casting reflections in hues of amethyst and sapphire, they are specters of the night sky, their presence felt rather than seen, their agility unmatched by any creature, mythical or otherwise. To the Lyrielles, the world outside is a place of beauty marred by the scars of greed and violence. They see themselves as custodians of what remains pure and true. Their philosophy is one of balance and harmony, seeking to preserve the natural world and its wonders. They are benevolent, yet their kindness is not a weakness but a strength, fortified by their unwavering sense of justice and fairness.
The Lyrielles embody a paradox. They are both guardians and isolationists, wielding their power to protect the natural world and its untold secrets while shunning the very societies they seek to preserve from afar. Their personalities are marked by a gentle demeanor, an innate grace that belies the strength and wisdom that centuries of unbroken tradition have instilled in them. They are the custodians of healing, their knowledge of the arcane arts allowing them to mend wounds and cure maladies thought beyond the reach of mortal hands. Yet, for all their power and knowledge, the Lyrielles possess a naivety born of their seclusion. They view the outside world through the lens of caution and fear, tales of its dangers passed down through generations. This isolation has fostered a deep sense of kinship and loyalty among them, their bonds unbreakable, their trust in one another absolute. In a realm where the quest for power often leads to ruin, House Lyrielle remains a beacon of hope. They are the whisper in the heart of the storm, the unseen hand that guides towards light. Their existence is a testament to the belief that even in the darkest of times, there are those who shine brightly, not for glory or fame, but for the love of all that is good and true in the world.
Tumblr media
My other original house:
House Celestyr
House Valysar
@fragileheartbeats . Don't plagiarise, repost, or translate any of my works on here or any other websites.
@emily2003alzaga @nash-dara @altaircc @heavenly1927 @omgsuperstarg @asoiafhyperfixation
228 notes · View notes
thxnews · 8 months
Text
Northern Ireland: A Captivating Adventure Awaits You!
Tumblr media
Discover the Beauty of Northern Ireland
Welcome to the stunning landscapes and warm hospitality of Northern Ireland. Nestled along the rugged coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, this enchanting region beckons travelers from all over the world with its awe-inspiring cliffs, abundant wildlife, majestic mountains, and rich history. From ancient castles to vibrant cities, Northern Ireland is a hidden gem that offers a diverse range of experiences for visitors seeking natural beauty, cultural heritage, and genuine connections with friendly locals. In Northern Ireland, you will be captivated by the untamed beauty of its coastline. The dramatic cliffs that line the Atlantic Ocean are nothing short of breathtaking; their sheer grandeur standing tall against crashing waves creates an unforgettable sight.  
Tumblr media
Celtic Cross Rostrevor, Northern Ireland. Photo by Miss Fitz Photos. Flickr.  
History: Explore the Rich Cultural Heritage
Northern Ireland brims with history and culture, woven by its Celtic roots. Ancient Celtic tribes and Viking invasions shroud the region's early history in mystery. Embark on a captivating journey through time as you delve into the enchanting world of Celtic art, museums, and timeless traditions. From ancient stone carvings to mesmerizing manuscripts, explore the intricate beauty that defines this region's artistic legacy. Celtic art holds an integral place in Northern Ireland's cultural heritage with interlacing patterns and ornate designs adorning everything from jewelry to religious artifacts. With its distinctive motifs depicting nature and mythology, Celtic art represents a harmonious blend of spirituality and creativity.  
Tumblr media
Captured by Sean MacEntee, this photo showcases the magnificent Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Flickr.  
Discover the Enchanting Natural Wonders of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland proudly boasts breathtaking natural wonders that will undoubtedly awe you. Embark on an exploration of rugged coastlines, mystical forests, and serene lakes, as this region unfolds an abundance of captivating landscapes. Travelers from across the globe flock to witness the unique Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where nature's magic unveils itself through over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, formed by ancient volcanic activity. As legend has it, this mesmerizing landscape was shaped by the mythical giant Finn McCool. A gentle walk along the well-maintained pathways allows visitors to take in the awe-inspiring views and learn about the geological history through informative signage. The visitor center offers facilities tailored for older individuals such as wheelchair access and comfortable seating areas. Walking along the pathways you can marvel at nature's craftsmanship while listening to the crashing waves against the rugged coastline. In addition, you can experience the beauty of the Dark Hedges, famous for its ethereal beauty and eerie atmosphere. It is an enchanting avenue lined with ancient beech trees that have stood for centuries and have become famous thanks to their appearance in Game of Thrones. Prepare to be mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Mourne Mountains. These majestic peaks not only provide a dramatic backdrop but also offer endless opportunities for hiking and outdoor adventures.  
Tumblr media
Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland. Photo by Stuart Caie. Flickr.  
Activities and Adventures: Thrills for All Ages
When it comes to planning a holiday, Northern Ireland may not be the first destination that springs to mind. However, this region is packed with history, natural beauty, and a wide variety of activities that cater specifically to older visitors. From exploring ancient castles and historic sites to enjoying leisurely walks along breathtaking coastlines, there is something for everyone seeking a tranquil yet enriching vacation. Northern Ireland is also a haven for adventure seekers of all ages. Whether you're a thrill-seeking teenager or an adventurous family looking to create unforgettable memories together, this beautiful region offers an array of exhilarating activities that cater to everyone's tastes. From soaring through the skies on a zip line to exploring ancient castles, there is no shortage of excitement waiting to be discovered. For those seeking an adrenaline rush, why not try your hand at coasteering along the rugged Causeway Coast? Navigate your way through sea caves, jump from cliffs into crystal-clear waters, and swim along dramatic cliff faces – all under the supervision of experienced guides who prioritize safety above all else.  
Tumblr media
Stevan's Ulster Fry. Photo by Robin A Kirk. Flickr.  
Culinary Delights: A Gastronomic Adventure!
Northern Ireland is a treasure trove for food enthusiasts looking to indulge in local delicacies. From hearty traditional dishes to modern culinary creations, this region offers a diverse range of flavors that will delight your taste buds. Whether you are a fan of the huge variety of seafood or prefer meaty delights, Northern Ireland has something to offer for every palate. Indulge in the famous Ulster Fry, a hearty breakfast plate adorned with savory sausages, crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, flavorful black and white pudding, ripe tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, and golden fried bread. This delectable breakfast epitomizes Northern Ireland's rich agricultural heritage, guaranteeing to fill you with complete satisfaction, energize you, and prepare you to seize the day ahead. Indulge in the iconic Irish stew made with tender local lamb, a delightful local delicacy that is an absolute must-try for your taste buds.  
Tumblr media
Bagpipers In Dublin - Men And Women In Kilts. Photo by William Murphy. Flickr.  
Festivals and Events: Celebrate with the Locals
Northern Ireland is a land of rich history and vibrant culture, and what better way to immerse oneself in this than by joining in on the local festivals and events? From ancient traditions to contemporary celebrations, Northern Ireland offers a plethora of options for visitors looking to embrace the local spirit. Whether it's dancing at traditional music sessions, cheering on competitors at sporting events, or indulging in mouthwatering culinary delights, there's something for everyone.   Belfast International Arts Festival Don't miss the Belfast International Arts Festival, a highly popular event. Held annually in October, this festival brings together artists from all over the world to showcase their talent across various disciplines such as theater, dance, music, and visual arts. With its thought-provoking performances and exhibitions, the Belfast International Arts Festival provides an opportunity for both locals and visitors alike to engage with contemporary art forms. This celebration of creativity not only serves as a platform for artists to engage with audiences on pressing social issues but also encourages a vibrant cultural exchange within the community. An unmissable event for those craving a taste of traditional Irish music and folklore is Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, scheduled to take place in 2023 in Mullingar from 6th to 14th August.  
Conclusion
Northern Ireland beauty offers a unique and captivating holiday experience. From its stunning landscapes to its rich history and vibrant culture, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you are exploring the awe-inspiring Giant's Causeway, visiting the historically rich city of Belfast, actively seeking thrilling adventures, or fully immersing yourself in the region's traditional music and dance, Northern Ireland has an abundance of diverse and captivating experiences to offer. With its friendly locals and welcoming atmosphere, it is a destination that will leave you with lasting memories.   Sources: THX News & Discover Northern Ireland. Read the full article
0 notes
quadrantpamphlet · 1 year
Text
The Nature of Each Quadrant
First Quadrant- Weird, small, non physical, ethereal, mental, mind, wants to belong, feminine, spiritual, scientific, wants to find the self- gullible- naive, smart, uses flowery language, idealistic
Third Quadrant- Cool, bad, physical, action, activity, movement, destruction, violent, aggressive, masculine, artistic, individualistic, ego oriented, solid, realistic, rational, interpersonal
Second Quadrant- Normal, groupish, community, social, homeostasis, maintenance, sustaining, conformity, complacency, belongs, religious, practical, family oriented, grounded
Fourth Quadrant- Transcendent, divine, death, bad, strange, abstract, philosophical, mental and physical, Transcends yet includes the previous three- sometimes seems to not exist/absent- recalcitrant- unacknowledged- nothing- alone
Fifth Quadrant -God- Divine- Excess- Too Much- Questionable- Being- Truth- History
The Four stages of Consciousness
Instinctual, self not yet found
Rational, interpersonal, individualistic, ego oriented
Religious, magical, mythical, group oriented
Trans rational, transpersonal, philosophical, abstract
God Consciousness- Total Consciousness- Truth Consciousness
The Quadrant Model of Consciousness
First Quadrant Sensation
Third Quadrant Response
Ninth Quadrant Thinking
Eleventh Quadrant Doing
Second Quadrant Perception
Fourth Quadrant Awareness
Tenth Quadrant Emotion
Twelfth Quadrant Dreaming
Fifth Quadrant Belief
Seventh Quadrant Behavior
Thirteenth Quadrant Contemplation
Fifteenth Quadrant Flowing
Sixth Quadrant Faith
Eighth Quadrant Belonging
Fourteenth Quadrant Passion
Sixteenth QuadrantKnowing
Being
Non Being
Becoming
The quadrant model pattern is the overarching blueprint of existence. The quadrant pattern resides in all things, in all domains. Existence is centered around the quadrant model. The pattern is dominant in the Universe and pervades everything. The quadrant pattern is the foundation of reality. Every domain and sphere you analyze, you will find this pattern is supreme. Reality is sort of a holo-fractal based around the quadrant model. No matter how far you zoom out, or how much you shrink in, or how wide you extend your perspective, or how much you narrow it, one pattern is dominant and expresses itself absolutely everywhere. The quadrant theory demonstrates that our existence is supernaturally derived, and is oriented around one simple quadrant template. Reality is essentially a quadrant model matrix. The quadrant model validates what the mystics have said for centuries, that everything is one. But the quadrant model also demonstrates simultaneous oneness and differentiation, unity and gradation. The quadrant model shows that behind division is an underlying unity. The quadrant is the form of existence. The quadrant reveals itself in all provinces as preeminent.
Aristotle said that reality is made up of four elements
Quadrant 1- Air. The first quadrant is always the most non-physical. It is ethereal. Also the first quadrant tends to be the most mental.
Quadrant 2 is water. Water is a sort of intermediate between the non physical and the physical. The second quadrant is related to homeostasis and structure and order. The second quadrant is associated with organization. The second quadrant also has a quality of being seen as “good”. The first and second quadrants are “good”.
Quadrant 3 is earth. The third quadrant is always the most physical. The third quadrant has the quality of being seen as bad. For instance, many of the world religions denigrate physicality, and they consecrate the “mental/spiritual”. The third quadrant is action oriented. It is activity
Quadrant 4 is fire. Aristotle said that fire is much different than the other three elements. He said the first three elements are almost like one, but fire is like an element unto itself. It doesn’t fit in with the other three. When you get into the fourth quadrant, you are sort of entering into a new dimension. But the fourth quadrant often transcends, yet includes qualities of the previous three elements. Fire is ethereal like air, it flows like water, and it also maintains a form like earth. The fourth quadrant, like the third quadrant, also tends to be seen as sort of negative and “bad”. Fire is pretty destructive.
Quadrant 5 is actually a new quadrant. Once you enter quadrant five you are in a completely new domain. Quadrant five is excess. The Aztecs said that the number five represents excess. Alcohol is a substance that can easily be used to excess, so the Aztecs had five deities connected to alcohol.
Aristotle said that aether is the fifth element. Aristotle described that air is hot and wet, water is cold and wet, earth is cold and dry, and fire is hot and dry. But Aristotle stated that the aether is hot, cold, wet, and dry. The fourth quadrant is always transcendent, but the fifth quadrant is ultra transcendent.
The fifth quadrant is also divine. The fifth quadrant is God. Aristotle said that the stars are made up of aether. Every culture in the world saw the stars as divine. Every culture saw the stars as their main deities.
The fifth quadrant is God, but the fifth quadrant is also questionable. People question if there is a God. In terms of the four forces of physics, the fifth force, quintessential force, is questionable. Physicists are not sure if it exists. Many physicists think it exists, but it is questionable if it does. The fourth quadrant is transcendent. The fifth quadrant is ultra transcendent.
Also, the fourth quadrant always indicates the nature of the fifth quadrant. For instance, fire is similar to Aether. Both are extraordinary and sort of have a divine quality. The fourth quadrant and the fifth quadrant are divine, and represent a sort of transcendence of the first three quadrants which are more normal.
Aristotle’s four elements
Air- hot and wet
Earth- cold and dry
Water- cold and wet
Fire- hot and dry
Aether- hot cold wet and dry
The Hindus worship the AUM. The Mandukya Upanishad says that the AUM is the supreme God. According to the Mandukya Upanishad the AUM is a fourfold sound. The A is the god Brahma and is creation. The first quadrant is characteristically the most non physical. Creation implies the least physicality. A is the first quadrant. The U is the God Vishnu. Vishnu is the “sustainer”. The second quadrant is linked with homeostasis and maintenance. Vishnu is the preserver God. The M is Shiva. Shiva is the destroyer God. The third quadrant has the quality of being “bad”. It is action/doing. A lot of times religions denigrate “activity”, and they uphold “stillness”, and the mental. The third quadrant is always seen as bad. The Mandukya Upanishad also says there is a fourth component of the AUM, a silence that engulfs the first three quadrants. The fourth quadrant is always transcendent, and different than the other three, but also tends to absorb the other three. It often has qualities of the first three quadrants, but goes beyond them in such a way that it is much different from them and does not seem to belong with them.
Hindu Aum
A- Brahma- creator
M- Shiva- destroyer
U- Vishnu- sustainer
Silence
0 notes
softlyjiminie · 4 years
Text
to hold a dragon’s heart | k.t.h
Tumblr media
⇢ pairing(s): dragon prince!kim taehyung x warrior princess!reader,
⇢ word count: 19.1K.
⇢ rating: 18+, mature.
⇢ genre: smut, angst, fluff,  forbidden romance, dragon shifter!au, royalty!au, enemies to lovers!au.
⇢ summary: two kingdoms, two hearts and the world between them. your whole life has been a challenge,  never an easy moment on your road to becoming queen but will one decision, one encounter with the man you were destined to hate, change the fate of your worlds, forever?
⇢ warning(s): please read! major character death, violence ( torture scenes + fight scenes ), war, cursing, alocholism, unrequited love, arranged marriages, failing marriages,  imprinting, painful sickness, unexpected pregnancies, slight prejudice against mythical creatures and women, heavy smut, unprotected sex ( please wear protection ) , virgin + dom!taehyung, virgin + sub!reader, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, oral sex ( male + female recieving ), nipple play, light degredation + dirty talk, breeding kink, cumplay, creaming, cunnilingus, slight exhibitionism, male masturbation,   taehyung has a two-headed penis (with spines), teaehyung has charcoal flavoured cum— i may have gotton carried away…
⇢ author’s note(s): hello everyone! this is my contribution to the @ficswithluv​ Love Library project! i was a part of the fantasy category with @jamaisjoons​ !! i worked really hard on this fic, and it’s probably my biggest work, i’m so proud of it so i really really hope you guys enjoy and leave some feedback <3
⇢special mention(s): i would like to thank my baby, miss gia of @fantasybangtan​ for helping me muse and giving me inspiration to complete this fic, as well as giving me feedback on this hefty boy n making it’s beautiful banner !! ( also i named the sea after you ) anddd my little babie @fantasyjoon​ for letting me name a kingdom after her teehee. I wuv u guys <3
Tumblr media
two kingdoms, two hearts and the world between them. your whole life has been a challenge,  never an easy moment on your road to becoming queen but will one decision, one encounter with the man you were destined to hate, change the fate of your worlds, forever?
on opposing sides of the enchanted forest, lay two kingdoms. one, painted with magic and mystery, from the soils to the creatures that rules the skies. the other, a land blessed with human life, cultivation and opportunity.
the Avalerian dynasty, land of the mystical and the Phantis empire, land of the man. both peaceful kingdoms, until war struck.
when you were young and with a curious mind, when tales of battle between warrior and warlock were used to put your infant heart to rest, you would ask questions. many of them, but one always seemed to snub the minds of your elders. 
“why do we fight the war? why did it start?” you would beam curiously up at your mother, Queen aadaya. she was a beauty, hair dipped in the white snows of the Huntcan tip mountains, laced with the silver moon at its highest. her skin was smooth, illuminated by starlight and her heart, as pure as any gold. but queen aadaya was a warrior, trained in the arts of her people, like her mother and her grandmother before that. she had hoped to one day, train yourself and your siblings as well.
your mother shuffled over on the bed, squishing your eldest brother, hoseok and yourself, while pulling your younger sister—tamarae, into your lap. 
you remember so clearly, your mother tilting her moon crescent eyes and brushing back the hair on your face. “we fight for safety, of you and all children.”
lies.
you had yet to learn, as a naive little five year old, what war could do to innocents such as your mother. such as your people. war was not kind to anyone it met, it’s  raging scent of death and decay and blood reaching every corner of your once ethereal home until nothing was left. nothing but sadness, loss and a hole in your heart. 
you lost your mother by order of assassination on the night of your eighteenth birthday. they say, as a revenge attack, for the death of the dragon king but it was then that you learned that war took no prisoners, it had no mercy. war was not like the lullabies and stories your mother told. that day, the kingdom mourned the loss of their queen, and you mourned the loss of your mother, the safety she promised, a lie on the ghost of her lips. 
hoseok was drafted into the war not a year later, his own doing. he trained hard but not as good as yourself, you would joke. he was to keep hold on some land by elvin territory and whilst it wasn’t much, it was everything to your brother. hoseok could do something to avenge his mother. the day before his deployment, you sat with your siblings on your bed like you would as children, sneaking snacks from the chef’s daughter that hoseok promised to wed on his return. the three of you giggled and smiled and reminisced, ending the night with tears and tight grips on each other, praying that your family would be together again.
years later, you sit aged twenty one in front of the royal court. with hoseok gone and your father unfit to rule, you were next in line to inherit your mother’s throne. the chair itself, towering with a twisted golden design, was forged from the molten treasures of the dragons themselves. tamarae sits to your left, poised in a lesser dramatic chair and gown and to the right of you, your advisor, jungkook.
“why have you come?” your voice drifts through the throne room, eyes narrow on the pathetic excuse for a man before you. your father rises from his kneel, watching you with pleading eyes. in the years between now and your mother’s death, any relationship with your father had dwindled. he grew power hungry, gambling away any riches in hoping what he earned would replace the loss in his heart. he drunk whatever he could find, rendering himself ill. you often wondered why your mother ever allowed such a man to father her children. 
“i come, with but a suggestion, daughter.”
tamarae looks to you, worry struck on her young, delicate features. yet, your steely gaze remains in line with your father’s, an anger brewing in your stomach. it was not uncommon for your father to want to challenge you in front of the court, undermine your power as you made your road to queen. you had yet to prove yourself, according to the court but you hand an inkling feeling that was your father’s doing.
 “a suggestion, pray tell?” you jest, replacing your glare for a delicate smile. a giggle bubbles from your lips, making the lords and ladies flinch. “my people and armies are fed, the livestock and farms are thriving, we have hold on all land claimed by men and yet, dearest father, you continue to doubt me.” like your mother, you had many who doubted your role as a women in power, you learned to be kind but ruthless, in order to survive. 
the man himself, withered to the bone with sagging old eyes and a wheeze in his chest, rises from his knees with a dark glint in his eye. “my grace, whilst i mean you no disrespect, but by royal decree you are still unfit to rule,” he explains, gesturing to the court with wide arms. “you lack one thing.” 
narrowing your eyes, you lean forward in your throne as your jewellery glitters and rustles around your neck. the tension in the room is thick, a knife would barely be able to cut it, “like, what?” 
“a king.” 
you rip your body from your seat, sister following suit along with your royal guard. how dare he? the sick man, run along and say you needed a king to help guide you as queen. your mother had managed just fine on her own, taking the throne from a young age and resisting the temptation of men. until she met your father, a lowly bread maker and made him the man he is today. 
he had always envied her power, much as he did with yours. 
“a king? a king like you? pathetic and on his knees like the drunk bastard he is. i digress,” you seethe, much to the amusement of your court. but your father knows your wit, knows your weakness, after all he is the man who raised you. 
“it is by royal law, for a young queen to marry, my dearest YN...” the man begins, tilting his head up at you as he basks in the support of the lords and ladies around him. “and if you want to prove yourself worthy to the court, i suggest you start, with accepting a suitor.” 
“ridiculous!” 
an advisor from beside you, the predecessor to jungkook, steps forward wordlessly and blinks to you as if he’s asking permission to speak. “with all do respect, your highness, your father does have a point...it is required of you by law to...” 
their words are silenced with a quick glare, your nostrils are flaring from how angry you are and suddenly the blue silk gown that you wear is too tight and too fitting. tamarae places a hand on your shoulder to help calm your nerves, your little sister had always been in tune with your emotions, much like your mother had.  the young princess even resembled the queen, with tumbling wisps of snow white hair and kind eyes. 
“breathe,” she whispers to you, helping you fix your poise. “you’re doing just fine.” 
standing up talk, you ease your shoulders and smile smugly at your father. “since the men of this room, seem to doubt my ability to lead... i will prove the council before me, wrong,” your grin only widens when they ask you how, and you feel your sister’s worrisome stare burning into your cheeks. “by bringing you the heart of a dragon.” 
“don’t be ridiculous, your highness!” 
a lord from goodness knows what county calls, you only roll your eyes, making your way down the steps to pass your father smugly. the court has broken into a series of whispers, anxious, excited and concerned. the men around you have grown complacent, too comfortable with the idea of overthrowing you and making you weak. 
“silence!” you bellow, turning to address every being in the room. you hum in satisfaction as the quieten down, letting your mantle made of the finest cotton, trail behind you. “no man, no king has ever brought the heart of the dragon to this kingdom. if i am to prove myself worthy to you, then this is how it shall be. laugh if you must, doubt me if you will. but i was born and raised a warrior and in my mother’s footsteps, i shall follow.”
with that, the meeting is concluded and your father is left gobsmacked, once again. 
Tumblr media
“don’t do anything stupid, YN,” tamarae mumbles to you that evening. you stand in her quarters, dressed in traditional fighting gear. the pants are a dark grey, patterned with swirls of a lily flower and embroider with your kingdom’s emblem of a crystal lily. the top matches, only this time you wear padding to ensure your protection. “and make sure you don’t get hurt.” 
you scoff, shuffling on a cloak and pulling the hood over your head to disguise your face. royalty wasn’t allowed out of the palace after dark, due to the risk of unexpected assassination. the council put the law into place after the tragic loss of their beloved queen. “as if I’d ever allow myself to experience any form of pain.” you tut, twirling around to locate your sword.
the weapon had been a gift from your mother, on the day of your eighteenth. she had deemed you a  worthy warrior, fit for battle after many years of training. it was a shame that she would not be able to see  you use it now. 
“you know what i mean, YN,” your younger sister sighs, pushing herself to stand and handing you the sheathed sword. a bright smile pulls at your lips and you lean down to press a kiss into her moonlit hair. “what if you don’t bring back the dragon heart? you’ll call yourself a fool and beat yourself up about it.”
“i won’t, i promise,” you hum, shaking your head down at tamarae. she was young and she worried for your recklessness, much like a mother would for her child. guilt was deepset within you, despising how your sister grew up barely remembering the woman who gave her life. “now if anyone asks...” 
“you wish not to be disturbed.” tamarae gives you a soft smile, manoeuvring her hands to grip yours. she gives them a gentle squeeze before backing away.
you give your sister a quick nod of the head before sliding out of her window and slipping into the night. 
Tumblr media
the enchanted, Mailtaria forest was nothing like you had imagined. 
according to fairy tails, it was full of beasts and blood and gore but instead, you found twisted oak trees forming the shapes of hearts, soil that illuminated beneath your feet. the air was crisp, yet some how, warming and scented with the faintest of flowers. 
roses. 
you know in your heart, that if the war was nothing but a myth, yourself and your siblings could play here for hours on end as children. as you walk, your mind drifts to hoseok, wondering if he’s safe. the eldest of your siblings had been determined to fight the war ever since your mother’s passing, a headstrong boy who was fast on his feet but not with his mind. 
the crack of a snapping branch in the distance kicks your senses into overdrive, making you duck in anticipation of a sudden attack. with a hand hovering over the sheath of your sword, you inhale deeply through your nose to keep your heart rate steady. there is no time for nerves, YN, no time for hesitance. 
dragons were not creatures of remorse. 
you ease yourself out of the bushes, mindful of the ruffling leaves that glow with some kind of fluorescence, magic that you’d not once laid your eyes on in your entire life. had you not been in the deep wood of the enchanted forest, to find and kill the dragon prince, you would have admired them more. 
“why do you come, bearing a weapon?” 
perhaps you may have spent too long, admiring the glistening petals.
you gasp, whipping out your sword and holding its point to the throat of the boy before you. slowly, your eyes trail upwards, shock connecting in your irises as you realise that he’s...floating. the boy has the hair of the silver moon, eyes as deep blue as the rough and raging Gialara seas, his lips are the colour of a blood rose with small and pearlescent fangs resting comfortably against their plumpness. he also wears a loose silk shirt that hangs simply from one shoulder, exposing his pale and slightly scaled skin. his pants are also lose, black in colour like the night sky to match his shirt. you note, that while he floats upside down, head tilted back towards you and body arched, he is also barefoot. 
this must’ve been him, this must’ve been. “the dragon prince,” you hum cooly, steeling your eyes and reaffirming your stance. “i’m here to kill you.” your brows furrow in concentration, and the boy’s, in confusion. the dragon prince, pushes his bottom lip into a pout as he twists his body to face you fully. he sets himself down, against the plush grass and uses a single finger to flick your sword to the side. 
“you have found me, yes,” the boy nods, giving you a tilted and faint smirk after his curious stare fades away. “i am kim taehyung, son of Veles and prince of the dragons...” the dragon watches as your stance falters, mouth open in shock at his strength to manipulate your mother’s sword. your palms begin to sweat at the sound of his full title, the name of the dragon king reminding you of the loss of your mother. “and i know, you will not kill me. i sense your being is far too compassionate to kill a living thing.”
you huff, dropping your arms and sending the vile thing a seething scowl. “you don’t know a thing about me-“ 
“my apologies, princess YN, i’m afraid i don’t,” taehyung interrupts you, stepping forward to inspect you closely. it was almost as if he had never seen a human before, but then again he was nothing like what you expected, especially in a dragon prince. before you can blink, you have been cornered into a tree, completely vulnerable and in the open. if he wanted to, taehyung could kill you right then and there, for the first time that night, a sprinkle of fear and adrenaline pumps it’s way through your veins. you  glance up at the regal creature, shocked that he even knew such detail about yourself and bite your lip. “in that case, might you enlighten me as to, why you seek to take my life?”
taehyung is not what you expected at all, the question bouncing softly from his lips, as you begin to loosen up. his eyes shift to yellow under the light and you start to feel warm, as if you can trust him. “my father wants proof, that i would make a great and honourable Queen.” you explain bluntly, unsure of why the words feel foreign when mentioning it.
“interesting,” the prince comments, quirking  a brow and smirking down at you as he rises off of his feet. “humans and their need for death and honour, i will never understand.” 
and with that, taehyung disappears into the darkness of the forest. a chill runs up your spine, confused at your meeting but left wondering, what more was there to the dragon prince?
Tumblr media
“...and then there’s the marriage proposal from prince seokjin, from the shatus kingdom overseas, would you like me to accept or deny?” jungkook drawls, feeling accomplished as he skips over the final sentence with a light frown. his heart clenches, but he doesn’t say anything further.
“yes, very good jungkook.” 
“YN...”
“mhm...”
jungkook sighs, closing his book before tucking it under his arm for safety. he wouldn’t have been so annoyed if you were at least, half listening to him. tapping his foot in annoyance, the young advisor furrowed his brow deeply. “well in that case, i’ll spread word to  the royal bakers that you will be requesting a cake made of pigs slop for the wedding party?” 
“sounds wonderful,” 
“...we’ll even give out small favours of their droppings too...”
“i’m sure the dukes and duchesses would love that, jeongguk...”
“i’m sure the whole kingdom would be delighted to know that you’re marrying kim seokjin.” 
you slam your palms down on the windows, whipping your head to look at jungkook in shock. an amused grin tugs at his lips, as he approaches you to ruffle your hair fondly. now you were paying attention. “i will do no such thing!” you protest, pink painted lips forming a pout as you make an effort you lay down your tundra of wild locks. “me? marriage? what a preposterous idea. i should have you executed for that.” 
“maybe now, you’ll learn to listen to me, your highness?” the raven haired boy titters, giving you an exaggerated bow. “you could never do such a thing to your oldest friend, YN.” yourself and jungkook had been acquainted ever since you could walk, a beautiful friendship blossoming over the many years. his father, had been your mother’s most trusted advisor during the war, he too passing away after the loss of your queen. it seemed that fate had its own twisted way of keeping yourself and jungkook together, for he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, much like you.
shaking your head, you push at his shoulders with a hidden grin and listen to the chime of his medallions as he sways. the silver lily on his chest, the symbol of the royal court, glistens much like the eyes of the man you met last night. taehyung’s beauty had entranced you so much, that the task at hand had been forgotten. of course, no one in the castle expected you to bring the head of a dragon back straight away...but something in you longed to see the awe, the shock and the respect on their faces when you did. they would learn to see you as their queen. 
but something about taehyung, made you weak in the knees. an inexplainable feeling, a shy tint to your cheeks and a beat in your heart. he was different, not at all what you expected. walking away from jungkook, you pivot on your heel, the flush to your cheeks becoming more obvious by the second. “there will be no more marriage proposals from now on, jungkook. make that clear to the neighbouring kingdoms.” you remark, nodding your head with the wisps of a smile against your lips. 
one of things, about having known you so long, is that jungkook could read you like an open book. the advisor could tell you were distracted, softer. it was almost as if his soon-to-be queen’s resistant and hard exterior had crumbled. this wasn’t your usual rejection of proposal, whereby you would growl and grumble so much so that the Huntcan tip mountains would quake in your presence. no, this was much like the time where the baker’s eldest son, yoongi, had snuck some treats up to your room when you were children. you had developed an infatuation for yoongi throughout your early teenage years, until he left the kingdom to open his own bakery, kissing you behind the rose bush in the royal garden on the night before he left. 
this was fascination, this was admiration. “you like someone,” jungkook teases lightly, a knowing smile tickling at the corners of his lips. “did you find a compatible suitor, is that it?” 
“the throne is my only object of affection,” you sigh, zealously. you twirled, a bright twinkle igniting stars in your eyes as the thought of taehyung’s silver lined ones and you can feel the excitement build in your veins. “a suitor? perhaps not,” the corner of your lips twitch up into a mischievous grin. “but the throne...it is a rather large one, is it not? awfully big for just one person.” 
jungkook raises an eyebrow, seemingly unimpressed while his jaw tightens and his tongue pokes into his cheek. “i see, i’ll be sure to have the staff engage in some...extensive cleaning of the throne room. we can’t have her highness leaving messes.” he states, lips falling into a flat line. tilting your head, the glint in your eye dissipates and thick somber feeling fills the room. 
“jeonggukie?” you question with a quiet voice, swallowing thickly at his unexpected change in mood. 
the advisor shakes his head, tussled locks falling over his eyes. jungkook turns, shrugging with the book still tucked under his arms, prepared to leave the room. “if i may be excused, princess, i have duties to attend to.” 
“ah yes, of course...duties.” the whisper falls from between your lips, as you watch him go with an aching chest.
Tumblr media
the view at castle ashwyn was one not to be taken for granted. the skies were daubed with gradients of apricot, papaya whip, and cherry blossom pink with dusting of baby power white as cotton candy clouds. the breeze was fresh, tinted with mint and rose, carrying the scents of the many flowers that twirled along the turquoise marble pillars of the castle. 
the grass outside was freshly cut all the way up to the village, where creatures of all kind walked amongst each other. pixies, werewolves, elves and all, living together in harmony and if you squinted hard enough, over the towering trees, you could see where they lived. the humans. 
taehyung hated it. 
the sickly sweetness that constantly surrounded himself and his people, where all that was in the human world was death, despair, greed and power imbalances. he hated the falsities that engulfed his father’s death, how everyone pretended. 
that there was no life of suffering outside of his own.  
it was beautiful here, life touched every corner to cover the illusion of the war beyond these walls. the prince felt trapped. he wanted to break free of all expectations, experience the world and see the legends he had been told as a child. taehyung was not a fool to the whispers, the taunts and teases from the royal courts. they had always doubted him for his optimistic view on the simple things, on them, for humans had taken his father and so he was destined to resent them for the rest of his life. 
“taehyung, my love, what preys on your mind today?” 
taehyung’s mother, the dragon queen, was a soft spoken and wise woman. ever since the death of his father, there had been many attempts to overthrow her from many kinds...including the sirens. and yet, they never once succeed as only royalty of dragon’s blood can bestow the crown. dragons had ruled the land of the Avalerian dynasty since the dawn of time, forging the first crown from the molten minerals buried deep beneath the castle’s soils. they were the most powerful of all creatures, dominating the earth as their large majestic forms but the dragons were also prime game for hunting, their scales and horns could go for up to a hundred gold coins. so the dragons learned to adapt, becoming shifters with a half human form, this allowed them to retain their abilities as dragons whilst allowing them to walk free amongst the humans.
the queen was stunning, and perhaps that is where the young prince inherited his charming look. her scales were of a deep cherry, shimmering under the lights like the brightest of diamonds. her black hair had curled tendrils that spiralled down her back and her skin was tanned by the golden suns of apollo. with piercing, aquatic eyes, queen elantris tilts her head to look at her son, she had always known his shifts in mood and thanked her maternal instinct for being able to read her ominous child.
“it’s nothing, your highness,” the young prince muses simply, turning to his mother with soft eyes and an awkward smile. smiling fondly, elantris shook her head and approached her son, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. her tail swishes behind her, in her half shifted state, the castle being too small to accommodate for the large size of royally bred dragons. taehyung spares a glance to the older, and shorter woman, squinting carefully to see the diamond-slit irises in her yellowing eyes. it was almost laughable at how well dragons were able to shift between states, taking on a human form is completely desired. that is how they killed the human king. mastering the art of disguise. “perhaps, i am exhausted, i had a rather gruelling night.” 
“deep in thought again, my love dear?” elantris chuckles, brushing back  the fading ashy locks from her son’s forehead. taehyung sucks in a calmed breath, closing his eyes at his mothers warm touch and allows himself to shift too. he is much more relieved to have is tail free, blackened and swishing behind him. his ears become pointed and irises shift into diamond slits. elantris beams as her child transforms. “you’ve been keeping yourself hidden, i see.” 
“i needed to be out, some fresh air to clear the mind, mother...” the prince whines and stretches, shivering as his ash scales form over his skin and hair fades from grey to black. 
taehyung pouts under the gaze of his mother, what a sight to see. the most regal prince, pouting under the amused gaze of his parent. “away with your thoughts, as you always have been, my prince...” elantris lilts and lets go of the boy, moving towards her seat on the throne. the seat itself is glorious, spiralling toward the ceiling with peaks in its molten crystal. “what preys on your mind?” 
the young dragon, ruffling out his hair and adjusting his clothes. he wears a jewelled black jacket, a gradient of white pearls to obsidian diamonds. he adorns a fitting pair of black pants and boots with heels. taehyung shift his gaze to the diluting pink skies above and breathes heavily. “humans...why is that we despise them?” 
taehyung’s mother sucks in a breath,  tongue swiping over the ruby of her lips. the prince turns his body to look at the queen properly, tilting is head and poking his own tongue into his cheek as he eases a brow, awaiting his mother’s answer. “dragons are stubborn creatures, most unforgiving...it is not easy for us to forget,” elantris explains noncommittally, keeping her voice study and demeanour controlled.
“what is there to be forgotten? how did this all start?” 
“that is what we have yet to learn my son, this conflict has been raging on for centuries now, words and swords alike...twisted,” the dragon queen pauses, looking her son directly in the eye. “twisted into lies and fatalities...”
“and so...we fight?” taehyung prompts, his stomach bubbling with unease at his mother’s cryptic words. 
elantris nods, head held high. “and so, we fight.” 
Tumblr media
“you are forgiven, you know.” 
you look up from your flower crown, fluorescent roses and tiger lillies woven together by their grass green stems and frown. taehyung is sitting in the trees, his hair is now the colour of a teal tinged with blue while his eyes simmered a warm amber in the cool night. 
meeting taehyung had been nothing but a coincidence, yet you found yourself becoming grateful for your accidental meetings. the clearing you shared with him had followed you to your dreams, being with him under the moonlight now brought you to ease.
“forgive me for what? do tell.” you probe tartly and turn your body in the grass to ask why. the dragon prince drops from the tree and you screw your eyes shut in fear of hearing the sickening crunch that often accompanies broken bones. but instead the prince floats above you, face but mere inches from yours as a taunting smirk touches lightly at his lips. a rosey hue tickles the apples of your cheeks as you look away, cursing the creature from under your breath. 
taehyung smiles and settles himself on the ground, sinking to his knees to aid you in making some flower crowns. “for being human,” the dragon shrugs nonchalantly and picks up a completed crown, leaning forward to place it stop your hair. his lips are a breaths width from your skin, and a warmth bubbles in your chest at the prospect of feeling them against yours, eyes closing. when you open them, you gasp at the proximity of they prince, blinking rapidly and blushing. he’s so close that it seems like he was watching you. “mother says dragons must learn to be forgiving. so here i am, forgiving you.” 
“what makes you think, that you are not required to seek my forgivenesses well?” you counter as a slight aggression weaves it’s way into your question, tilting your head upwards with stern eyes. taehyung bites his lip, slit tongue poking out to wet them at their swell. “should you not owe it to me? while my people die fighting against your best men, do you not believe that an apology from yourself, would be quite fitting?” 
you chose this moment to shuffle away from taehyung, turning to face the trees
in the distance as you pat the heat away from your cheeks. “your people have magic, powers. and mine? nothing but a bare chest, swords and a shield. yet, you do not hear me forcing the forgiveness of my people upon you,” you point out— almost too harshly, twirling a piece of grass between your fingers. “you sit, protected in your realm while only your most powerful touch the bloodied soils. you kill, as do i. i do not seek your forgiveness, but the life of my people instead. the life of young boys,” a pause in your speech allows your mind to flicker back to hoseok, your fingers how clenching the grass within your disgust. “barely fit to fight, that are drafted into the war. women and children who are torn apart. please, forgive me, for not wanting to accept your so called forgiveness.”
“how do you know this? that we only send out best?” taehyung queries nervously, his tone quiet as his feet come into your blurry field of view. he senses in his chest that you’re hurt, scared and in pain. this is what the war did, not to his people but to the humans. it hurt you. everyone. 
the laugh that passes your lips, is cold and cynical. your eyes possess a glassiness, glittering with fresh tears as you look to taehyung with anger painted against your face. “you have just told me.”  
guilt washes over the dragon as he crouches down before you, placing a finger under your chin to tilt your head up to face him. his thumb brushes the tears that spill from the corner of your eyes as his lips form the words that whisper, “i’m sorry.” 
he is sorry for your pain, he is sorry for the burden that you bare on your shoulders. he is sorry that he cannot make it stop, he is sorry. 
Tumblr media
the following weeks bring you back to the clearing, where taehyung desperately tries to erase his night of ignorance. you would meet nightly, under the sky with glittering constellations and stars that told a thousand and one stories. you were away from the world where lives were torn apart and the cloud of death was ever growing. 
you were alone and happy.
taehyung would show you many of his tricks, how he could birth a flame just by the click of his fingers. how he could make smoke rise from his ears and nose and how the colour of his hair changed with his mood. the prince had become your friend, a regular occurrence to your life that you could not deal without. 
but tonight, you would be prevented from such luxuries. 
the tips of your fingers dabbed lightly at your lips, buffing the ruby red into your flesh. a maid worked by your side, primping and prepping locks of your hair so that they shone under the crystal lights. your makeup was light, yet fierce, shades of mint and green spreading across your eyelids to match the fitting ballroom gown you wore. it was lace that curled into silver lily flowers,  from the shoulders and down to your hips, twisting into a wide tule skirt that was painted with frosted blues and mint green fading into white. a necklace of pure diamonds rested just above your breast,  a matching crown woven into your tamed hair and a pair of earrings, your mother’s earrings to go with. as you sit still, letting the maids pretty you for the evening to come, you recall a time where you would have loved to be in a dress like this. times where your mother would only faintly dust your cheeks with blush whilst your father readied hoseok in the other room. tamarae was but a twinkle in your mother’s eye back then.
the girl in the mirror stares back at you, the trace of queen aadaya on her skin. closing your eyes, you take a deep breath to calm your aching heart and hum in agreement when the doors to your quarters open. tamarae beamed at you as her own maids helped her inside, she was a gown less bold than your own but equally pretty as fuchsia pinks spiralled soft lavenders. dresses like these were reserved for special occasions, to impress guests from outside castle walls, making a sick shiver crawl down your spine at the thought of elder dukes and lords and men vying for the attention of yourself and the young princess. 
of course,  the banquet for tonight was your father’s doing, in an attempt to find you a suitor right away. he claimed that you had failed to prove yourself in the last weeks, with no trace of the dragon’s heart in your possession. so with nothing but the grace of the queens before you, you accepted his invitation to host a banquet.
“you look beautiful, sister...you’ve grown so well,” you stand slowly, lifting your skirts to make your way over to the young princess. she bows her head in a small curtesy for you causing you to chuckle fondly. you allow your finger under her chin to tilt her head up, smiling softly at the girl, the spitting image of your mother. “now now, you are my sister, tamarae. formalities are not required for tonight, even if it is a special event,” you tease with a whisper in her ear, causing the younger to giggle slightly. “for you and i both know we shall be sneaking into the royal kitchen after the night is done!” 
tamarae tucks a white lock of hair behind her ear, giggling happily as her small hands clasp onto yours. “big sister, we both know hoseokie would have made me take watch if he were here,” she remarks in response  and pokes your nose, ignoring the glares of maids who had spent hours perfecting your look. 
as a young adult— becoming a queen, the ballroom was often a reminder of simpler days whereby warm summery breezes wafted through the large french windows, carrying soft scents of the fresh lemons and oranges that grew in the royal gardens. hoseok would have been chasing you down, playing the role of big bad dragon whilst you pulled a fumbling two year old tamarae behind you. your parents would always come running in to save the day, mother playing the knight that took hoseok down and your father the one who saved his two princesses. 
those were happier times, better times.
before you knew it, you were seated on the throne with the best view of the entire room. the ballroom had towering white pillars sprouting like flowers against a mahogany glossed wooden floor, the walls are splashed with an egg-shell blue with small cherry blossoms contrasting against the colour. accents of gold decorate every nook and cranny of the room and the ceiling paints a picture of fairytale creatures dancing amongst the man. men gallop across the hall with blushing ladies in their arm, those who aren’t dancing are stuffing their faces with the array of sweet treats and savoury delights that are positioned precisely against white sheet banquet tables. 
introductions pass without you paying any mind, distracted by thoughts of taehyung whisking you away to your clearing in the forest, playing with the many creatures there. you slip back to reality when a sudden pain spreads across your left rib, making you scowl at the culprit...tamarae. the younger smiles sheepishly and points to the man apparoaching your throne. 
his hair is a soft, candy pink, contrasting with the black blouse and dress pants he wore. when he bows to yourself and your sister, you catch a glimpse of his dark, misty brown eyes and find yourself curious to search them more. “he’s handsome,” tamarae teases you, moving to stand up as he steps forward. her gaze flickers up to your stoic face as she giggles. “don’t you think?” 
“he looks like he’s full of himself.” 
the man eyed you darkly while you held out your hand for him to take. “namjoon, kim namjoon...” his voice sends shivers down your spine, good or bad , you’re not sure. his skin is golden like honey and his tone drips with the same smoothness. “of the Kevimore kingdom.” 
namjoon gives you a dimples smile, taking your hand in his and bringing it to his lush lips for a gentle kiss. tamarae giggles by your side as you watch the man through your lashes, humming in content. it was always nice to see a man bend his will for you. “you may address me, as princess YN of the Phantis Empire,” you say, equally as smoothly whilst you tilt your head to the side. namjoon straightens his posture, bowing in respect. “i do hope you enjoy your stay here, tonight.” 
with your final word, you turn your gaze to the crowd and watch as they twirl about in tune with the orchestra but smile when you catch the eye of your beloved advisor. you had not danced at a ball like this, since you were a child and back then, hoseok had always been your partner but he wasn’t here now, he was fighting a war that wasn’t his. your sister delivers a sharp elbow to your side, causing you to grunt as you ready to scold her into next year. “ahem,” she whispers, jabbing your side again and nodding her head in gesture to namjoon. “he’s still here.” 
“i’m aware,” 
“that means he requires your attention.” 
“attention that i do not have for a man, tamarae.”
“YN, he’s right there!” 
“and he can hear you...” namjoon interjects with a small chuckle, poking his tongue into his cheek while his lips form an amused smirk. he taps his ear while a light flush rises beneath the skin of your cheeks, much to the prince’s delight. 
you duck your head, imagining that the prince before you gets off at the thought of making you blush. “is there anything i can help you with, prince namjoon?” 
he nods once, pink locks falling into his eyes as his dimples smile appears once more. “a dance, with you? my queen?” 
blinking, your lips part in shock. the only person to ever acknowledge you as the soon to be queen was jungkook, and that was often a joke between the two of you. but for a split second, it seemed— that namjoon’s dark, stormy eyes saw past the extravagance and diamonds— and saw you. the queen you were meant to be. 
“she would love to,” you sister answers for you, pushing at your shoulder to force you to stand. you rise to your feet,  unsteady on them and almost toppling forward. namjoon quickly catches you by the arm, offering you an earth shattering smile with dazzling eyes as he chooses that moment to lead you onto the ballroom floor. following namjoon, you turn around and give your younger sister a faux frown, sticking your tongue out at her. the maids around you gasp at your behaviour, while tamarae giggles and mocks your face.
upon reaching the dance floor, namjoon skilfully pulls you into his arms, pressing his chest to yours to guide your steps into the waltz. “you’re light on your feet, are you sure you’re not a dancer?” he chuckles quietly into your ear, making goosebumps arise across the planes of your skin. 
you turn with him, taking the lead from his grasp and smile cheekily. “i’m trained to fight, being light on my feet is part of the battle.” but your grin quickly falls upon seeing jungkook turn away with disappointment, what was going on with him? 
“ah, i see.” the prince falls silent at your words, offering you a quiet noise of agreement as the pace of the music rises and you start to speed up your dance. 
namjoon is a handsome man, his terracotta lips seem warm and inviting, his eyes although dark make you want to lose yourself in him. the prince is tall, at least a head or so taller than you and his arms that hold you are firm and large. namjoon is attractive but...
but he is not taehyung. 
the pink haired prince dips you, face hovering over yours as he takes a moment to tuck a fallen hair behind your ear. your cheeks heat up at his proximity but you swallow down your nerves and stutter out. “n-namjoon...i,” 
“you’re beautiful, my queen,” he says simply, running a thumb over your bottom lips before he pulls you back into his chest. “what i wouldn’t give to have you ruling by my side.”
“e-excuse me?”
“you’d make an excellent wife, YN.” 
gobsmacked, you try to rip yourself away from namjoon but his grip on your waist is too tight and suddenly he no longer looks charming and gentle, a sinister stare taking over his features. “let me go, namjoon. by order of the princess i demand that you let me go!” you scoff at him through gritted teeth still struggling in his grip. “if you believe that flattery will get you my hand in marriage then you are severely mistaken, my prince. i am a queen born to rule without a man, and i shall do so, just fine.” 
namjoon tilts his head in a sympathetic fashion, pressing you closer to him. “oh but princess, we are already on the path to being wed,” he hums, his lips ghosting over yours as you squirm away from his touch. “by order of your father, i am set to marry you three weeks from now, since you failed to bring the head of the dragon prince.” 
“no that’s not, it can’t be...he wouldn’t...he wouldn’t do that,” you mumble, feeling panic rise in your chest and lodge itself in your throat. your perfect world suddenly shatters, your view for the future torn to shreds. your father had sold your soul away to namjoon, who you now saw as a man who yearned for power. “he can’t.”  
“then your father is not the man you believed him to be.” namjoon concludes. “now put on a pretty face and smile for our loyal subjects, my queen.”
you gasp with tears beginning to flood your field of view, your eyes searching in the crowd for someone, anyone to tell you it’s not true. who’s face falls at your wounded expression, he knows, you think. jungkook knew and he didn’t think to tell you. your heart shatters into a million pieces and all you can think is out out out. you need to get out. 
but for now you turn to namjoon and give him a dazzling smile through your tears, as jungkook watches you with a guilty gaze.
Tumblr media
running.
they say that running is able to clear your mind. but instead all of your thoughts and fears ran wildly beside you as you bolted through the forest. you could feel them, all of your worst nightmares crawling up your spine and scratching at your skin as you tumbled through the forest. 
by the time you reach the clearing, you’re clawing at your throat and desperately gasping for air through your choked sobs. you can’t marry namjoon, you won’t marry namjoon. your body trembles with the sobs that wrack your tiny frame, the dress that you wear is suddenly too tight and all you can do is wail for an escape. 
“YN! you have returned, i have to admit i missed you dearly-“ taehyung starts to ramble, just having come from a flight amongst the canopies. the dragon cuts himself off when he notices you collapsing onto your knees and tearing at the dress. “princess YN? YN, are you alright?” he drops to his knees beside you, tilting your head up to look him in the eyes. the prince hates the way your chest is heaving, how a wild panic has spread through your darling eyes. “breathe for me princess, it’s alright, i’ve got you.” 
your eyes stay with his as taehyung coaches you through, his ice like irises calming you down as they watch you with concern. the dragon prince brushes a hand through your hair to soothe you as you hiccup and sniff, attempting to ease your panic. “off, i want it off, all of it...” you grumble moving to tear at your gown. taehyung follows your movements, using a  shifted dragon claw to shred off the remains of your skirt and help you out of the tight fitting corset until all that remains is your sheer and tule petticoat. 
“better?” your companion asks, pulling you into his silk shirt. taehyung is warm, much morse so compared to the cool evening, you remember him explaining that dragons have a heart of coal. meaning that the blood that flows through them is heated and molten. 
you nod shakily and move to hold his hand as a wave of comfort washes over you. “much, thank you taehyung.” 
“are you going to tell me what happened?” the prince presses gently, not wanting you to hold it in. if there was anything taehyung had learned about you in the last few weeks, is that you never had an outlet. you were closed off from the world, locked away and never let anyone see the vulnerable sides of you and yet...you somehow found it in you to trust him. 
nodding slowly, you turn and bury your face into his firm chest, fisting at the silk of his new azure blouse. “my father...” you sigh, letting your breath even out as you stumble to find the words. “he betrayed my trust...he turned the court against me and made them promise me to another man...” you feel taehyung’s breath hitch as his chest moves. quickly, you move to look up at taehyung and all you can think to do is kiss him but you can’t, not when you’re now promised to another. “i don’t love him, i could never be in love with someone so horrible.”
the now raven haired, dragon prince says nothing, instead choosing to squeeze you closer into his broad frame. he doesn’t look at you, mind racing a million miles an hour. you were to be married. and it wouldn’t be to him. so it is with a waking start that taehyung realises he is deeply, sorely in love with you. his chest rumbled at the thought of another man’s hands on you, kissing you and touching you, touching what was his. without meaning to, you place your hands on taehyung’s chest and grab at his attention. his usual ocean eyes flash with yellow and his primal senses are suddenly full of you. all he can see is your face under the light of the moon and stars, all he can feel is your touch on him and all he can smell is the sweet scent of lilies, of you. 
“tae...taehyung?” you whisper, sniffling as you lean up and tilt his head to look at you. “i will be alright, i refuse to let this stop me from seeing you.” 
he ignores your words, pulling you to stand with him. “lets go for a fly.” the prince says with bright eyes, staring at you.
“a fly? taehyung have you lost your mind-?” 
“it’ll be fun, i promise you. it’ll clear your head.” 
you slowly tear yourself from taehyung’s grip, holding your hand to your chest with a nervousness swirling in your stomach. flying. taehyung had told you that he was able to fully transform into a dragon, with all the same abilities as well. he called it shifting, and that meant he was able to breathe fire, roar like a mighty beast and fly. “i’m scared...” you admit, sheepishly. “what if...what if i fall?” 
“do you trust me?” taehyung asks sternly, stepping towards you and holding his hand out for you to take. 
“i...what?” 
“i said, do you trust me?” 
you hesitate before closing your eyes tightly and nodding, taking taehyung’s hand. “i trust you.” 
your eyes remain screwed shut as the crunch of bones fills the unoccupied silence of the woods. you flinch at the sound and the slip of taehyung’s hand from yours, whilst his heaves and groans become growls and roars. away from the warmth of taehyung’s body, you realise how cold the forest is in just your petticoat but you’re shivers are quickly ceased when a puff of hot hair surrounds you and a large head nudges your body. opening your eyes slowly, you gasp at the large beast before you, the taehyung that you know has been replaced with an oblivion black dragon, hints of silver and blue illuminating his scales under the shimmering night sky. the dragon presses it’s head to your hand, making you reach out hesitantly as you stare deep into its amber irises. 
‘do you trust me?’ 
you remember taehyung’s words as the majestic beast bows to you, you chuckle and watch as the dragon moves back, stretching out to spread its wings. you imagine that the wings themselves must be as wide as the west wing of your castle back home. when the dragon returns to his original position, you’re met with a puff of warm air, strong enough to blow locks of your hair away from your face. “impatient creature, aren’t you?” you giggle to yourself and clamber up onto taehyung’s head, making him shake it in response. 
with a deep breath, you hold on tightly to the spines feathering taehyung’s neck and close your eyes once more, listening to the sounds of his wings flap as he lifts you both off of the ground. the next time you open your eyes, you’re up in the air, soaring above the clouds. the pair of you are so high that the colour of the sky fades from a soft pink to the deep blue below, the beginnings of the sun shining in the distance. 
then taehyung makes a nose dive. 
the air rushes through your hair as you squeal, heading face first for the land beneath you. taehyung spirals his body as you throw your hands into the air, squealing loudly with happiness, you can feel every fear and doubt that clogged your mind and body rush away with the wind in your face. the dragon prince evens out his body, spreading his wings as you drift across the night sky, watching the world go by with you above it. you lean forward and rest the palms of your hands on taehyung’s, stroking it lightly as you fly past the stars.
when the clearing reappears in your field of view, taehyung tilts his body and begins the descent through the clouds. he flies low, letting you reach your hand out to touch the glistening water below. “w-woah, tae...taehyung!” you cry in amusement, feeling him shift beneath you, his bones realign as he grows tired and reverts back to his human form. his wings somehow manage to remain as the prince’s familiar face returns and he beams up at you. his wings encircle you as you make a crash landing into the clearing. the pair of you roll and tumble out onto the illuminated grass below you, taehyung’s wings protecting you and softening your fall. you manage to uncurl in his grip, landing beneath him as his palms flatten out by your head to stop himself from crushing you. 
“hi...” you pant, looking up at the dragon prince with glittering eyes. your hand reaches up to touch at taehyung’s soft face, his eyes still golden glowing irises and his curled hair now a faded black. he’s beautiful, he always has been but in this moment, you feel like you have finally see him. you can finally see that you love him.
taehyung looks down at you through hooded eyes, moving to run a thumb over your pinkish bottom lip, his breath uneven from the flight. “hello, my queen.” he says simply, face nearing yours. you feel your lashes against your cheeks as your eyes flutter shut, taehyung nosing your cheeks until his soft lips reach your own. hands in your hair, the prince tilts his head and kisses you. his lips mould perfectly against yours and you can feel your heartbeat wildly in your chest as your arms wrap around his neck and fingers curl in his wavy locks. taehyung kisses you like you’re his, and only his and all you want is to feel is him.
taehyung’s hands use a tentative touch as they slide down to your sides, slipping under your petticoat to smooth over your bare skin. you gasp as his lips venture out into the junction at your neck, curling your fingers in his hair as his hands push further and further up your clothes. he roams your skin like foreign terrain— fingers dipping at peaks and the curve of your body.  “taehyung...” you whimper breathlessly, pushing your head back into the lush grass below. 
the dragon freezes at the sound passing from your lips, moving to pull away. “are you hurt? did i hurt you?” taehyung asks worriedly, honey  eyes boring into your soul. you sit up, confused as you shake your head no, wondering if your eagerness to kiss him has driven him away. “i’ve never...i haven’t done this before...” the ravenette adds, gesturing between you both. never done...what? 
oh...
“been with a women before?” you ask gently, sitting up and leaning your chin on taehyung’s shoulder. you tilt your gaze towards him, smiling softly and move to cup his cheek. “i have never...been with a man either...you would be my first.” you whisper shyly, you had little time for courting as a princess, your royal duties taking up much of your time. but here you were, curled up with taehyung on possibly the most beautiful place on earth, feeling more ready than you had ever been.
“let me have you, if you will?” the prince asks lowly, warm breath fanning over your lips.
“you have me, all of me...” 
that was all it took for taehyung to crash his lips against yours once more, this time his tongue tracing over the seam of your own as he pleads for entrance to your mouth. you happily oblige, welcoming his warm tongue with your own in a battle for dominance, dancing together while his large hands pulled at your under clothes. you arched your back, letting him tug the tule garment off of you and spreading your thighs as he nudged them apart. 
“you’re so beautiful,” taehyung murmurs, pulling back from the kiss to admire you. his amber irises darkened to a dark gold as he drunk in your naked body, leaning down to ghost his lips over your neck. “i want to mark you...” he added, biting down on your supple flesh and sucking hard enough to leave a bruise. “fuck you, breed you. would you like that princess?” he growls. 
you arch your back as his hands come to cup your breast, squeezing them between slender fingers whilst he works a trail of purples down to your chest. “god, please...taehyung!” 
chuckling deeply, using his  dragon abilities, the prince blows a gust of hot air over your left nipple once his mouth reaches its destination. his snake like tongue pokes out to lick a stripe over the perky bud before he takes your breast into his mouth harshly, biting down and letting his primal instincts take over. even if he was a virgin, being a dragon, taehyung was genetically programmed to please during breeding seasons. he knew what he was doing, especially when you moaned aloud. 
a hand slips down your sides and into your panties, circling over your clit to spread your wetness as it glistened under the moonlight. “you’re soaking, my princess,” taehyung hums, still squeezing your breast as he sucked your nectar off of his fingers. “may i taste you?” 
“yes, please...” you gasp.
taehyung raises an unimpressed brow, pinching your nipple causing you to whine. “please what?”
eyes rolling, you moan out the only title you can think of, hoping it will urge the dragon on. “please...my king.”  
the prince with obsidian hair curses under his breath, making quick work of tearing off your panties and shuffling onto his belly on the grass so that he nears your entrance. taehyung spreads your lower lips widely, chuckling at the juices that flow from your flower. “so pretty, petal.” he says, watching you writhe under the night air before locking eyes with you through his curled locks. the air that hits your pulsing heat, is cool but taehyung’s breath is hothothot. his lush lips suckle on your clit before his burning tongue swipes over the length of your pussy, heated from his dragon’s core. taehyung sweeps at any of your sweet nectar that gushes from your hole, humming in content before pushing his tongue past your entrance making you cry from pleasure and curl your fingers in his hair. 
“look at you, absolutely dripping just for your king,” taehyung growls against your burning cunt, the vibrations sending your eyes rolling back in your head. desire burns brightly in the pits of your stomach, as you start to rut your hips into his face, the prince having neglected your wetness in favour of whispering foul words into your thighs. taehyung flicks at your swollen clit, making your legs wobble and threaten to close around his head. not that you would mind the view. “such beautiful sight, baby.” 
he dove his tongue into your tight hole, as arousal fogged your senses and his instincts to your body heightened. the world between your sweet thighs was slick, tasting of the most luxurious of treats to taehyung and he could tell he was becoming addicted to you. a finger slipped past your entrance, along with his tongue, thrusting inside of you and catching on the walls of your pussy. you wriggled against the grass, spread out in the open nature whilst taehyung claimed you with his tongue. “m close, m close!” you squealed when taehyung added another finger, fearing that your high was coming to soon. the prince was giving you pleasure that you had never felt before, that couldn’t be achieved with your own hand or imagination. you weren’t sure that you wanted it to end.
nimble fingers gripped at taehyung’s mop of sooty hair as he lapped faster and faster at your sensitive bud, the knot in your stomach becoming tighter and tighter until suddenly...it snapped. “cum for me, princess, reward your king.” 
white flashes behind your eyes as your release crashes over you, signs of your arousal painting taehyung’s chin and face. he licks over his bottom lip, chest rumbling at the taste of you before he moves between your thighs to and up to your face. he kisses you sweetly, once...twice... allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue before deepening the kiss. the pair of you become a pile of limbs, entangled in the grass as teeth and tongue clash together. your hands wind down the path way of the prince’s body, stopping above his belt loop hesitantly. 
taehyung forces himself to pull away from your onslaught of kisses, pressing his forehead to yours— eyes closing with a pant falling from his lips. “you don’t have to...” he mumbles, lips ghosting over yours while he noses your cheek.
 taehyung’s hair brushes softly over your forehand, his eyes tightly shut away from the world as if, when he sees you again, he won’t be able to control himself. you stare up at him, taking in his every mole and freckle that dots his face. you trust him. “i want to, please— let me, my liege.” you insisted, a neediness sparking in your eyes.
“fuck...the things you do to me, princess,” hisses hotly, his cock twitching in his briefs as you rolled him over. the dragon prince quickly stood, helping position you comfortably on your knees before letting his hands fly to the buckle of his breeches. watching him closely, you felt your mouth water in anticipation— you’d never in your life seen a man in full glory before, let alone a mythical creature such as taehyung. you suspected him to be girthy, but your expectations were exceed as he proceeded to roll down his breeches and undergarments in one. 
taehyung’s cock was not only thick and girthy, but lengthy as well, so big that for a brief second, you were unsure that your own two hands would fit around it, let alone your mouth. your jaw dropped in awe as your eyes observe him. “well...uh, there’s something about us dragon’s that.... that perhaps i failed to mention-“ taehyung but his lip with nervousness, his confident and dominant aura suddenly wavering. 
“you have two heads-“ you blurt out, gaze trained on the second head of his forked member. “there’s two!” 
the prince blushes, running a hand through his curled hair and swallowing thickly. “for mating purposes, it increases the success of a female carrying...” taehyung pauses is breathe explanation, frowning deeply as you touch curiously at his cock. “—carrying offspring, princess.” 
the pet name comes out as some what of a warning, making you smile sheepishly at the man above you. “it’s got spines, taehyung...you cant expect me not to touch you!” you defend yourself,  watching him closely. “it’s hot too.” 
“for pleasure purposes, dragons are also naturally hot.” 
“do you think it will fit? i’ve not been with a man before i-“
seemingly sensing the nerves that stir in your stomach, taehyung leans down to grip your chin and tilts your head upwards to catch your eye. “i’ve got you, petal,” he whispers and presses a light chaste kiss to your lips. “do you trust me?” 
“yes, more than anything.” you breathe, settling back onto your knees as taehyung guides your mouth towards his pulsing cock. your eyes trail up his body as he tugs off his shirt from above you, his skin is glazed with a layer of sweat and desire pours through your system like the molten lava that intertwines with his dragon blood. you imagine that he tastes sweet, like the finest wines of the Ubeozia dynasties. 
leaning forward you shakily take taehyung’s tips past your lips, sucking on it hesitantly while he starts to groan. the dragon sucks in a breath from the night air as you take him further into your mouth, looking up at him with sparkling doe eyes. “you’re doing so well, my darling  princess, so good for me.” he sighs.
his cock his hot against your tongue, forming tingling sensation at your lips while you work on bobbing your head. curses fall out from underneath taehyung’s breathy moans whilst his eyes flash golden like Apollo’s sun. his large hands thread between your loosened locks as they tickle at your exposed shoulders, encouraging you to give him more. 
your hands sit small on the base of his girth, fisting at what you cannot fit making a wetness pool between the apex of your thighs as you think about being stuffed full of him. taehyung lets out a small moan, closing his eyes and throwing his head back to face the stars as he shallowly thrusts his length into your welcoming mouth. your tongue works circles around his cock making taehyung’s fingers curl in your hair, massaging your scalp as he gently pushes your hot mouth further down on his pulsing, red hot cock. 
he hisses and grunts when you’re tongue glides over his slit, abdomen clenching as he feels himself fall into his high. you gasp as the dragon paints your tongue with a smokey release, his cum is a foreign feel against your tongue but brings you satisfaction as he quivers through the after shocks of his orgasm. softly, you let go of his member, sliding your tongue over your bottom lip to capture the rest of his cum— keeping your eyes trained on him. 
“how does it taste?” taehyung asks darkly, sinking into his knees to cup your face.
you hum for a moment, parting your lips gently as his thumb brushes over them. “salty, no...ashy.” you conclude, breathing lightly. taehyung quirks a brow, leaning forward to press a searing kiss to your lips, his tongue swipes over your bottom one as he gradually pushes you back into the lush grass, positioning himself between your legs.
“that’s because our release is fuelled by the fires that burn in our hearts,” the prince explains, pulling away from your lips to whisper in your ear. now that you’ve tasted me, it’s time i mark your beautiful little cunt.” 
you gasp as the tips of his thick cock brush as your entrance, instinctively locking your thighs around his hips. your chest rises and falls with the anticipation of having taehyung, the man you love, claim you. you’re in love, you love taehyung with all your heart and now he was to make you his. sighs of adoration fill the air between you as taehyung slowly pushes into your virgin hole, of course, having more than one tip would make it hurt, but only just— making your nails dig into the skin at taehyung’s shoulder. 
he stops is movements, the prince knows that it will be difficult for your tiny human body to handle his stamina and size, after all, you had already cum once and were nearing exhaustion. “i’m sorry, my petal...my queen, i know it hurts,” he cooes, nosing at your neck to ease the pain. one hand curls in taehyung’s thick locks as he fully enters you with one tip of his cock, the second slowly slipping past the lips of your cunt. the dragon prince drops a hand to your clit, slowly rubbing in circles until the pleasure overrides the sting where you bleed. “you’re doing so well for me, taking all of my cock like the good queen you are.” 
taehyung waits for you to adjust as he continues to lazily flick at your bud, while you slowly start to open up for him like the roses at his mother’s place. “please...move taehyungie...move!” you mewl, throwing your head back into the soft grass as pleasure begins to overwhelm your senses.
the prince smiles down at you, taking in the the twisted look of delight against your delicate features and the curve of your breast as you arch your back. taehyung bottoms out inside of you, gently thrusting his length within your tight, dripping walls and closes his eyes at the sound of your sweet moans. you feel like you were made just for him, for him only and when he opens his eyes, he can’t help but lean down and claim your mouth, slipping his tongue past the barriers of your lips when you part them. 
“look at you, princess, so tight for me— your king,” he praises tenderly against your hips, dropping his face to your neck as you tighten around him involuntarily. “you’re mine, made for me and my cock. you got that princess?” 
“yours, yours my king.” you pant, fingertips dancing across the expanse of your lover’s freckled back.
taehyung deepens his thrusts, the spines on his cock catching against your slick walls as he reaches deeper inside of you. he sucks a little of bruises into your neck, purples, pinks and burgundies painting a picture of his love for you while he works their. your hips lift to match his thrusts, sucking him in as you both move together under the moonlight. the sounds of love filled moans and groans fills the cool air of the forest, long forgotten as taehyung pounds into you, letting you feel every inch of his cock. his grunts send shivers down your spine, making you arch your back into him. taehyung pushes your hips down, pushing his member into your sweet spot causing more of your juicies to gush down your wobbling thighs. 
you bite your lip in an attempt to silence your cries, an unexplainable wave of pleasure coursing through your veins as taehyung yanks your hips down to his. “s’good…please don’ stop,” you slur pathetically into the night, a sheen of sweat dousing your skin, the sound of your desperation making the head’s taehyung’s length twitch inside of you. he wasn’t sure how long he would last, with the way your virgin cunt clamped down on him like a vice. the tightness was almost unbearable, each thrust bringing him closer and closer to the edge. “need you, need you m-my king!” 
taehyung’s mop of hair drops to your collar bones as he bites on them to silence his growls of possession. “fuck me, princess, fuck,” he slurs, his cock swelling as if he’s about to burst. the first head of his member stimulating that special spot, while the other fills your needy hole. “wonder what your courts would say if they saw you like this, princess,” taehyung pants into your neck, one hand sliding between your bodies to stimulate your clit while the other grips your breast, as he leans against you, pressing his hips into yours. “saw their queen spread out for the dragon king so desperate and needy for his dragon cock...fuck baby, what would they say?” 
“t-they’d be ... ashamed!” you squeal, arching your back and lifting your hips to meet taehyung’s thrusts. 
he smirks, fucking into you harder, until you’re full to the brim and you can feel him deep in your womb. “but i wouldn’t be, m’ so proud of my princess for taking me like this...” taehyung pants, looking deep into your eyes, sweaty hair falling over his own amber irises. “cum with me, my love.” 
you grab and pull at taehyung, touching at skin hair and lips as your release starts to creep up on you. the pace of taehyung’s hips never slow but start to become sloppy as your senses become overwhelmed with him. the tips of his cock brush at your spot once more, making you scream with pleasure as the damn finally bursts and you cream on his member, painting him with your release as the first spirts of his cum fill your hole. “taehyung, tae..please,” you cry, soft tears springing in your eyes as he locks his gaze on yours, hips slowing to a grind as he pumps his thick, hot seed inside of you. there’s so much, never ending as his release gathers within your cunt, searingly hot as lewd sounds of your wetness’ mixing fills the air. “i love you...”
your words are barely above a whisper, tears of warmth and happiness spilling from your eyes as taehyung cups your cheeks and swoops down to kiss you lovingly. “i love you so much, more than anything.” he responds, never ending his onslaught of kisses. 
taehyung doesn’t soften inside you, making another wave of neediness wash over your body. he loved you, he loved you just as you did with him. the kisses become sweeter and sweeter, like the finest honey against your tongue and you smile against taehyung’s lips as he lifts you into his arms. “you love me.” it’s more of a statement than a question, but taehyung answers regardless, brushing strands of hair away from your face.
“i will always love you, beyond my dying breath.” 
the dragon scoops you up, carrying you to a nearby tree and leaning back against it, refusing to put you down despite your giggles and protests. you notice, from over his shoulder that moon lillies grow in place of the spot you made love in. “what’s that?” you ask quietly, as taehyung sits, turning you around gently in his lap and barely lifting you from his cock. 
he watches darkly as only small traces of his charcoal black cum seep from your cunt before he follows your gaze to the flowers. “those, moon lillies appear when a dragon has found his or her mate, in place of where they have mates for the first time.” he mumbles shyly, hiding his face in your neck and kissing the back of your shoulder. 
“let’s... let’s make more,” you whisper and admire the flowers that act as a symbol of your love. although your thighs still shake from your last two releases, you pull your hips forward and drag them back against taehyung’s lap, twitching around his length from the overstimulation. your turn your head to face the dragon prince from over your shoulder, watching as his chest heaves with pleasure. “make love to me, dragon king. make love to your queen.” 
taehyung’s hips twitch at your words, the ghost of his fingertips settling on your hips  before gripping them harshly, helping to move you back and forth against his cock. “as you wish my queen,” he mumbles, starting to move his own hips in time with yours. “you’re going to be the death of me, love.” 
taehyung bites down harshly on your shoulder as you begin to mewl, lifting yourself off of your cock and slamming your hips back down. the spines on taehyung’s cock stimulate your spasming, cum soaked walls, catching on each ridge and causing you to shiver. the forest is once more filled with the sound of skin slapping on skin, and a mixture of lost words and moans and ‘i love you’s. you are lost with taehyung, in a world of your own as he claims your cunt over and over again with each thrust. 
you circle your hips, clenching around the thick cock that stretches you open and gasp when one of taehyung’s heads slip out from your tight core. biting your lip, you take a finger and coat it in the remainder of your last orgasms and smear it against taehyung’s tip, thumbing it hardly. the prince groans, hips stuttering as he lets out a loud moan, thrusting into you at a faster pace and circling himself inside of you. “princess, please...fuck me.” 
“forever, my sweet.” you whisper, slapping the head against your cock before pushing it back into your entrance. you rock yourself back and forth, tears of pleasure stinging the corners of your eyes as your sensitive pussy pulses with want. you know, you will not last as long as the previous rounds, indicated by your throbbing clit and collapse forward against taehyung’s legs. the dragon takes this as an opportunity to slap his palm against your bare ass, watching the flesh jiggle at the contact. 
you squeal at the spank, sinking your fingers into the grass as taehyung repeats his ministrations on each of your cheeks. his cock swells with every desperate moan that passes from your lips, stretching your tight cunt open to accommodate for his cum. he wants to breed you, fuck you full of all of his dragon seed and watch your stomach swell at the heavy load. he wants you to have his children. with new found motivation and his orgasm closing in on him, taehyung grabs your hips and forces them down against his cock, slamming into you every time you come down against him. your abused hole drips with newfound wetness and remainders of taehyung’s hot seed as he pushes it further inside of you. 
the pace is wild, and heat flares up between you both as your bodies move together completely uncontrolled. “m gonna cum again...” you gasp as you feel taehyung pound repeatedly into your g-spot. “please, please fill me up.” 
“gonna cum with you princess, gonna breed you with my dragon pups,” taehyung practically whimpers, mumbling an i love you into the air. “gonna fill you up and fuck my cum deep inside you.” he rambles now as his thrusts become erratic. having his length nuzzled inside of you is what pushes taehyung over the edge, beating the feeling of endless hours of pleasuring himself during breeding seasons. he had never held or touched a woman in the way that he did with you. you were his first, and that was what made his heads fill you once more with a heavy load of his seed, shooting further into your cunt as you cream against him once more, pushing your hips down while his cum smears against your clit. “
“taehyungie!” 
you collapse against the grass, panting shakily as taehyung pulls you into his arms again, turning to lay on his side as he pulls you into his chest. he doesn’t remove himself from your body, keeping himself inside you as more of the glowing blue flowers begin to bloom around you. taehyung’s hand settles on your belly as his arms wrap around your waist, rubbing it in circles while he kisses your hair. everything is perfect, just as it is meant to be. you’re in love with the man you had dared yourself to kill, but could now only find it in you to lay with him under the stars. 
“i love you taehyung,” you say for the millionth time that night, drawing patterns into the hand that rests on your stomach. “i won’t ever love anyone else. i am yours and you are mine.” 
“we are one, YN.” taehyung adds, sweetly, holding you closer as you feel yourself start to drift into a sweet slumber. “and i will love you forever.” 
forever. 
you smile at the word, placing his hand over his as you finally fall into sleep. you stay with taehyung, in forest for a night or two, loving each other under the moon.
Tumblr media
“and you will see to it that the dragon is captured and killed, immediately?” 
jungkook hesitates, a pause in the air at the prince’s request. when namjoon and the king had asked the young advisor to follow his queen out into the woods, he had never expected to see what he did. the nights where you would disappear for hours on end, coming home with scorch marks and ruffled hair all seemed to make sense now. you were with the dragon prince, the one who’s heart you had promised to capture. except, only you could not do it, you had been soft in the heart. a trait that lay with your deceased mother. 
jungkook had seen you take round after round of the dragon’s cock, wishing that he could be in place of the beastly creature. he hated how that thing claimed you like he had been trying to for years, he despised how he fisted himself to orgasm behind the trees as he watched you cum for the dragon, moan for the dragon, love for the dragon. jungkook hated himself for betraying you due to his own jealousy, he wanted to see the dragon pay for what it had done to his queen, his love. and although, the advisor was unsure of what namjoon planned to do with the information, jungkook knew the least he could do was set you back on the right path. 
he had already owed you this debt, in where he failed to warn you about namjoon. perhaps, he would make it up to you by freeing you from the dragon’s grip. 
“jungkook...”
“yes my liege, we will send our best troops to their location and have him captured within the next week or so...” the boy explains, rubbing a thumb over his knuckles nervously. why does guilt rein free in his mind? he was doing what was best for you. 
prince namjoon nods proudly, nodding his head and standing from his seat to leave the dining room. the prince had moved into the palace due to your absence over the last three days, presumably to take over rule as your father was too sick to do so. namjoon was brought in to have you wed before your father’s passing but the courts knew you were more than capable of doing so on your own. 
they just hated to see a women in power.
“you are dismissed, jungkook.” 
the young advisor nods his head gratefully, running a hand through his wavy locks and massaging his scalp to calm his guilt ridden mind. “what the fuck, jeon?” he mumbles to himself, starting walk back his quarters. he needed to be a lone, he needed time to convince himself that what he had done was right. jungkook could pretend that everything would be fine and maybe it would be. 
he paces down the twisting and winding halls of the castle, chest squeezing as he begins to feel trapped within the walls and lies. jungkook doesn’t even hear the call of his name. 
“jeongguk!” tamarae gasps, catching up to the young advisor. the boy freezes, the princess much resembled the queen before YN, her features her sloping and graceful and you could see shift in her eye colour of the light hit them just right. everyone had been in awe of tamarae since she was born, but she was no YN. he looks down at the girl, just a year younger than jungkook himself, and parts his lips to speak. they were aquatinted well, but never spoke more than a passing hello when YN was around. 
but he never gets a chance to speak. 
the princess’ hand falls sharply against his cheek, the connection is enough to send his head to the side. it is now, for the first time, that jungkook really looks at the young princess. her snow white hair is dishevelled and slightly out of place, dark eye bags beneath her usually glowing eyes and her skin has paled significantly. “how dare you?” tamarae seethes, stepping closer to jungkook and pointing a finger in his face. he flops guiltily, his actions coming to haunt him. “how dare you, give my sister’s location to that treacherous prince?”
“i’m doing what is in the best interest of our queen.” 
tamarae opens her mouth in shock, casting a glance up and down jungkook’s frame before taking a breath to calm herself. “what would you know about her best interests?” she begins, now poking a thumb into the firm of the advisor’s chest. “she is happy there, out in the woods in her clearing. he makes her happy.” a breath, “— but you’re so foolishly and selfishly in love with her, you would do anything to make her love you back. well, jeon jungkook...now she will never.” 
“tamarae, i—“
“and you slept with me, i let you wrestle me to bed in your quarters and make a woman of me,”  the princess starts to feel tears form in her eyes, breath becoming shaky and anger rising within her chest. “just so...so you could find where she is. i didn’t tell you, for you to hurt her. i told you because you’re her best friend...” 
jungkook is left, trembling with guilt as the princess turns away and heads back in the direction she came. 
he was desperately in love with you, but was too blind to see the love he was given too.
Tumblr media
the feeling beneath taehyung’s skin is nothing like he has ever felt before. it’s a bristling pain that jabs at his flesh, pinches at his every fibre and burning away at his heart. 
it hurts, it pains him and he doesn’t know why. 
the servants strip him of his shirt, sweat licking his honey dipped abs as they douse him with cold spurts of water but nothing helps and the pain doesn’t cease. one places a stick between his teeth for him to clamp down on as they rub at his skin, trying to massage the pain away. instead the supposed, soothing feeling is replaced by a thousand small stabs to his flesh, almost to the point where tears pool in his ocean eyes. 
the double doors to his bedroom open suddenly, Queen elantris making an entrance as maids and servants alike withdraw from the heaving prince. his stares over at his mother as she dismisses all other personnel in the room, dropping his head back into his tangled sheets while he pants, eyes falling shut. 
“mother...”
“shh, my boy, you are in a lot of pain,” elantris hums quietly, brushing her son’s curled charcoal locks from his paling face.  the prince whines like a young dragon pup, the hurt becoming too much to bare. elantris looks down at her child, seizing the moment to rub a cooling herb mix against his chest, despite the growls and roars that emit from taehyung’s lips. she coos at him gently, once she’s done, whispering sweet words into his hair as he shivers in a cold sweat. the dragon queen had seen this once before, never as severe. her child was sick with a deep poison, known as love. 
“what’s happening to me?”
the tone of fear rings in taehyung’s voice as he roars, scales reappearing across his skin and eyes darkening into their golden state. his mother leans down and noses taehyung’s cheek, trying to ease him through the pain and coaches him through it despite the groans he lets out.
“you’ve imprinted, my love,” elantris whispers, linking their hands. “you’re in love, taehyung, with that human girl.” 
the boy gasps through his pain, feeling like a pup being caught stealing from the kitchen like when he was young. taehyung had known that he had always felt strongly towards you, felt strongly for the way your eyes sparkled under the moon and the way your smile shone brightly whenever the dragon had a new trick to show you. taehyung had known, all along, that he was in love with you. “how, how did you know?”
“i could smell her on you, taehyung,” elantris chuckles and releases her child’s hand, helping him to sit. “i may be old but i am not a fool. you have learned to forgive, unlike those of our ancestors. you must go to her, the girl and the closer you are to her, the less pain you will be in.” she hums. “you just go to her.” 
the prince stretches his limbs, a cool slick sliding over his skin. “i will, i love her.” 
Tumblr media
the clearing.
when you thought of the clearing, you thought of happiness and love. your love, with taehyung that bloomed solely under the night of the stars but another that grew strongly inside of you. the news you had for taehyung sent a series of fire works bursting in your chest, coursing through your veins— this could be it, could be what could end all the suffering and consequences, letting yourself and your prince be together. 
the familiar sent of sweet moon lily fills your nostrils, easing your nerves as you approach the clearing, your love. the sky is clear above your head, milky pink like the roses your mother used to weave into your hair. you like to believe, that she would be excited for you, looking down at you from the constellations above with joy.  this was not always your plan, but you would not let this get in your way of becoming queen. 
you take care with your steps, unlike times before this, wearing your traditional warrior fit makes the journey easier.  you want to be careful and prevent any harm to what is to come — but suddenly, the air around you feels different, thick with smoke and heavy with  an eerie vibe. something is off, something is wrong. 
peeking through the leaves you spot several men, heavily armed with swords and arrows, in a uniform you do not recognise. upon closer inspection— you notice the emblem on the crest of a soldier from your kingdom . these are your people, men from your army. 
in your clearing. 
rushing forward, you burst from the trees and slap a hand over your mouth at the site. the dragon prince, fully shifted into his beautiful dragon transformation is hooked to the ground with thick metal chains that rub at his skin. taehyung roars, in pain, in fear, you cannot tell and panic begins to rise in your chest, clawing at your throat and tearing at your insides. 
they had found him.
the beast sniffs the air once, twice, the bones in his back cracking as he fights to stand—pulling the men that held him back, off of the ground. yellowed eyes tilt towards you, barely hidden in your precious spot as the prince tries to rip free and expose you. he could sense your presence, your emotions and desperately needed to be with you, he needed you to know about the imprint. 
but before taehyung can reach you, a guard calls and has you on your knees in a second, many others spearing your lover to get him under control. tears sting in your eyes as the first drops of his blood hit the pure grass beneath your knees, where you had made love for the first time, where you were supposed to be safe. 
“taehyung!” you scream, attempting to rip yourself away from the men, your men... that hold you down. it’s almost as if you can feel every pierce of taehyung’s flesh as he roars out for you. yanking your arm free, you attempt to stand, but your pathway is blocked by a pair of black boots and a talk slender figure.  your wobbling lip turns to a sneer, gaze darkening as you look to him. “you...”
namjoon smirks, kneeling down to your height as your own men hold you down. “hello, my queen,” he hums, eyeing your sweat streaked face and angry expression. the man lifts your chin with his forefinger, tilting your head to look up at you. taehyung’s chest rumbles possessively as the latter male’s hands slip to clip your jaw tightly. “you seem to be right on time, love. you’re about to witness the true harvesting of a dragon heart.” 
a flare of outrage ignites in your chest as you lunge forward, biting at namjoon’s finger so hard that you draw blood, while vexed tears cloud your vision. the pink haired prince pulls back, holding his hand tightly in pain. “unhand me.” you breathe heavily, staring up at the men beside you, holding you down and betraying you. “unhand me by order of your princess.” you muster up a stern expression, although your lip wobbles and your eyes water as the pain of your lover courses through your veins. you had not known it was possible to feel so connected, so in tune with someone before. but you understood now, that this was love. love was not your mother and father arguing during nights, where hoseok would cover yourself and your sister’s ears, love was not tolerating and suppressing your bitter hatred for your father. love was not war. love was taehyung. 
the men look to namjoon for guidance as you thrash within their grip, he simply shakes out his wounded hand and stalking towards you, before landing a harsh slap across your face. your head whips to the side, your chest heaving in shock while your lover growls in the distance.  
“i’m afraid they cannot do that your highness,” namjoon spits, pushing you down into the soil. you clutch at your stomach protectively, glowering at the prince. “you father has handed all authority over to me, after your absence for the last two nights. the court has ruled you, unfit to rule until we marry.” 
the prince then turns to the dragon, signalling for his minions to tighten the chains around taehyung. “and he shall be executed in consequence of your action. for imprinting on our queen, like the filthy creature he is.” 
it feels like your world is collapsing, and you are falling underneath the surface. but you cannot give in, you cannot give namjoon the satisfaction of your favour without a fight. you cannot lose taehyung. you close your eyes and swallow thickly, remembering what your mother had instilled in you. every battle has a way to be won. 
“unhand me,” you repeat, steadying your breath. “and i will go with you willingly.” namjoon only chuckles deeply, shaking his head so you take action. ripping yourself from the men behind you, you kick your leg out and take the men down by swipe their feet out from underneath them. elbowing a soldier in the nose and snatching your sword from its sheath, burying it in the chests of two traitors. rolling your shoulders back, you kick down two more men and stay light on your toes. 
you aim for the prince next. 
taking a running sprint, you thrust your sword towards him, barely slicing his cheek as you pant heavily. “release the dragon, and i will spare you,” you seethe through gritted teeth, watching your wounded lover from over namjoon’s shoulder. “don’t be a foolish man, my prince.” you mock, venomously.
“i see that carrying a child has softened your mindset, princess YN,” namjoon comments softly, pushing the blade away from his throat. how could he know? who could have told him? your confident demeanour falters slightly, but you do not allow yourself to slip, holding up your blade again. “the castle maids talk, you show early signs. disgraceful, how you are willing to bare the child of the beast that killed your mother—“ the prince remains cool and collected whilst your resolve starts to crumble, he wins. taehyung wails for you in the background, weakening as you begin to shake. “you will marry me, tomorrow at sunset if you wish for child to be speared. i feel no remorse for ending two lives tonight.” 
the world around you begins to spin lightly, taehyung calling for you to stay strong. namjoon had won, he had you exactly where he wanted you, and there was nothing more you could do. “very well,” you whisper, dropping your gaze along with your mothers sword. “we shall be wed.”
Tumblr media
you had never been to a wedding, if you had, you may have been too young to remember. sometimes, if you were lucky enough to hear, your mother would tell you of her own, her white dress and wolf furs, her pearl crown imported from across the sea. when she explained to you, brushing your hair and tying it neatly before bed, she had never smiled, never grinned at the thought of a royal feast. her face had always been void. 
you now, realise why. 
today you would marry, to a man you bared no feelings for. today you would marry out of duty and out of the love you had for someone else. you realise, being older and less naive, that your mother, the queen— married your father as a debt to her kingdom. 
“you look beautiful, YN...” your sister offered, taking over for the maid in weaving flowers into your hair. orchids. the national flower of namjoon’s kingdom. the smell was too sweet, sickly to the point where you felt you would heave. they were everywhere, in your hair and your bouquet, in gifts given by royals from other kingdoms— you hated it. a constant reminder of what you had to lose. tamarae notes your silence, stopping her hands that move to fix hair that has already been tucked into place. “please, say something...”
you blink twice in response, parting your lips as if the words will come on their own — but you’re hollow inside, a ghost of who you once were. there were no more tears to cry, or screams to let out. all of those had passed in the cold night, when your sister held you as you cried because your child would grow without the father they needed. because you were going to lose your love. tamarae sinks to her knees before you, creasing the sweet powder blue dress that she wore. her hand take yours, squeezing it gently as if to remind you that you’re still a person, you still feel. 
“you don’t have to do this,” she whispers hoarsely, white hair falling over her face to shield her from the world. her bottom lip trembles as tears slip down her cheeks— she had lost her mother, her brother and now her sister. what more could she lose? “you don’t have to...”
for the first time in hours, you make a movement...your face twitches into a sad smile as you cup your sister’s cheeks and hold her close. tamarae’s face finds the tule of your wedding dress, trying her best not to stain the expensive fabric imported from namjoon’s kingdom, not that you cared much for it. “i have to, for you and for the people. our people. they have lost faith in me, and they need me—“ you swallow sharply, no more tears. “they need me to show them i care for our people, i care for this war...”
“i don’t want to lose you...”
“you won’t.”
the door bursts open, yourself and your sister jumping apart at the sudden entrance. jungkook inhales deeply, eyes flickering between the two princesses before tamarae scoffs and parts ways with you but not before pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.
she shoves past the boy, maids flurrying after her, leaving yourself and the advisor alone. he is the first to speak. “YN, my queen, you’re stunning-“ 
“no,” you interject, looking up at your old friend, coldly. “don’t speak. you don’t get to speak today or i’ll have you executed for treason.” you punctuate your every word, begging yourself to keep it together because if you cry now, jungkook will be the only one to comfort you. your best friend, the man who betrayed you, silences himself, before it’s too late. “you don’t get to say a word, not after what you did to me. not after betraying my trust.” 
“YN, i-“ 
“please,” you hiccup this time, the air in your lungs being sucked away from you with every passing second. jungkook is here to walk you down the isle, towards the man that will only abuse his power of you and your people. jungkook is the reason you are walking this path. “please don’t say anymore. have you not said enough? given away my secrets, out of love you say?” jungkook falters, every fibre in his being screaming out at him to comfort you, but his love for you did this, he destroyed the strong girl he once knew. “then your love is truly misplaced- i have loved you, jeongguk...but only ever as a friend. you used that against my sister, which i truly cannot forgive. so please do not say anymore than you must, for your words only ever hurt us.” 
jungkook bites his lip and nods, offering his arm to you to lead you down to the ceremony. he watches you with sad eyes, but a kind smile, sighing heavily when you return his with a watery one. 
if he had not loved you, this would not have happened. if he had not loved you, he would still have his friend.
Tumblr media
the sun is coloured a shade of honey, ribbons of its light casting a warm hue against your skin. sunsets like this are rare, beautiful and not to be taken for granted— they remind you of sweet days with taehyung, his curled hair buried in your neck and his soft giggle filling the air. sunsets reminded you of your love for taehyung.
you watch the sun dip it’s toes into the navy blue of the water, just behind the prince’s head at the end of the isle. namjoon had wanted a wedding by the sea, with enough room for all of your people along with visitors from kingdoms far away. he wanted sea air and a fresh breeze, he wanted open waters, clear enough to see the dye of taehyung’s blood when he executed the dragon prince after the ceremony. he wanted it all, and you wanted to escape. your stomach twists and turns, as the orchestra begin to strum a wedding tune. this isle was not a path to happiness, but one to your death. 
to the people of your kingdom, saw you as a beautiful bride but you saw yourself as a ghost of a human being. jungkook holds you by the arm, steadying your steps as he walks you towards your doom, your own funeral. your own father couldn’t even give you away, too drunk to even stand. you scowl at him as you pass his pew, accompanied by your sweet sister. 
if you had it your way, it would be taehyung at the end of the isle, dressed in his kingdom’s traditional fits as he gave you that toothy grin. his eyes would light up as your brother gave you away, and your mother’s light shined on you from above. taehyung would take your hand firmly in his, slip on the ring and tell you how much he loved you. the dress that you wore would be off at the end of the night, as you made love to one another. but now, here you were, reaching the dreaded prince namjoon, as he smirked at you greasily. 
jungkook gave you a tight, apologetic squeeze before handing you over to namjoon, shielding his face once he joined the rest of the crowd. your gaze slowly shifts to namjoon, hating the way he looked at you, when the ground beneath your feet starts to shake and you hear the pained cry of your love. “taehyung...” you whisper, standing on your tip toes to find him. over the shoulder of the prince, you spot the dragon shivering from pain behind the alter. 
he spasms in his chains, wrists red and sore whilst purple bruises litter his tanned honey skin. he whimpers our for you, causing tears to well in your eyes. all you can do is watch helplessly as the dragon steadies his laboured breathing. small tears slip down your cheeks, streaming through the layers of make up that you wore— the pink haired prince lowers his lips to your ear level. “take a good look, my princess, for this will be the last chance you will ever get.” the prince chuckles, pouting at you mockingly. 
with watery eyes, you glance back at the dragon prince, watching as he falls weak at namjoon’s proximity to his imprint. the injuries taehyung sustained over the time had weakened his dragon transformation, the scales that patched his skin were becoming dull as he bled from wounds here and there. the only way for him to heal would be to be near you again. 
sucking in a deep breath, you blink away the oncoming tears and replace them with a bright smile. smile for the people, smile for your family. “of course, my king,” you say with wobbling words. be strong, you chant. 
the ceremony begins with namjoon’s consent, rushing by with your mind focused on your lover. he’s hurting, in pain and all you want to do his hold him, ease him through it all. you cannot focus, sick to the stomach of what is to come, will you live out the same fate as your mother?  bare beautiful children from the seed of a hateful man. will he ruin your kingdom? what your mother had worked hard to build? this couldn’t be your legacy. 
“and do you, princess YN LN of the  Phantis empire, take prince namjoon of the Kevimore kingdom— to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health...as long as you both shall live?” the minister’s words fly over your head, your mouth suddenly feeling dry and the air in your lungs no longer present. 
namjoon leans down to whisper into your ear, warningly. “YN...” 
“i-“ you hesitate, saying yes would mean taehyung would be executed sooner and you couldn’t bare to lose the only love you’ve ever had. namjoon’s arms snake around your waist, pulling you into him, causing taehyung to fall to his knees behind your shoulder, ocean eyes full of tears. he can’t lose his soulmate, not now, not ever. “i’m...”
the words formulate on your lips, the pressure weighing down on your shoulders. 
“stop the wedding!” 
you clutch at your chest, relief flooding through you as the crowd turns their attention to the oncoming voice. an armoured soldier and his men, enter the ceremony eliciting gasps and stares of the congregation, you take the opportunity to slip from namjoon’s slimy grip, while they create a distraction. 
“who do you think you are?” namjoon scowls, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at the intruder. “interrupting an officiated ceremony, what authority do you have over a drunken king and his weak daughter?” 
the soldier dismounts from his horse, stepping forward to the middle of the isle and removes his helmet— revealing the similar sloped and heart shaped features of your elder brother. “hoseok,” tamarae calls, stealing the words from your very lips. you watch as your younger sister rushes into his arms, the reunion warming your numbed heart. 
the red heard clutches your sibling close, pressing a kiss to her hair in a protective fashion before glaring daggers into namjoon. if looks could kill the prince would be five miles under. the soldier’s namjoon has under his rein, bend the knee to their rightful prince, giving you time to make a dash for taehyung before he collapses to his side. 
“prince hoseok... what—what are you doing here?”
the man in question raises a brow, ordering his men to take namjoon into custody. “the war is over, with word of my sister’s union with dragon prince-“ hoseok nods his head over to you, smirking as the latter male is brought to his knees in front of the entire court. “— spread across the battle field, man and mythical creature alike have found a way to bring peace,” the eldest sibling makes his way toward the pink haired prince and drawing his sword up to the other’s chin. “and next time...you will think twice before treating my sister, thinking you have power over us all. she is stronger and a much better leader than you will ever be. so stand, take your men and leave before i have your head.” 
namjoon nods vigorously, clearing himself and the ceremony up as you sniff thankfully, turning your attention to the dragon prince. as soon as you hold him in your arms, taehyung collapses, barely breathing as you come into his field of view. his perfect lips are dry and slightly cut, a gash along his brow that will surely scar and purple, burgundy bruises just under his ribs where his wings would be. he looks bad, but your dragon has never looked better. “t-tae...my love, it’s okay..hold on for me, please?” you whisper, brushing his hair back as his eyes flutter open and closed. “please don’t go, don’t leave me now...”
the dragon prince open and closes his mouth, head rolling as you move it into your lap. biting back tears, you brush your curls through his now silver locks, faded from the pain most likely. “don’t leave us, taehyung. don’t you dare.” you add, hoseok ordering servants and men to help give you the medical help that you. you can’t bare to part from your love now, chest heaving with your cries as the dragon slips in and out of consciousness. 
“you’re with a child...” he manages to mumble, gripping your hand tightly as his lips form a slight smile. “i could never leave my soulmate, my imprint behind.” 
your heart lifts, taehyung had told you tales of imprints only once— when his mother and father met, they couldn’t stand to be away from one another... in far too much pain. the story helped you believe in love. an imprint is when a dragon finds their mate, their one true love...and taehyung had found that in you. 
“i love you, taehyung.” 
“and i, love you.” 
you let go of his hand, allowing hoseok’s men to whisk your dragon prince away before going to reunite with your siblings. pulling off your veil, you open your arms to join hoseok and tamarae’s hug, nuzzling into them. “we’ll be okay, right?” your little sister asks, nearing tears.  this would be the first time, the three of you have held each other since hoseok left for war.
“we will be,” your brother promises, kissing your hair sweetly. “we always will be.” 
Tumblr media
a year later, you find yourself dressed in another gown. the same fabric as your mother’s from her own coronation, emerald green silk made by those in the village embroiled with crystals from the caves of taehyung’s very own kingdom. your smile shines brightly as your younger sister fixes your hair around the crown you wear, diamond encrusted, silver plated, like the one your mother was. “sister, if you don’t stop moving, you’re going to miss your presentation to the public,” tamarae scolds you, stepping back when she’s finished with her work. “as queen.” 
“queen— that does sound delightful, don’t you think?” you tease, touching at your makeup gently before snaking your lips. tamarae rolls her eyes and pushes your shoulder gently, mumbling something about seeing you out there. over the course of the year, your father had stepped down from his position in the court allowing you to take the lead on your path to queen while you and taehyung reunified the human and magic worlds. after he recovered, you married taehyung in the dead of the night, under the stars in his kingdom, with blessing from his mother and today, you had finally been coronated as queen. 
“incoming!” a voice called, bringing a babbling baby into the room. your smile widened as jimin, the Phoenix and taehyung’s most trusted advisor stepped in, bringing over your daughter of three months. “taehyung is being dressed at the moment, hoseok is doing a cover of the grounds and jungkook,” jimin lists— adjusting cahira, your baby, in your arms. her name meaning, warrior. “he’s setting up things out front on the balcony.” 
“thank you, jimin,” you nod, bouncing your sweet girl before dismissing your husband’s advisor. 
after namjoon was punished for an attempt at overthrow, you managed to salvage your friendship with jungkook, only to the distain of your husband (it took several growling matches and attempts to calm him down before he let your advisor anywhere near you). but nonetheless, you couldn’t help but turn to mush as you watched over your baby, cahira’s eyes were large and bright like yours, taking on the blue colour of taehyung’s. her black hair was curled, with a patch of white from your mother’s side. her nose was most definitely yours, however. taehyung said that from her early months, it was impossible to tell whether she would show traits of a dragon or not, you would have to wait until her first tooth to see. 
but you knew, just by looking at your young princess— she was made to be a queen, just like you and her grandmother before you. 
“i love the way you look at her, like she is all that there is to the world,” your king grins from the doorway, moving over and bending down slightly to play with his daughter’s tiny hands. it truly is a sight to see, a large and mighty beast, cooing at his tiny baby girl. “hi there, cahira...it’s your daddy!” you sweep over your husband, taking in his floppy hair and his tight fitting black blazer that’s spiralled with silver patterns to match your dress. the ash haired dragon preens happily, primal instincts kicking in while he occupies himself with his daughter on your hip, before looking up at you through the curtain of his hair.  “and i must say, i do enjoy the way you look at me as well.” 
shaking your head, you lean down to meet taehyung’s sweet lips, wiping the small smirk off of his face,” a look of adoration, for the people i love most in this world.” you say, standing straight as your lover takes you into his arms, mindful of the giggling baby between you. “i am happy like this, with you.” 
“i am happy with you, completely and utterly in love with you, and my daughter,” taehyung whispers into your hair, kissing it. “we ended the war, and finally received the happy ending that we deserved.”  you stand in the middle of the throne room, just off of the balcony, listening to the chants and calls of your people— both yours and taehyung’s, in the distance. the war had been ended, your love had united the people and your people finally brought together. 
your maids enter the room, opening the doors to the balcony as jungkook comes through to salute you. taehyung separates from you, lacing your fingers together— allowing you to catch glimpse of the wedding rings you both wore. together, for an eternity. 
“ready to face the world, my love?” taehyung asks, taking cahira from your arms and settling her on his hip. “my queen?” 
you stand on your tiptoes, adjusting the matching crown on his head. you thought that you would never rule with a man by your side, and you didn’t need one. but taehyung would never take away from you as a woman, you were his queen and you always would be. you smile brightly, squeezing his palm and nod. “with you, i always will be.” you answer, taking his hand and stepping out towards your future. 
you had once wanted to hold a dragon’s heart, little did you know, he would be holding yours instead. 
Tumblr media
⇢ author’s note(s): hi everyone! thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed writing this fic, i think im most proud of this project and so, in the future im thinking of doing some kind of spin off seires/drabble collection, let me know what you guys think? feedback is always appreciated :D
3K notes · View notes
365days365movies · 3 years
Text
March 7, 2021: Onward (2020) (Part One)
Finding Nemo.
Tumblr media
That’s my favorite Pixar film. Real talk, no arguments, and today’s movie? NOT dethroning it. This movie is so hard-wired into my brain, that the second I typed the words of the title, the theme song ran through my head, where it lives rent-free. It will be a cold day when I don’t find an excuse to shout “NEMOOOO!!!! I HAVE TO FIND MY SON!!” at any opportune moment. I will never stop swimming. Whenever I catch a Chinchou or Lanturn in a Pokémon game, I name it “Goodfeeling’sgone”.
SHARK BAIT OOH HA HA
Tumblr media
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DEPTHS OF MY LOVE FOR THIS MOVIE.
...Ahem. So, yeah, I love FInding Nemo. For the record, the sequel ain’t bad. And also for the record, there’s only one Pixar movie that I consider to be bad, and it’s the one you’d think. You know, the one about ageism. The one where somebody dies by torture? The bad spy movie?
...the second one about cars?
Tumblr media
Which means, YES. I DON’T THINK The Good Dinosaur IS THAT BAD! Not exactly good, but its gorgeous, and just kinda boring, not outright terrible. That Styracosaurus, though...that dude is great.
Anyway, off of Pixar for a sec, huh? What about fantasy? I’m a big tabletop RPG nerd, and I’m currently the GM for a Pathfinder campaign, a Pokémon RPG, and a Mutants and Masterminds game, while also playing in a Pathfinder game as well. Yeah, I’m a busy dewd. But what I’m saying is, this movie should be preaching to the choir for me. I’m a Pixar lover who plays RPGs. I’m ready for this. I’m ready for CGI Bright. Which is another way of saying, I’m ready for a version of Bright that doesn’t suck.
Tumblr media
So, why haven’t I seen it until now? I mean...COVID-19. This film got FUCKED. But, no matter! It’s on Disney Plus, I’ve got Disney Plus, so let’s get this baby STARTED! Let’s get updated on some Pixar! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Recap (1/2)
OK, immediately digging the soundtrack over the Disney logo as we jump in here! Very ethereal, very fantasy, very LotR, I LIKE it, I LIKE it! And then...long ago, the world was full of wonder!
Tumblr media
We get a view of the world of olde, with magic and many mystical, mythical creatures living together and adventuring. However, as magic wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to use, it eventually gave way to technology, fading away in a world now very similar to ours.
Tumblr media
Basically, it’s about the same as our world, except for a few different races, and the fact that dragons are basically dogs, and unicorns are basically raccoons, which is fuckin’ fantastic.
Tumblr media
We enter the home of teenage elf Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) and introverted now-16-year-old who lives with his mother, Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and his older brother Barley (Chris Pratt). Barley’s a tabletop RPG nerd who’s also a fan of the magical past. Said obsessions cause a strain on his relationship with Ian, and with that of his mother’s boyfriend, centaur policeman Colt Bronco (Mel Rodriguez).
After a discussion about Barley’s recent attempt to protect an old magical monument from destruction, he accidentally damages the sweatshirt that Ian is wearing, which was owned by their late father, Wilder. Ian rushes out, flustered, despite Barley’s attempts to bond with him. Well, looks like we have a sense of the plot for this one.
Tumblr media
On his way to school, Barley stops to get some food when he meets Gaxton (Wilmer Valderrama), an old college friend of his father’s. From Gaxton, he learns things about his father that he never knew, like that he was bold and standout. From there, Barely pledges to try and be more self-confident, like his father.
Whiiiiiiich, doesn’t exactly work once he gets to school. He fails to stand-up to a jerky guy at school, he fails in his driving class, and he fails to ask other high school kids to his birthday party. But to be fair, Barley helps a bit with that last one when he shows up with Guinevere, his busted-ass van with a unicorn painted on the side. Which is supposed to be uncool...but I kinda dig it, not gonna lie.
Tumblr media
After that, Ian completely flubs the invitation bit, confusing the people he was talking to, and disappointing himself in the process. He gets a ride home with Barley, and goes home to talk to a tape recording of his dad. Which is...beautifully sad, and somehow very easy to identify with. So, yeah, it’s gonna be that kind of Pixar movie.
Ian talks to his mom about his father at his age, asking if he was ever unsure. She says yes, but couples this with a surprise: a gift from his late father, who died of a terminal illness shortly after Ian’s birth. The gift is for both Ian and Barley, and was meant to be opened when they were both over 16.
Tumblr media
She gets it from the attic, and they unwrap it, where it’s revealed to be a wizard’s staff. Which is weird, because Wilder was an accountant. In a pocket of the wrapping cloth, there’s a letter written by Wilder with the narration from the beginning of the film (that “Long ago” bit).
Also included is a spell, written by Wilder so that he could see who his sons grew up to be. This “Visitation Spell” would appear to be a way to bring Wilder back for 24 hours. Barley, being the magic-lover that he is, tries multiple times to cast the spell with the staff, but fails to do so, much to his and Ian’s great disappointment.
Tumblr media
However, when Ian tries to read the spell out of curiosity later, the staff begins to react, and the spell begins to work. Barley comes in as this is happening, and the spell works...halfway. It starts to fail, and Barley offers to help, but Ian pulls the staff away, and the spell stops as the Phoenix crystal inside it shatters.
Looks like another bust, but it’s not a complete failure. And if you’ve seen literally any trailer for this movie, you know what happens.
Tumblr media
Although it’s just his legs and feet, it’s still Wilden Lightfoot (Kyle Bornheimer...technically). The boys decide to try and complete the spell, but need another Phoenix Gem to do so. According to Barley’s “historically accurate” TTRPG, Quests of Lore, they will be able to find one by accepting a quest from the place where all quests start: the Manticore’s Tavern. And so, the quest begins!
The brothers and their half-dad board Guinevere and drive to the Manticore’s Tavern. On the way, Barley convinces Ian to practice some spells from the games rulebook, but they don’t work because Ian’s not invoking his passion (or his “heart’s fire”, as Barley calls it). Meanwhile, Laurel figures out where they’re headed, but doesn’t know exactly why...yet.
Tumblr media
After the journey, they make it to the Manticore’s Tavern, which is now essentially a themed Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant, owned and managed by Corey (Octavia Spencer), a very overworked manticore. Which is pretty great, not gonna lie.
They try to get the actual map to the Phoenix’s Gem from her in order to conjure their Dad, but she no longer sends adventurers on dangerous quests, mostly because she doesn’t want to get sued by any injured adventurers. When Ian argues with her about this, she IMMEDIATELY DIVES INTO AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS/MID LIFE CRISIS!
Tumblr media
It’s, uh...it’s kind of amazing. Having completely lost it at this point, she basically tears down the entire building with her bare hands and fire-breath. Unfortunately, the map to the Phoenix Gem is burnt in the process of Corey’s literal meltdown. However, as Wilden’s about to be crushed by a couple of falling beams, Ian taps into his heart’s fire.
Tumblr media
Nice. They get out of there, and head out for the Gem, using a child’s placemat replica of the real map to make their way to a place called Raven’s Point. However, rather than just follow the goddamn map, Barley decides to go on much more dangerous road known as the “Path of Peril”, once again following the “call of adventure” and his gut.
Which...yeah, Barley’s not really considering the reality of this whole situation, which fits his personality. He’s a dreamer, despite the rational and reasonable solution in front of him. And, in case you weren’t sure, I’m pretty sure that isn’t a good thing.
Tumblr media
Ian points out the correct point that what actually matters is that they send enough time with their father, and they do indeed take the straightforward path. Good! Barley listened to Ian’s suggestion after all. However, they hit another snag when the car breaks down, completely out of gas. Problem.
Meanwhile, Laurel makes her way to the Manticore’s place, only to find it on fire! She meets Corey, who tells her that she’s met her boys, and told them about everything...except the curse. Also, there’s a curse. Laurel, who is the best movie Mom ever, tricks a policeman interviewing Corey to diverting his attention away from her, and smuggles her into her car to help find (and maybe rescue) her sons. 
Tumblr media
Stuck off the freeway without gas, a desperate Ian asks Barley if there are any spells that can get them more gas. They concoct a plan involving a shrinking and growing spell, but that immediately goes wrong as Barley tries to instruct Ian, only frustrating him further, and causing him to fumble the spell and hit Barley with it, making him tiny. 
They decide to head to a gas station, where a group of pixie bikers has just arrived. This backfires when Barley, lacking basically any common sense, ends up insulting the biker leader, Dewdrop (Grey Griffin) and her ancestors. Nice one, Barley. As they escape from the pissed off pixies, the tiny Barley is unable to drive, forcing the driver’s anxiety-riddled Ian to drive, overcoming his fears from earlier by force, being chased by the pixies all the way. It’s a pretty good sequence, to be honest.
youtube
Well, they escape the Pixies...but not the cops. And I think that’ll be a good place to pick up in the next part! See you there!
13 notes · View notes
evelyn-foresis · 3 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Second edition redraw of Artemis in fairy robes, with her familiar Aries. Let it be known, red is my least favourite colour.
Tale 11: Artemis Craweleoth & The Griminthrope (chapter 1 - Child of Autumn 1/5) part 3. Stories of Fey
none
Artemis was the third Daughter of King Mage Morgan Cynedom, and his wife, magician Emilia Loket.  As prophesized, Artemis was born on the autumnal equinox, in the third quadrant of the table of fours, red; and was thus the child of fall. Each of the four siblings belonged to one quadrant; which had a one season, element, colour, direction, metal, and two to three beast kingdoms of fey. Each of Morgan’s children were to be named by a beat king whose fey kingdom was in the child’s quadrant. For Artemis, this meant one of the two Beast Kings of the red quadrant, had the privilege of naming her. The Beast King’s, being of fey, found names important, and considered Morgan their brother; It was a high honor the ten fey kings quarreled about. In the end, The Raven King had won the bid of bestowing a name on Artemis, and houseing her in the raven magic house of Craweleoth, or Ravensong.
Magic House aside, Artemis was like a bird in many ways. Loud and feisty, a trickster, hung around in trees; and had a lovely singing voice she paired with the oddest dances. Her Fairy robes were red and ebony like fall, and collared with black feathers. A sheer skirt clipped about her waist was red, and embroidered in the pattern of a phoenix’s tail. Artemis had tall boots and gloves with coins sewed along them, to match her collar and belt. She could blend into a maple orchard in October. These fairy robes were a gift from the Fairy King; who makes them to protect beloved mages safe from spell or sword. Keeping these human guardians of magic and fey, clean and safe. To give each of Morgan’s children lovely magic clothes to match their naming, gave her great joy. On most days, she avoided her fairy robes, and Artemis wore turtle neck sweaters, leggings, boots, and denim jumper or overalls on top.
Before the end of magic school, there was no spell Artemis couldn’t cast with music, or balled she could not perform. The trick was finding her in the thick of her father’s magic forest. When it came to hiding in the trees, she blended in unlike her siblings; Her hair was bronze like her fathers, and was medium length and wavy, tied in a knot. She moved about so much; Emilia didn’t want her hair catching on things. She knew a thing or two about long hair inconvenience. To match the wood of the trees, Artemis also had her mother’s ebony eyes. Even after she had gone dark in school, the magic moving through her didn’t changed her colours like other magic users. Her hair simply went a little redder. As a rebellious untamable problem, Artemis was short, freckled, sturdy, and fearless; and as ethereal as her siblings, but in an eerie sort of way, instead a radiant sort.
As a gifted mage, more attached to magic then reality, she picked up skills quickly. One of Artemis’s first spells was summoning her familiar Aries, a black raven she adorned with beading; and whom which Artemis flew on occasion.  She learned this from her father, who whose familiar Icarus, was a golden eagle he liked to ride as well. Sometimes they would play sky tag, infuriating Emilia; It terrified Artemis’s mother. As far as they were concerned, who needs, trains, bikes or vehicles, when you have a trusty wingman. Artemis always had the intent of staying where she was born, on Tiberius Gate, with her father and family forever. She loved specking with the fey children of the raven and tree kingdoms; serenading the gate’s vast forest, with ballads written by mages long ago. Morgan and his daughter would sing to the gate together; He had taught Artemis more songs from his library of mages, then any of the charmers she would meet in magic school. When she left the gate for school, or ran errands, Artemis would sing to the fey in town; as the magic forest of her father’s gate extended down into the small town of Pepperidge. Even when her siblings grew up and left, Artemis was reliably there to charm them.
Artemis went through magic school, made no friends, and preferred the company of her familiar and family. Not to different form her brother and sisters; which was something their parents didn’t prepare for, though should have expected. They were a loving magic family every day, when personalities didn’t flare up. The problem with Morgan and Emilia’s overly enchanted brood, was they were neglecting other aspects of life, for magic. They only wanted to pry their children away from mythical symbiosis, to make them functional members of society. However, if their father and his friends weren’t evidence enough; Stopping this behavior in humans born with a greater affinity for magic, is fundamentally pointless. But at least everyone was happy. Including every fey. One big happy magic forest school village. With lots of blooming little magic hermits.
That said, perhaps someone might now prefer not to go looking for her at all; As a bird on a branch, seen only for a second, Artemis was better left to her own unorthodox ways. To anyone who knew Artemis, her presence was intrusive, unrelenting, and loud. In spite of her energetic antics, Artemis was still a good sister. For each prank Artemis pulled, she gave a hand when her family needed it. Artemis was very handy and clever; fixing plumbing and fur nature without duct tape, in new and exciting ways. Artemis stood a proud cheerer of her siblings, and magic home. She was not a paladin, but it is said that mage charmers are more powerful; A charmer can manipulate anything they want for miles round, without lifting a finger.
Artemis’s unsettling birdlike mannerisms, and personality, turned many people away before they had the chance to bully her. It followed her even after graduation. Her attraction to shinny things alone was good material for immature adolescents, or adults. But she was Teflon against any insult; Artemis’s secret was not caring. Aside from her wild spirit, Artemis passed through events in her life like a bird migrating on a mystical journey; undeterred from a desired destination. From up high, and far away, Artemis could see everything, everyone, and do as she please.  Artemis was light, untouchable, and lively; and she knew it.
After graduation, Artemis remained on Tiberius Gate, in Pepperidge, with her parents and community. Mockery would not pry her from her dream of quaint homey living. Even when Morgan and Emilia’s youngest, her little brother Patrick, moved out to be a paladin, Artemis still stayed. Her parents were happy to have her; at least one child to wake up too every day, when all others flew the coop. No longer a child, Artemis was still singing and flying around town, helping any fey or people who wanted it, for shinny coins. She made a meaningful living off small jobs. Artemis spent her time singing, beading, dancing, and showing around tourists. Artemis came home each night, after a day’s adventure, to help her parents make dinner and care for they fey on Tiberius Gate itself. She loved her simple life. A meaningful life.
One day, while Morgan was off at the academy substituting, he got an urgent call. But he wasn’t at home to answer. It was from a radio phone in the Westlands; Emilia answered it in the kitchen. She didn’t want to worry Morgan, so Emilia got Bandrel, their hearths fire wilding, to hold the call. He smiled, cooled down, crawled out of the tower’s oven furnace, which was his duty, and held the phone. Fairies never get to hold phones; he felt more special than normal.
“Bandie, would you take this? I don’t care if it gets bit cold in the tower from the fall air. It’s Patrick. Have a nice talk with him while I find Artemis. I don’t want to make my husband an anxious mess while he’s at work…” Emilia said casually to the small fairy boy. Bandril nodded excitedly and took the phone in his little hands.
“Hello, Tiberius Gate, Bandie speaking,” Bandrel said smiling. He turned to Emilia, and covered the talking piece. “I always wanted to say that!” he wiggled. Emilia smiled and left the main tower, to whistle into the forest. Not any whistle, as some whistles summoned fey; This was a sound to summon her daughter. Emilia made a perfectly medium range whistle, that tapered like a bird’s song, into the thick old magic growth. The tree’s whispered, as Emilia stared into the woods waiting for Artemis to whistle back. Artemis was in a tree right above her.
“What’s up mom.” Artemis said, hopping down and scaring Emilia. She jumped back, scared for her life. She hated when her family snuck up on her like that. Emilia could bend reality just by believing, but the magic here seemed to catch her off guard. She never got used to it; her children and husband were too stealthy.
“After all these years, you’d think I’d be used to it. Your twenty now. Am I getting old…” Emilia gasped. “Come inside, and sit by Bandrel’s warm fire with me; Your little brother called form Grand Snow. He wanted to speak with your father, but you’re the next best mage.” Emilia said rapping her arm around her daughter.
“Patrick only left six months ago…” Artemis said under her breath. “He didn’t even get an apprenticeship, yet got a post. Of course, it’s Patrick calling. Always Patrick!” She scoffed. Emilia elbowed Artemis in the side. A young lady should not throw her sibling under the bus. That is what older ladies do. Artemis had a little middle child syndrome. Emilia always wanted a boy, unlike their father Morgan, who was a grade-A girl dad. A father’s love evened things out, adding plausible deniability to parental favouratism. Children can smell inequality like sulfur. Every time mother mentioned Artemis’s little brother’s name, she winced.
Once inside, Emilia and Artemis headed to the kitchen. Artemis arranged the fire wood into a cradle inside the large hearth, for Bandrel to sleep in. Then Bandrel handed her the phone, and crawled back in the oven. Emilia set up some chairs and mugs of tea, for some cuddling by the warmth of Fairy fire. Emilia knew Artemis well enough to know providing some reassuring love would calm her down; Artemis needed to be calm to talk on a phone; and play nice to her little brother. Artemis plopped down in a chair, kicked back, and answered the phone. The long-distance charges must have been astounding.
“Hey Patrick, dad gone, mom miss you, me here. What’s up bro. What can I do you for?” Artemis said, sipping from her mug of tea. She spat up a little; it wasn’t steeped yet.
1 note · View note
hiraeth-wayfarer · 5 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Hiraeth Creature #924 - Lemisua
"Hiraeth’s northern lands carry an atmosphere of ethereal whimsy—fluttering snow on the wind gives everything an otherworldly lustre, and the history of spirits and their mythical sanctuaries drape the land with a sense of mysticism. One of the many odd things floating about these lands are what are called “Far Lights”: soft, colourful orbs and wisps that dance around the forest as the shadows of night coat the land. Magic can be heard and felt when around them, ringing like a soft bell and sending tingles through one’s body. The Fae Lights flitter around in the empty countryside and in the depths of old forests, and stories have always told of the odd company they keep. Those who follow them are said to be met with the fanciful and the monstrous as they stroll down unknown paths, harkening to the enchanted but primal nature of the north. It was common for village children to wish to chase after them, but parents made sure that they only watched them from the safety of a window sill and never any closer, in most accounts that is. Though many are not around to see them, the Fae Lights are said to only increase in activity and number come winter, when most of the land has migrated away or slumbers in hibernation. Fae, spirits, and demons alike gather in the empty lands to reconnect and hold festivities that only the bravest of travellers can join in on, since they must endure the overbearing frost that comes with the season.
The source of the Fae Lights in the north are strange beasts named Lemisua. They are said to have originated in the Fae Realm, but became accustomed to the northern environment. They swim and slither elegantly through the air, often hiding between realms while the lights of their magic shimmer through all veils. They glide between trees looking for honey and nectars to drink and, when they land on a tree, light can be seen rippling through the cracks of its bark. The light from these perches and their ambient Fae Lights are excellent markers for those looking for Fae Realm visitors during the shrouded winter. For no sure reason, the wisps of the Lemisua particularly appeal to carnivorous beasts, who occasionally gather around when clouds of these lights form. This may seem like a reason to leave the Lemisua alone, but the hunters who convene around them are lulled into a peaceful state until they wander off. No one has an explanation as to why this happens, but it gives an excellent opportunity to observe beasts that are normally territorial or cautious of travellers."
55 notes · View notes
charlotteinengland · 5 years
Photo
Tumblr media
Everything is bursting into life... ⭐️🍃🐝The hedgerows are filling out, the birds are building their nests, the bees are buzzing around ~ ah I just love it ✨🧡I'm willing the bluebells on, I can't wait for them to bloom 🦋💠Another ethereal beauty-spot my eyes have been blessed with witnessing 🌿I had to stand in the middle of the river to get this shot [Thank you @dubarryofireland 🥾] Wishing you a whimsical day ☺️ x . . . #CharlotteinEngland #SpringIsHere #ethereal #magical #enchanted #countryside #countrylife #explore #nature #naturelovers #nature_wizards #naturesbeauty #spiritualjourney #roamtheplanet #goplayoutside #exploring #forest #woodland #keepitwild #britishcountryside #river #trees #wild #beautyspot #beautiful #fairytale #fairytales #mythical #mystical #england (at England) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBohYsB5OM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dquz5cydn96g
7 notes · View notes
aion-rsa · 3 years
Text
Raya and the Last Dragon Finds Magic in Southeast Asian Tradition
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Sisu may not be what’s expected by a large portion of the audience that sits down to watch Raya and the Last Dragon next month. A long serpentine creature of watery origin, the dragon in the movie’s title does not breathe fire or lay waste to cities. Rather she’s a protector, a martyr who according to legend saved the mythical land of Kumandra 500 years ago. And when heroic loner Raya resurrects Sisu in the present, the lead character, plus her young fans, will discover greater layers still.
By virtue of Sisu’s voice casting alone, parents in the audience will know we’re a long way from Game of Thrones when they hear her speak. As voiced by Awkwafina, the dragon is funny, insecure, and ultimately gentle—a creature who hopes to be a hero one day but for the time being is more likely to enjoy running on raindrops all the way to the sky.
“The directors wanted Sisu as the dragon to look breathtakingly beautiful,” simulations supervisor Avneet Kauer says. “Her design is inspired by the mythical Nāga and was created to reflect just that. It symbolized her being larger than life and closer to how the Nāga are revered in the Southeast Asian lands. Her hair was meant to make her feel light and ethereal. It’s almost magical weightless motion, which accentuates her being divine and mystical.”
The emphasis on the Nāga is just one of the many ways Raya and the Last Dragon pays tribute to Southeast Asian culture, which to date has been largely ignored by Hollywood films and outright omitted from the Disney canon. In folklore, Nāga are divine or semi-divine beings who are half-human and half-serpent. Occasionally they can take human form but otherwise may appear as a giant water serpent, and are often depicted as dwelling in water. Also like the more typical dragons of Eastern culture, they can communicate with, lead, and protect humanity.
Screenwriters Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen spoke candidly about their resources about finding inspiration Southeast ASian lore.
Says Lim, “In Malaysia, we have the warrior Tun Fatimah, and we have stories of Nāga Tasik Chini, which is the dragon of Chini Lake. So [our inspirations are] sort of within a lot of cultures in Southeast Asia. And so we knew it was one of those threads that would really resonate within the film.”
Nguyen adds, “In Vietnamese culture, there’s this really famous story of the Trung Sisters. They’re these famous Vietnamese warriors that I definitely thought of.” The pair in part of modern day Vietnam led an uprising in the first century C.E. against the Han Dynasty of imperial China. For a brief moment, they expelled dynastic rule.
Beyond mere story elements, Raya and the Last Dragon sought to avoid the pitfalls of Disney movies from decades past that borrowed (or appropriated) international cultures but then traded in stereotypes. As with the more progressive Moana before it, producer Osnat Shurer pushed Raya toward authenticity by developing the Southeast Asia Story Trust. This included meetings with Dr. S. Steve Arounsack, a visual anthropologist at California State University, as well as consultations with Indonesian linguists.
Indeed, during a story presentation with Lim and Fawn Veerasunthorn, head of story at Walt Disney Animation Studios, the pair revealed how even the name “Raya” has special significance.
Says Lim, “We wanted a name that resonated across the multiple cultures in Southeast Asia, and we went through hundreds of names. But I remember there was that one moment when the name Raya came up, and Fawn and I had this emotional response to it. In Malay, it means ‘celebration’ and evokes this really joyful time where people come together around a lot of food.”
And to the writer’s surprise, Veerasunthorn also cited it having special meaning in the South of Thailand: “One who leads.” Pretty apt for their heroic lead character who traverses lush river lands and deserts in a conical hat.
There of course was further research, including the Southeast Asia Story Trust going on a whirlwind tour across the region, which involved stops in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Singapore. There are real-world influences for nearly everything, from the brim of Raya’s hat to the crest of Sisu’s mane. It’s also reflected in the architecture and landscapes of Raya and the Last Dragon’s fictional Kumandra. It’s even infused in the water markets in the film, evoking riverside commerce in Vietnam.
However, what appeared to be the main desire was creating an authentic representation of the people and the culture.
“As a Southeast Asian woman, Raya’s character has a really special significance for me,” Lim says. “There’s a history of strong female leaders and warriors in the region, and I personally grew up in a family of really amazing women who inspire me and also scare me, just like a little bit, every day. So it’s important that Raya’s actions and her attitude really embody that same spirit.”
 Her co-writer Qui Nguyen—the author and playwright who pushed for Raya to use actual Southeast Asian martial arts techniques, such as Arnis and Muay Thai—meanwhile notes how refreshing it is to have characters like Raya appear in a big Hollywood production.
“When characters who look like me or Adele or my kids show up in action movies, we’re always depicted in one certain way,” Nguyen says. “Stoic, serious, oddly obsessed with ‘bringing honor to our family.’ So I’m super excited that Raya looks like me and Adele and my children, but what I’m even more excited about is she’s an action hero that actually sounds like us too. She’s fun, she’s quippy, she’s clever, she’s a character I’d be proud to see my kids emulate.”
Raya and the Last Dragon opens in theaters and via Disney+’s Premier Access on March 5.
cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });
The post Raya and the Last Dragon Finds Magic in Southeast Asian Tradition appeared first on Den of Geek.
from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3pYIZHp
0 notes
radishfiction · 7 years
Text
Radish Featured Week #66: Mermaids
It’s Mermaids Featured Week on Radish!
Tumblr media
♫ Flipping your fins, you don't get too far... ♪
Oh, right. ‘Tis not the time to start singing. *ahem*
Tumblr media
Sirens and mermaids, said to be minor goddesses of the sea and daughters of oceans.
They swim at a depth most would drown in.
Their voices are allure incarnate.
Their songs can make you...
Or, break you.
Tumblr media
Beautiful, mysterious . . .
. . . and at times, downright mischievous. 
Tumblr media
For centuries, tales of sailors and travelers paint them as saviors of those who are unfortunate to drown in the deep sea.
But sometimes, these pretty half-fishes act as harbinger of death.
Tumblr media
But then, legends also said that these beauties are willing to trade their tails for legs in order to be with the man they love.
Tumblr media
Even if these yearnings end up not quite the way they dreamed it would be.
Tumblr media
But then, what’s stopping them?
Tumblr media
If one finds someone who’ll accept you no matter what you are --
Tumblr media
#oxygenplease #cantbreathe
Yep, definitely worth trading for.  
Tumblr media
So what are YOU waiting for?
Prep up and be sure to have your non-waterproof gadgets stashed away from the salt waters. (You’ll need them later for a selfie *wink*)
Fear not as we dive into the ocean of magical tales. 
Of love and tragedies.
Of sirens and finfolks and merpeople.
Hold your breath as we plunge you deep down into the wonderful, and perhaps dangerous, world under the sea!
1. Coral and Bone by TiffanyDaune
Tumblr media
Halen knows the sparks igniting under her fingertips are dangerous. She has spent her entire life trying to quell the tingly feelings that make her destroy things, but now that she is back in Rockaway Beach, where she watched her father drown, the flames have become impossible to tame. Halen is trying to hold on, but when she is thrust into a mysterious new world, the underwater realm of Elosia, she unravels the secrets of her past and can't help but ignite. As she explores Elosia, she realizes her life has been a lie. And when those who have deceived her come to her for help, Halen must choose—walk away or unleash the magick that could destroy them all.
2. A Thousand Salt Kisses (Book 1) by Josie_Demuth
Tumblr media
Beautiful, ethereal Crystal White is the new girl on the remote Starfish Island. At a beach party one night on the mainland she goes for a midnight swim with other party goers where she meets the handsome, intriguing Llyr amongst the waves. As she swims back to shore she realizes that he is not behind her and that nobody at the party remembers him. Crystal can't seem to shake Llyr from her mind and returns to the beach in the hope of meeting him again. When she finally does, she realizes there may be more truth to the ramblings of the island folk than she thought. To add more drama to her life, Crystal's mother and her father are at war over a local power station that is devastating local marine life. Over a sizzling roller coaster summer, it becomes apparent that all these events are not entirely unrelated and Crystal finds herself both caught up in a deep mystical romance and at the center of an exploding environmental scandal...
3. Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling by NicoletteAndrews
Tumblr media
Rin is a Kitsune, or at least she was until a witch’s spell turned her human. To regain her powers, Rin must make the lord’s son fall in love with her before the next full moon. She thought it would be easy, her kind have been seducing humans for centuries. But Hikaru is different. He’s handsome, intelligent, and kind –the opposite of everything she’s assumed about humans. The plan is to seduce him and get back her powers, there’s no room for love.
Hikaru never believed in the Yokai. In fact, he thought it foolish to believe in monsters. A lifetime of skepticism has guarded him from truths too painful to accept. And Rin’s mysterious arrival in his life challenges all his long held beliefs. She has bewitched him. Though he is drawn to her, he has to keep his distance. His father’s treaty depends on his marriage to another and even an innocence dalliance could ruin everything.
While they try to deny their attraction, they are drawn together as if by fate’s design. Falling in love is dangerous. Not only are they from different worlds, but their time together can only end in heartache. To break the spell Rin must betray Hikaru or be turned into a fox. But if they’re willing to risk it all, they may find a love to last lifetimes.
4. Untouched Water by renesmeewolfe
Tumblr media
What if Cressa-la hadn't touched the water? How drastically different would things be? Well, her story would definitely have been different. ~ If you're wanting a happy fairytale, keep scrolling. This isn't he story for you. But if you're looking for a mythical story filled with dystopia and magic, both dark and light, keep reading. This story is one where evil is in every crevice of the world, and where one girl is destined to destroy it. But first, she has to choose that destiny. Every baby is killed beneath the waves--with one exception. The one-hundred thousandth lives. A long time ago, 1 in every 100,000 children born from a human was a mermaid. But now mermaids are the only ones that can survive in this flooded world. Every human child born is killed the moment they take their first breath. However, one in every one-hundred thousand is spared. These children are placed on the mountain-tops, the "islands", that poke up over the sea. The Earth has become warmer, making these islands habitable. The humans that survive through Mother Nature's fury have created Tribes, created rules. One of these rules is to not go near the water, to not touch it. And Cressa-la doesn't. Because she chose to follow the rules, could there be an even bigger consequence than when she had? 
5. Mermaid Bride by JMButler
Tumblr media
Years of war between the Children of Air, Land, and Sea have exhausted the lives and resources of its people. Nobles and royals must spend twenty years at least serving as peace healers to those who were devastated during these conflicts. Ishana, the youngest of her sisters, remains alone in the old Fortress of Elspeem, preparing for her time to go forth and serve. But a young mermaid, Uaso, changes everything when she rescues a drowning man and turns to Ishana for help. Though barely thirteen years old, Uaso wishes to marry the man and begs Ishana for her help. Ishana finds herself conflicted because of Uaso's youth and her own feelings for the stranger. And a bad situation becomes worse when a fae princess is murdered at the time of the mermaid's shocking arrival and transformation.
But then, who says mermaids are only for ladies?
Tumblr media
9 notes · View notes
geeky-elf · 7 years
Text
Major Graphic Novel Update on REFD
So I have been more motivated than usual this week and with a little more free time, I managed to write two more storyline snippets plus three character designs (third one submitting tomorrow). I'm still figuring out the best title for the whole thing. Right now the one that sticks to me is Rajin: Edge of Darkness, but I feel I can get more creative with it and pick something else, but I'll see. Honestly I need to stay focused with grad school for the time being, but I'm really hoping after graduating and I can start illustrating pages, or at least focus on my art in general just for the sake of improving. Just somethings that I can touch on now: Characters: Skyfyre: Main and first character in the story who becomes possessed with a dragon's soul and gains elemental magic throughout. Eldoron: A sky pirate with a bad history who decides to make his life around building an airship to travel the universe, exploring new worlds, meeting new faces, and ultimately with a goal of vengeance of the eminent dark powers that lie beyond. He is very tech savvy and has a strategic mind. Often combining technology with magic, which is what created Rajin in the first place. Jessie: A Wiccan whose expertise is in alchemy. She can concoct anything from a healing potion to a powerful bomb. Ian: A accident in his youth left him for dead if it wasn't for the help and sacrifice from others to aid in keeping him alive and converting him to a cyborg with super human capabilities. His main purpose is ensuring everything runs the way it's supposed to and inventing new and useful items. He has a geeky and outgoing persionality for the most part, but is plenty happy with himself and his inventions. Pixel: An insectoid like fairy who befriended Eldoron at an early age. She's become a useful companion and guide. Her sense of adventure and need to help others has ensured her to be a useful part of the team. She mainly helps Eldoron, but often aids in other tasks where her small stature is to her advantage Orion: A full blooded elf with a mysterious and rough exterior. Not too much is known about him or his past. He rarely talks and at times can be rather blunt. However the only other crew member that seems to break his barriers is Jessie. He is the knowledge base of the crew and reads during most of his time. He knows everything about every mystical or non mystical race and their history. Orion possesses telekinetic and limited time bending powers. Trish: A nature loving goblin who is almost ninja like with her amazing senses and quickness on her feet. She is sort of the rogue of the crew, and good on stealth related and missions requiring a quick in and out. She loves fantastical creatures of all sizes and often collects them and trains them as her own. She is knowledgeable in Phoenix falconry, gryphon riding, serpent taming, and even dire wolf domestication. The only creature that still remains out of her reach are dragons. They are just too smart and clever she says. She hopes to try to train a wyvern though, being more primitive, she might have more luck. Blaze: Skyfyre's dragon companion who possessed her from within his egg form. He is one of the more powerful fire dragons, but with his link to Sky's elemental magic, he can shift and change to accommodate those needs. (An eastern storm dragon, a fire drake, a furry tundra dragon, a sea serpent, and an earth wyvern). Acheron: One of the main antagonists of the story, but far from the ultimate one. He is elven in magic, but vampiric in it's very nature. He acts as a medium to the dark powers and becomes molded and shaped in their will turning him into a monster who possesses a sense of masochism. He likes making his victims suffer greatly and yearns for the destruction of worlds to spread his evil powers further. Plot synopsis: A mysterious force in the universe, whether its the ether that holds space together or it's more has made outlying planets in worry. As darkness spreads, many are forced to leave or become victims to its power leaving others to fend for themselves. As planets get consumed, parts break off and ricochet through its infinite vacuum. One the broken parts lands on Earth near a small village where an orphaned girl's curiousity takes the best of her. Upon further investigation, she becomes possessed by the mysterious being within it's shells. Turns out that being was a dragon, though starting out as a baby, has great potential for power. As she grows stronger and discovers magic powers of her own that would change her life forever and create many enemies along the way. It's not until a mysterious sky pirate comes to rescue her is when her journey and discovery of her destiny really begin. It's aboard the grand airship, Rajin, where Skyfyre learned about what her role is among many uniquely gifted crew members. The gang will travel to the far reaches of space discovering new planets and making new friends along the way whether they are elven or dwarfish. In the end the fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of these handful of mystical humanoids and beasts alike. Style: The style found in my character designs will be similar to what I hope to accomplish in the comic. Characters that aren't too realistic in nature, but I need to master anatomy still and improve on it overall so I can pull it off that much better especially since I'll be drawing different characters of different ages a lot. The style of the graphic novel itself, will be semi Ike a hero comic book, but it will read more like those such as How to Train you Dragon comics as well as the Last Airbender set. Not pop arting as I want to focus on the illustration side of it all. I want to make the backgrounds detailed while the foreground characters are simple (Miyazaki film like). Setting: About Rajin: Most of everything will take place on Rajin, which is almost a small city in itself. Rajin has everything one would need on long periods of inner space travel. The airship itself is self sustaining powered by magic and technology alike allowing it to fly and keep everyone comfortable. Food is grown on board along with places to train and work on combat and energy based abilities. Plenty of room for Blaze to stretch his wings on and roomy living quarters that can put a luxury apartment complex to shame. Everything is customized to one's own and plenty of rooms and living space on each and every one of the floors that will fit to everyone's needs. There are armor and weapon making and repair places along with those for recreation based use. The airship itself has many amenities that are found on Earth, but also many that are inspired from all over making way for a diverse community to live in harmony and make a home for themselves. Ian has even created robots and tech that make life easier especially to avoid having to walk all the way from one side to the other. About other Homeworlds: While a good chunk will occur on Earth as Sky and Blaze learn to get used to one another and try to find their place in the world without bringing unwanted attention to themselves, the graphic novel will go through many planets and homes to not only distant human related relatives like Eldoron's, but also many mythical beings from animal halflings, to orcs, dwarves, mermaids, centaurs,....you name it they will all appear one way or another. The worlds themselves, will be as unique as them holding an artistic beauty that I really hope to master backgrounds in general by this point because I want to capture the complexity of the natural and artificial side of it all. You will have worlds that aren't anything more than caves, deserts, oceans,...etc. and even those that are completely suburban. Sort of a Futurama/Star Wars feel as many of these outlying worlds are connected and many travel between them and beyond especially in the more advanced regions of tech and discovery you will see more of these connections, while others isolate themselves more. Artist Goals: I've been thinking so much on this project since I was a freshmen in college (almost 8 years ago). Often ideas came to me as I daydreamed in class or on the way to class, but now I've changed a lot of the aspects, but began fitting all the pieces together more and more. My main goal(s) as an artist is to try and master or at least be the best I can at all the mediums available to me whether its painting, colored pencils, sculpting clay or 3D models, animating, plush making,...I want to try them all in my lifetime. I also feel it would be cool even if it's a one time thing for me to publish a graphic novel and maybe a purely written book that goes with it. I'm not sure how long the novel will be, I want to extend it as far as a I can without milking anything to death. Might publish one or two or several depending on where it goes. My main focus now is grad school so I need another year to focus on that and get my degree, but I feel with whatever free time I have I can work towards improving and putting more pieces together. I want to perfect whatever style I can come up with before the illustration process begins. Things that I should focus on: Backgrounds, backgrounds, backgrounds, I need to practice backgrounds so much in terms of accuracy in detail and lighting as well as in perspective especially for big city scenes and such. This will definitely be the hardest goal because I need to improve a lot in terms of drawing and coloring and getting everything right with that. Airship tweaking. I feel the exterior design could use continued work to make it as interesting as I want it to be. I also need to do a floor by floor layout to show all the rooms and areas and even some concept art on how some said areas will look. Character Designs: Lots of thought still needed here, I need to improve on my human based style in terms of making sure anatomy is as accurate as possible while keeping it in almost a Disney-esque sort of way since realism won't be my focus with characters to keep them simple as I focus my time on backgrounds and such. Also figure out how many add on characters will occur as the story progresses and how that will ensure their uniqueness in terms of additional roles on board Rajin. Storyline: It's getting to the point where writting while it helps, I feel I need to start just doing and thinking of further story arcs as a go. Right now I feel I have a nice story idea that should extend for a good chunk of it, but antagonist development and how that leads to end game, is what will be tricky and i have to figure that out too. Right now, it's organized like this: Skyfyre's daily life as a homeless orphan prior to the meteor strike followed by possession of soul and continues forth as Sky trying to get used to her new situation (denial first step of course and avoidance). Blaze grows a little bit with her as they spend several months trying to make a home elsewhere before eventually getting captured by government agencies. Skyfyre is than experimented on and starved to the brink of death in the hands of corrupted people who wish to extract her power. During this time flashbacks to the meteor's origins should occur "The Rescue" (snippet in gallery) will occur as Sky is brought onboard the ship She has trouble adjusting at first "Slow Dance of a Sky Pirate". As she learns to adapt to the new changes and potential destiny gets to know the other crew members better, she begins training with them. Of course in time a relationship slowly builds between her and Eldoron. During the time on the airship spanning a few months, flashbacks to Eldoron's past "Attack of Vimera" will come into play. Several flashbacks for each character will come into play (not necessarily in chronological order where they will be the most significant, I want the reader to piece the parts together and the connections that were formed from beginning to present day). These will take place throughout at different parts, some towards the beginning and some other when Acheron is introduced. Something begins to happen to the airship where some outside force disrupts the magic within the elemental crystals that keep the ship running. It becomes an emergency and they must travel to each of the major elemental based planets to restore their powers one by one starting including a visit to the marine planet. "That Night". Where the relationship between the two grows a little more. It's at these different locations they meet and take on some of the inhabitants that will prove useful as they continue to learn about the growing threat of the darkness spreading Acheron will get introduced at one point followed by many failed fighting attempts including a major climax one "Sky's last Fight" So far this is what I have laid out mainly still a lot of things I hope to extend it upon and fill it with all leading up to a life versus death situation with the final battle. Well that's what I have laid out for now. Changes are bound to occur and will update accordingly. Thanks for reading. Hope you all like the ideas so far. Created at simplydevio.us
1 note · View note
thesunlounge · 5 years
Text
Reviews 273: Yutaka Hirose
There’s been an intense focus on Japanese environmental and ambient music over the last few years, with a range of essential reissues coming out from artists such as Hiroshi Yoshimura, Midori Takada, Yasuaki Shimizu, Takashi Kokubo, and Jun Fukamachi, just to name a few. And earlier this year, Light in the Attic collaborated with Visible Cloaks’ Spencer Doran for what might be the definitive survey of the artform: the 3xLP set Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990. But a name that has been conspicuously absent amidst the clamour for environmental music is Yutaka Hirose and more generally, there’s been little attention paid to the Misawa Home Corporation’s Soundscape series, of which both Hirose and Hiroshi Yoshimura participated. As well as any other example, the Soundscape releases perfectly embody the unique relationship between corporations and artists during the kankyō ongaku boom, as Misawa Home commissioned Yoshimura’s Soundscape 1: Surround and 静けさの本 (Static) as well as Hirose’s Soundscape 2: Nova to provide sonic accompaniment for their prefabricated homes. So as often was the case with environmental sound design, we see deeply transcendental music being borne of shallow capitalism…a sort of strange push and pull between art and consumerism where a plastic product is being sold via timeless sonic creations that transport the spirit to worlds of escapist fantasy.
Now, archival specialists WRWTFWW Records have finally added Hirose’s chapter to the larger narrative of kankyō ongaku with an expansive reissue of his masterpiece, bearing the new title Nova + 4 and including over 50 minutes of unreleased magic. The liner notes include an interview with Hirose, where he discusses influences, technical processes, and the mental landscapes he was trying to evoke, all of which help explain the overwhelming purity of the music and its nearly perfect construction. On the original Nova, the lines between natural and synthetic are blurred, as ancient bell tones intermingle with futuristic synthesis for ethereal passages of dream minimalism. Birdsong, running water, crashing waves, and thunderstorms suffuse the mix while string and brass orchestrations smear into drone cloud majesty, choral fantasias emanate from cosmic oceans, and marimbas splash through pearlescent hazes…as if threads of nature have been woven into a meditative display of chiming new age spiritualism. As for the four unreleased tracks, Hirose speaks in the interview of liberation from the restrictive concepts and approaches of Nova and of abandoning drone and minimalism for new method of composition, one that involved developing “sonic scenery” not from overt melodies, but rather from techniques of layering, addition, and subtraction…as if he was “creating a sculpture and confronting the sound” in real time.
Yutaka Hirose - Nova + 4 (WRWTFWW, 2019) In the epic opener “Nova,” heavy liquids drip around the spectrum, with cavernous reverb rippling outwards as spherical droplets hit crystal surfaces. Running water swishes back and forth to create psychosonic modulations…as if we are suddenly transported to a mythical stream, one whose gentle yet strange motions are observed by singing birds. Pianos emerge and are joined by decaying tones sourced from temple bells or sanukaito stones, and the ivories, lithophones, and bells proceed according to a dream logic…their patterns at once alien and beautiful, with resonances overlapping and golden overtones encircling the soul. Melodious orchestrations swell in and their majestic waves of synthesis are sometimes suffused with choral wonderment…like a choir of angels singing spells of new age euphoria. But eventually the symphonic layers recede, leaving resonating metals and vibrating stones to converse with dripping liquids while birds swim in the sky. “Slow Sky” also features birdsong, with trilling calls and owl hoots intertwining. Synths like colorful gases wrap around each other and sustaining woodwinds join a mallet instrument lullaby…their slow motion themes arcing across a shimmering void. Imagine beings of light locked hand in hand and swaying romantically as crystalline electronics and vaporous synthesizers melt down from a cloudburst sky. Towards the end, waves of static are heard…as if we are observing an ocean of white noise from far away…and deep listening reveals blurred trumpet fanfares amidst the interwoven layers of dream ambiance.
Tumblr media
Insect buzz is interspersed amongst avian chatter at the start of “In the Afternoon,” with the birdcalls eventually morphing into extra-terrestrial vibrato. Virtual marimbas and gemstone synthesizers create drunken fantasy patterns and sometimes, the synths are trapped within fractal delay cascades…their tones ringing out like malfunctioning handbells. Haunted swells of choral synthesis float beneath grey skies and roaring thunder before it all starts fading away and by the end, everything has reduced to mist and birdsong. Like “Nova,” “Taiko” features dripping water, though this time less controlled…like a discontinuous rain falling within an echo chamber. Plucked bass notes, airy kick drums, and disjointed cymbal skitter unite for a shadow rhythm while ethereal chime melodies swim through subsuming currents of choral wonderment. It’s a slow motion march through a dark dreamworld, with massive chords constructed from an array of voices and supported by ambient brass orchestrations. Peals of thunder ring out and birds sing through darkened cloudforms while chime melodies add a touch of light to an otherwise funereal dirge and as anning colorations and rainbow crystals float through the stereo field, the track takes on an almost Twin Peaks-esque vibe of sonic mysticism, with the music soundtracking evergreen mountains covered in fog and sat above by swollen black clouds crackling with electromagnetic energy…their ominous presence portending some unknowable evil. Yet there is also peace and stillness…clarity and communion…as if every living creature is witnessing the powers of the earth together, united in terror and awe.
Tumblr media
“Humming the Sea” creates a hypnotizing drone tapestry from layers of running water and the effect is all-consuming. Childlike melodies wander through the vibrant sonic weavings…their tones constructed from glowing glass, with flowing solos working between decaying chords. Pianos join the mix as everything grows in strength and eventually, time-morphing sequences generate a strange rhythmic pulse that is increasingly washed over by the soothing sounds of the sea. Prog flutes and synthetic orchestrations drift above black hole phaser drones in “Through the Windows” while screaming ghosts suffuse the air. Later, the classical romanticisms and woodwind harmonies decay into nothingness and as rain begins falling, deep space droneclouds merge seamlessly with sheets of thunder. “Epilogue” returns us to the subterranean world of “Nova,” with neon liquids dripping while pitch-shifting and time-stretching beyond recognition. Ominous bass tones swell in, causing the mind to lose orientation in spacetime, and a radiant chimescape generates sensual waves of subsonic warmth before evaporating into silence, which is then filled by angel hazes and dream orchestrations. Ecstasy choirs are sequenced, yet buried deep within the mix….like future visions of 90s chill-out and ambient rave floating within an environmental music masterpiece. Gentle water rushes over rocks as the ever-present dripping sounds are joined by sonar piano pings and there are moments where mermaids break through the deep blue landscape to sing glorious hymns to the sunrise. 
Tumblr media
The first of the unreleased tracks is “Old Dream Spell,” which begins with sleigh bells decaying through spectral delay fx. Throbbing bass waves flow in then disperse, clattering swells of percussion are surrounded by white noise, and rainforest shakers morph through a cosmic fog while sirens sing out from islands in space...their fragile songs barely discernible across galactic distances. Starshine jazz melodies are abstracted into celestial shimmer and FM vibraphones splash through aquamarine tide pools while up above, wavering clouds of light swirl slowly before evolving into a symphonic ceremony. And moving towards the end, sea-shell shakers and high-pitched hand drums are caught in echo webs as abstracted Indian string drones are transformed into animalistic cries. In “Light Which Shakes Quickly,” zipping bass drones fly through laser echoes…their tones reversing and transmuting into air. Strands of crystal flow on unsettled sea surfaces and plucked electronics modulate like rubber while e-pianos wander through incandescing bodies of celestial gas. Delay fx catch wooden bass tones and abstracted marimba attack and refract them across the stereo field as angels breath on the back of the neck. Elsewhere, Hirose weaves dream sequences into the mix, sometimes like alien music boxes locked into hypno-cycles, other times shrouded within maddening echo layers wherein drunken polyrhythms enchant the mind. And in between these dark sequential patterns, reversing space winds decay into silence, tambourines shake then die away, and prismatic echo fantasias swim through oceanic swells.
Tumblr media
“On Day in Summer” sees layered chimes blooming like a field of flowers while amorphous bass drones move underneath. Crowd chatter enters and suffuses the song with a constant hum of human conversation and mystical tones of the earth merge with starlight synthesis to form a paradise world of crystalline purity and youthful innocence, with the sonics evoking currents of light swimming through clear blue waters. Everything floats freely yet is held together by a spiritual connection…some deep textural symbiosis that only Hirose can discern, with layers continually added and subtracted to create psychoactive motions amidst a static field of fantasy ambiance. The final unreleased track is “Shadow of a Water Droplet,” which starts with an alien gamelan ceremonial wherein synthetic gongs initiate dark temple rituals. Flutes wrap around layered metallophones, noir chords hover, piano notes decay, and marimba patterns lock into a minimalist lullaby before receding…all while pan-pipes sing like birds. Overlapping resonances create gentle currents of enchantment and there are moments given over to atonal chime mesmerism and glowing treble intoxication. Hirose once again defly merges the virtual and real, with bell-tress indistinguishable from sequenced synth chimes and marimbas uniting with tropical electronics. At some point, the mix descends into pure silence…as if given over to a momentary pause of reflection. But soon the extra-terrestrial gamelan ritualisms resume, with woodwind breezes blowing over piano chord clusters and feedback swelling like a solar flare.
Tumblr media
(images from my personal copy)
4 notes · View notes
thesunlounge · 5 years
Text
Reviews 283: The Lemko Unlimited Orchestra
Balearic is perhaps best known for their epic compilations…these expertly selected, masterfully sequenced, and gorgeously presented collections that follow on in the spirit of the José Padilla-curated Café del Mar volumes and React’s Real Ibiza series. As well, the label has put out a string of digital singles, some of which rank among my favorite releases from the past few years (see Bartosz Kruczyński’s remix of Sacha Puttnam’s “Abraham’s Theme,” all three The Madrigal releases, and Miskotom’s Midnight Baddie, which for me is something of a chill-out masterpiece). Now in 2019, Balearic has dropped their first vinyl single, which comes in the form of Pathways / K.G.E.T. by The Lemko Unlimited Orchestra. Followers of the label are no doubt familiar with The Lemko Unlimited Orchestra, as the producer’s beachside interpretation of Inner City’s “The Good Life” featured on Balearic 2 (under the name Eugene Tambourine). For Pathways / K.G.E.T., he returns again to the well of certified classics, presenting inspired mash-ups and transformative re-imaginings of Fingers Inc.’s “A Path” and Ralph Macdonald’s “The Path” (as “Pathways”) and The Nite Liters all-time funk stunner “K-Jee” (as “K.G.E.T.”). The resulting tracks are expansive journeys in ethnological hand percussion, old skool house, and steamy jazz fusion, with kaleidoscopic rhythms bouncing through thick jungle growth, basslines working the body, electronic keys riffing, synth leads melting, pianos falling like rain, woodwinds blowing dreamspells, and soulful vocals scatting twilight magic. Best of all, the tracks are backed by a DJ dubs that have been fine tuned for maximum dancefloor ecstasy and the entire package is unified by a dynamic mixing job from Darshan Jesrani.
The Lemko Unlimited Orchestra - Pathways / K.G.E.T. (Balearic, 2019) Crickets chirp amidst layered world percussion at the beginning of “Pathways,” with tightly wound hand drums rolling over deep conga vocalisms. Hi-hats hiss and sticks keep time as piano arpeggios drift down from the sky, with their shimmering melodies eventually backed by sprightly xylophones. Four-four kick drums, cow bells, and skittering shakers move alongside a marauding synth bassline, resulting in an evocative combination of vintage deep house and mystical rainforest sorcery. Spectral atmospheres and phaser hazes swirl across the stereo field and pianos bang ecstatically while new age pan-pipes flutter amidst chiming starlight. Elsewhere, during a moment when the anxious layers peel back, idiophones walk through a jazzy nightscape, piano chord clusters converse with ivory-sourced ocean hazes, and minimal rhythms evoke beachside jungle romance, with woodwinds dancing through cinematic motions. We then burst into a passage of urgent rhythmic energy and morphing synthesizer leads, wherein the bass thuds deeply as it abandons the jacking house energies in favor of primal body magic. Returning to the jungle house prowl, futuristic keyboards drop minimal riffs as fusion solos blur into a psychedelic swirl…all while hi-hats work between urgent pulses and laid back glides. And though it’s already so infectious and transportive, the best is yet to come, as near the end of the track, Yevhem Bubon enters, first scatting alone amidst a vibrant world of rhythm, then cooing soulfully above exotica flute leads, mallet instruments, and melting electronics.
Tumblr media
In “K.G.E.T.,” reversing loops background bells and windchimes until the kick drum enters, thudding powerfully as keyboards drop further fusion riffs. A low slung tribal groove develops, with deep earthen bass energies underlying balafons that seem to skip across rippling light waves. Filtering riffs fire wildly as hand drums fall into polyrhythmic madness and once the jacked out bassline emerges, everything seems to swing along hypnotically, with cymbals increasing in strength and idiophones dancing on clouds. There’s a delirious moment where it all devolves into freaky jazz percussion weirdness, only to quickly slam back into all out groove hypnosis, where squelching future funk electronics suck backwards while mind-piercing bell tones flit above mid-bass chord play. Aquatic solos flow deep in the ether as ethnological percussion locks into a forest ceremonial and in something of an early climax, dream house keyboards mutate then climb towards the stars in flamboyant disco perfection. Later, acid lines gurgle across the spectrum and pianos run joyously up and down the scale before an eruption into bluesy synth solo histrionics, all hypnotic sunbeam spirals and 70s fusion runs sparkling through the night. Behind the subdued solo pyrotechnics, rhythms pulse and transform…as if overcome by manic groove euphoria. And at the end of the track, every instrument locks together for blazing ascents that overflow with prog rock flamboyance.
Tumblr media
As for the DJ dubs, “Pathways (Version)” strips back the rhythmic layers, leaving just sparse congas, hi-hats, and stick clicks. That massive house bassline enters and we spend the rest of our time vibing out in world of snake charmer rattles, Latin jazz percussion, interstellar electronics, and deep beat grooves, while bells jingle softly in the distance. Elements of the mix sometimes flow through gaseous reverb and delay fx, which creates dubwise tracers amidst the sacred rhythmic minimalism, and occasionally, the skeletal dancefloor energies are broken up by soulful vocalisms, with Bubon’s doo wop scats drifting dreamily above a zoner club workout. Imagine a mythical danceloor sitting within a jungle of eternal night…a dark and sensual place of sweat and euphoria, with sinister animals observing the ecstatic body motions from the edge of the forest while the stars glow strangely overhead. For “K.G.E.T. (Version)” cymbals and bells are moved by haunted winds amidst reversing electronics. Kick drums pulse and shakers sit loudly in the mix…their rattling tones panning ear-to-ear as e-pianos drop spaceage riff patterns. Wild rhythmic energies flow around, with congas holding it down while various other percussive devices mimic the sounds of insects and amphibians. And as the song progresses, pianos flow in and out of the polyrhythmic panorama and gonzo acid lines work the mind into a psychosonic trance…as if Afro-cosmic music has been reduced to its essential rhythmic soul.
(images from my personal copy)
1 note · View note
thesunlounge · 5 years
Text
Reviews 205: La llama de Prometeo
Discómanos is a record label and collective of artists operating out of Spain and last year they released a beautiful compilation entitled La llama de Prometeo: La puerta de entrada a las Nueves Músicas Españolas. The title translates to “The Flame of Prometheus: The Gateway to the New Spanish Music” and indeed, this collection serves as an adventurous and breathtakingly gorgeous survey of Spain’s space music, new age, and ambient scenes during the late 80s and 90s, with many of the artists here having been associated to Hyades Arts, Grabaciones Accidentales, and Música Sin-Fin. I have to thank Ban Ban Ton Ton for turning me onto this one, for if Dr. Rob hadn’t mentioned the release when writing about his Chilled / January 2019 mix, I might never have come across it. Which is altogether surprising given my fascination with this corner of Spain’s rich musical history as well as the fact the big names such as Finis Africae, Iury Lech, and Suso Saiz all appear. But there are many wonderful artists that are completely new to me as well and in every case, compiler Daniel Nielles has selected tracks that have never before been released on vinyl. The music itself is dreamy and meditative, seeing soundworlds of seaside folk, pastoral new age, heart-melting ambient, and bleary-eyed kosmische all unite for a balearic float on waves made of light. And it’s all tied together by the myth of Prometheus and some beautiful poetry from Daneil, a line of which sums up the spirit of the collection perfectly: “this compilation is a deep scream from modern gods; the flame that is still alive in this new century.”
La llama de Prometeo: La puerta de entrada a las Nuevas Músicas Españolas (Discómanos, 2018) We begin with Suso Sáiz’s “El mar que tendrá el mar” and the sounds of waves crashing to shore. Pastoral piano lullabies are shrouded in fog as bass arpeggios background crystalline leads that splash through sea-foam pools. Then comes the stunningly gorgeous and tear-inducing “Reloj de luna (María)” by Pedro Esteven, where heavenly piano chords hover in the air as heart-melting string orchestrating rain down. Chiming starshine electronics move gently through synthetic layers of violin, viola, and cello…their melodies evoking heartbreak and lost romance as layers of new age space music float the soul. At some point, an operatic angel voice enters, her wordless dreamspells swaying through dark hazes into radiant baths of moonlight while strings, voices, and pianos all surge together to lift the heart towards the sky and atmospheric bass pulses carry everything towards cloudrealms of paradise enchantment. In Finis Africae’s “Olas a Formentera,” joyous whistles fly above seaside reed orchestrations and thumping acoustic bass textures until someone calls out the song’s title, at which point we drop into a sun-soaked balearic folk dance. Riffing string instruments and soloing sitars play to the spirits of the sea and sky, their shuffling magic and waves of propulsive acoustic wonder surfed on by island breeze accordions while guitars solo and double basses thump ecstatically. Elsewhere the mix spaces out, leaving zithers and six-strings to solo softly above pulsing bass movements and sea-shanty reeds while deep and entrancing vocals chant “Formentera” from atop the rocky cliffs of Es Vedra. 
Tumblr media
Pianos, marimbas, kalimbas, and other solar idiophones dance beneath starlight bell tapestries in Alberto Garralon’s “Iria Feliz,” while rainforest hand drums hold down an airy groove. Wavering guitar solos alternate with ghostly synth leads that squiggle through a sunrise sky and there are gamelan evocations in the way the interlocking loops of exotic metal generate hallucinogenic polyrhythms, with everything being wrapped around by aquatic organ waves. When the rhythms pull out, we find ourselves in a swooning section of nostalgic beauty, where FM synth fluids cycle around sprightly guitar patterns…everything moving together in a dance of multi-layered rhythms as organs drone out beneath noir-pop atmospheres that recall Angelo Badalamenti. One of the most surprising cuts comes from Juan Veron and Pedro Lahoze. Their “Adventures Flavour” locks ethnological drum explorations and alien hand percussion vocalisms into a hypno-groove that moves beneath wavering chime tapestries. Majestic synths, organs, and pianos climb through sparkling clouds of gold while dripping cosmic liquids coat skronking woodwinds. The ivory melodies are tracked by swelling space pads and ominous brass textures bring airs of exotic funk and Zeuhl prog. All the while, solar melodics skip through rainbow flower fields and the ritualist percussion energies merge with sonic clouds of ceremonial fusion fire.
The B-side opens with “Final sin pauses” by Iury Lech. Deep piano pulsations envelop the spirit in a fog of bass warmth as shadow and light swirl together. A mermaid sings out from oceanic depths with wordless songs of ancient magic…her mellifluous voice backed by ghostly male harmonizations as it all comes together for an aquatic aria of profound beauty. Ivory incantations and mystical voices coalesce and sooth the mind while the mix hisses and breaths with analog warmth and towards the end, the track gives itself over completely to haunted drone clouds built from dark and mysterious oscillations. The esoterica of Pablo Guerrero’s “Dragones negros” follows, with bowed string drones conjuring subterranean spirits. The mix is further adorned by bucolic windchimes while a sensuous and calming voice enters to entrance the mind, its enigmatic stories occasionally receding as harmonious clouds of ambiance swell and glow with a spectral light. The mesmerizing sonic motions are suffused by starshine chime tones and sometimes the vocalist zones out into pure throat singing and passages that resemble yodeling or Sami joiking. The droning voice fluids are backed by submarine clarinets that swim through the ever-present cascades of sparkling metal and the way these haunted woodwinds seem to float on a spectral sea of amorphous new age magic presages by decades one of my favorite songs: Eleventeen Eston’s “I Float, I am Free.” And as swirls of sound build towards slow motion ecstasy, the hypnotizing voice returns to entice the soul back to earthly realms. 
Tumblr media
Antonio García’s “Guitarra primitive” features bubbling hand drums soaring beneath the kind of metal-against-guitar string noise associated with GY!BE’s Efrim Menuck. There are shadows of Roy Montgomery and Loren MazzaCane Connors as well in the way the searing waves of droning guitar push the mind towards bliss and as the wailing six-string orchestrations drop away, they are replaced by strange sliding tones..like drops of silver ether moving upwards along the walls of a crystal cavern. The delay fx on the hand drums morph in and out of phase and generate feverish polyrhythms in a way reminiscent of early Popol Vuh and Ash Ra Tempel and the track spends the rest of its time alternating between careening bowed guitar atmospheres and sci-fi sliding fluids until the beats drop away for a coda of pure ambient shimmer. We end with Eliseo Parra’s “Noche tranquil y serena,” which sees the calming beachside field recordings return as waves crash and seabirds sing softly. A zither modulates under aqueous phaser waves while wrapping the mind around with dazzling runs and enchanting ocean romantics. Glistening chime strands decay towards a blood red sunset and a mystical voice calls out above it all, his sliding modalities evoking a mythical Iberian ritualism. As the track progresses, a head nodding downbeat groove emerges and floats on throbbing bass currents while high in the sky, psychedelic string clouds drop subtle waves of strummed starlight and wood flutes harmonize together as they summon shadow spirits from forgotten realms.
(images from my personal copy)
1 note · View note