#finally. the character portraits are done

[b4kuch1n]

sawayama yuuto | amy cava | tố linh

[eddsworld-the-masquerade]

these two

didn't change their profiles much but as always, you can find and read full descriptions on Character page

oh and ellsworld is here too XP

[louroth]

Leith :]

[justruse]

and Addison is here!! ... with some ketchup on their face. but yes, they are a gender selectable RO!

[valkblue]

My little gizka 💕

[whumble-beeee]

I just realized I'm allowed to post my art on my blog too. This is good. This is excellent even >:). And yes this is a threat. Bc guess who's been busy drawing character portraits! 💚💚💚

[galacticsabc]

some butterfly themed assassins.

[f13ndish]

Leave him some treats and he’ll maybe start bringing you shiny gifts like a thumbtack or a quarter in the bird feeder

[hiddenbeks]

may i interest u in. snazzy new oc page

[shadowsandstarlight]

The painting is done. It is currently in the process of being flattened, I don’t want to take pictures until it’s flat so it won’t be warped. It’s far too nice an artwork to share photographs of it warped.

[futureplayboibunnie]

Heartless Pt. 3

Mafia Boss! Miguel O’hara x fem!reader

You and Miguel are married to each other…and it wasn’t because of love.

are we…lowkey…getting somewhere?

The flight wasn't as grueling as you thought it would've been, it was an eight-hour nonstop flight and you were lucky you went at night. You stared blankly out of the window, blinking at the stars. You didn't even realize that you were drifting away softly, your lashes fluttered and drooped and then everything went black, the soft hum of the jet reverberating in your ears as you slipped to sleep, sleeping for a dreamless night with your head in the literal clouds.

Miguel was quite literally nocturnal. He could never sleep at night, even if he wanted to and even if he tried. He pulled out his laptop and started working, going over some cooked-up books that his crooked accountant had given him. Maybe he was paranoid by triple-checking everything, he had gone through your background check multiple times and it still didn't feel enough, he still didn't feel like it was accurate to the character you were playing for him. Like a facade. Miguel was absorbed in his work, he didn't realize a few hours passed already. He still wasn't tired, and he wanted to avoid sleeping deeply for as long as he could- he couldn't be in a position where his bad dreams could get at him again. He frowned at the startling thought and downed the last of his Merlot. Your soft breathing made him break away for a moment, his head shifted to look at you and you were sound asleep. Your head rested to the side of you away from him and your hair was covering your face. Miguel hesitantly reached his hand to stroke away the strands that were blocking out your features, maybe he just wanted to check if you weren't awake, or maybe he just wanted to gawk at you without the consequence of your smart mouth or belittling stare- either way, he couldn't stop his fingers from brushing the hair away from your face. You breathed deeply and mumbled something incoherent that Miguel couldn't comprehend, Miguel felt you shift in your seat. He immediately retracted his hand, brows knitting together as he studied what you looked like in your natural form, when you weren't pretending to be someone else.

Again. He thought you looked nice. Miguel grunted softly at his ceaseless gaping, he was being ridiculous, staring at an attractive woman as if he'd never seen one before. He won't succumb to something as juvenile as this, his pressures lie elsewhere and he won't let his confusion around you cloud his thoughts to things that matter more. If he was being completely honest with himself, he needed some sort of vacation- he had grown tired of being on edge back home, looking over his shoulder, making sure to preserve what was his. How was he supposed to become more powerful and spread his influence if he was still looking after what he already had? It was startling for him to be in control of so many things at once, but as always, he pushed it down. There were still a few hours before you landed and Miguel didn't want to be engrossed by work anymore, he wasn't paying attention to it. He decided to pull out a book he still hadn't finished reading, he hadn't had time to indulge in such normal trivial things as reading. There were moments when you stirred and twisted in your sleep, surely you weren't comfortable in heels and a tight little dress but Miguel didn't want to meddle with you further. He's done more than enough.

-

“Hey.“

A soft gentle voice made your eyes scrunch.

“Hey, wake up. We're here.” The voice urged again.

Your lashes fluttered when you finally realized that it was Miguel. And that it was also Miguel who was had his hand on your face. You jolted awake, Miguel was next to you but it felt like he was so far away, you didn't realize how little it took for him to extend an arm and brush his fingers against you. The moonlight beamed through the pane, your groggy vision turning into a beautiful portrait of Miguel, illuminating every single feature of him, his brown hair turning honey as the Italian moon hit him perfectly. You shook your head and raised yourself on your seat, still not understanding how you could fall asleep in something so heinously uncomfortable, and even then you still resumed being graceful as always, you wouldn't let that appearance shatter, especially in front of Miguel. His presence itself didnt bother you but what went on in his head did.

Speaking of, Miguel's mind was whirring away but it drew to a blank

There was one thing he wanted to say though; 'Is this what we're doing? Just not talking to each other?’ Well. He preferred that to that polite small talk, you both kept on upholding, the thought made his skin crawl.

-

The drive to the complex was silent as per usual, but this time it was Miguel who was driving and you were in the front seat. His cars were expensive, his Audi RS Q8 wasn't an exception, it was a sinful amplification of the word money. You settled into the passenger seat, trying not to inspect every single inch of his car like a lost tourist, awing at the model but you contained it, your face expresser something akin to that of being unimpressed and uninterested, when in fact you were the complete opposite. The fact that you had to act this way just to not give Miguel the satisfaction wasn't difficult but inconvenient. You wanted to be yourself, but you didn't want to seem weak in front of him, you won't let that happen. Ever.

You breathed out, your fingers smoothing against the seatbelt, reminding you of the way he so easily trapped you in the plane, that hand keeping you in place. You couldn't remember the last time anyone had touched you like that, well, anyone who even touched you at all in the last few months. Your eyes couldn't help but glance over at him, sneaky eyes trailing over him, almost thickening the distance and tension between you- he was right here, but a million miles away. Miguel's hand slid over the wheel seamlessly, but you noticed his knuckles turning white as he gripped onto it. His jaw ticked as he let out a short frustrated breath, his gaze nothing more than penetrating as he glared at the window, completely unamused- his autopilot mood.

If only he wasn't blinded by rage and other primitive and frankly boring emotions- it was so predictable that it didn't phase you. You pursed your lips and stared outside the window, pensive and aloof as the night clouded your peripheral. the bleak darkness you were gazing at, seemed to reflect Miguel's mood more than anything and you didn't know how to confront this deep tension between you that was certainly getting thicker and thicker. Then your mouth ran before you could check it.

"You'll break it.”You said flatly, brimming with confidence by the way you squared your shoulders, surprised by your own voice thrumming out of your throat.

Miguel's head shifted to regard you. Oh wow, the church mouse finally roars. The fact that you're saying something at all, let alone something in a knowing tone made him halt in his tracks. You seemed so sure of yourself like you knew exactly what he could do. Like you had any idea who he was. Aw, honey. You didn't know anything. You needed to stop pretending like you did

"Hm?” Miguel mumbled impatiently, waiting for you to elaborate on your not-so-graceful statement.

“Don't grip so hard on the wheel. You'll break it.” You replied as if you were bored out of your mind, Miguel despised it entirely. His eyes turned into mere slits when they found his knuckles turning a pale white against the wheel, his veins turning thunderous and borderline pulsating with resigned anger he was used to but now since you pointed it out, he was becoming more aware of his actions than he was happy with. Miguel mostly kept to himself, but primitive emotions such as anger or frustration, creeped out of him slowly and etched at his features like a lingering poison.

"Hm. I see the only time you open your mouth is to critique me.” He replied with a soft snarl.

“I'm not criticizing you. I just don't want this ludicrously expensive car to break under your thumb.”

“I can afford another 10 of these.” Miguel's words ran off his tongue so smoothly you realized the point he was proving: he was extremely wealthy, he didn't need to care about things. It's something that you shouldn't forget. Miguel doesn't conserve material things, why should he? You shouldn't expect him to want to take care of his possessions, though you didn't realize how careless he actually was with it. you wouldn't have guessed a man as arrogant and careful as him within his work and his business to be so callous with his money, but then again- the money spent on a new car is a mere droplet within a river of riches. It left a bitter taste in your mouth. You shot him a glare and that's when he muttered flatly, “Don't ever question that again, we clear?”

"Hm. And also, I have a brain and a mouth. When I don't want to talk I won't talk, I don't need to fill the silence with empty words, if I want to talk or call you out on something I will. Just because I don't entertain petty or better yet polite conversation doesn't mean I'm a wallflower or taker of shit, we clear?”

Miguel's face was set in an uncrackable scowl, his jaw ticked as you talked to him in such a patronizing way, it may have been deserved or it may have been a clear indication of your intentions- but either way, he didn't like the way you were talking.

“Careful.”

“We may be married but I will not answer to yo-“

He cut you off sternly with his hand reaching out and gripping your cheeks to close your mouth, it was a warning, the way he stared at you proved that, his hand proved harsher. “I said careful.” You let out a frustrated breath, struggling with your hands on his to pry his iron-like fingers off of your cheeks and chin. Miguel felt you struggle in your seat, hissing and thrashing but he remained unaffected, so completely normal about it all as he kept driving. He released his grip on you and you breathed out deeply, flashing him a look of surprise and hatred. He had a tendency to make people this way and he revelled in it. “Smart mouth...All bark, no bite….it can only get you so far. Remember that the next time you wanna try and lay into me Cariño.”

-

You remained embittered with Miguel when you got to the beachside apartment complex, you slammed the car door shut harshly, seemingly acting like him for not caring for his little playthings. If he didn’t care, why should you? He could tell by that look on your face you wouldn't be all polite and graceful after what he did. You didn't help him with the bags, you didn't care. The doorman let you in, informing you that the complex would be all yours for the week as he gave you the key. Miguel trudged behind you, carrying the bags up the stairs like they were feathers. You slammed the door in his face but he knee stopped it from closing fully, he knew that you were trying to prove a point and it was dancing on his nerves.

“I’m taking a shower and going to bed. Don’t even think about interrupting me for anything.” You spat out lowly, irritation causing your brows to knit together slightly. Miguel just grunted in response, dropping the bags on the floor gracelessly.

He hadn’t been to this beach house in a while, although it was thoroughly cleaned, it still felt lived in from when he was a kid living here with his family. Miguel didn’t know how to feel about the fond and somewhat nostalgic thought. Then his eyes flicked to the glass cabinet in the corner of the living room. He stepped closer and found the thoroughly familiar photos of him and Gabriel, playing. Careless as ever. He scoffed slightly with a little smile touching at his lips. It was a lot easier back then.

Now he has to deal with a pissed off wife, with a pretty mouth.

You explored the hallway first, walking down and vaguely peeping into every room, but you reached the master bedroom by the end of the hallway. You opened the door and found a beautiful room with a marble layout and wooden details, the balcony you stepped into was slightly protruding, looking out into the grassy planes, sandy beaches and palm trees. Something out of novel. The iron bars were covered in ivy and vines, shrubs and bushes of plenty alonside even more greenery. The moon shone onto the waves hauntingly, creating a halo onto the Earth.

It really was beautiful.

You shifted your head, raising an eyebrow at how big the white bed was, but you didn’t read into it. It’ll be just like it was at home- you and Miguel in seperate rooms, like always. Your heels clicked to the en suite and Jesus Christ, it was huge. Your eyes gleamed from corner to corner of the room, and then you reached the sink and immediately rolled your eyes.

Of course the best room in the building had to be Miguel’s.

There was a tiny frame sitting at the corner of his sink. It was of him holding Gabriel as a newborn, your vision turned sharp as you inspected the photo. Well. Miguel definitely had his boyish charm back then, a shame he doesn’t have it now. His smile would always remain a mystery to you. You settled the frame down and instead you eyed the copous bottles of cologne he had. Each more expensive than the last, as always.

Instead of just gawking around like a fool, you turned the shower on and immediately started stripping of this dress and heels you’ve been subjected too, you grabbed a fresh white towel and threw it to hand over the glass sliding door. You slipped in the shower, letting the warm water travel down every aching sore muscles, you hadn’t been this relieved in a long time.

Miguel, on the other hand, poured himself another incredibly strong scotch, he really needed to absolve himself of…something. He raked an exhausted hand over his face, he grabbed the whole bottle alongside the glass and trudged to his room begrudgingly, hoping to be rid of this night.

You wanted to keep the shower as brief as possible just so you could slip into bed sooner. Fuck. You didn’t bring your bag in here with you. Your shampoo was in it. Shit. You had to make do with what was around you, well, lucky for you, you only had Miguel’s shampoo around. With a defeated sigh, you had to go for it. As if this could get any worse.

You opened up the bottle and raised it to your nose, it smelled…dark? Cederwood. Coffee? Maybe a little bit of vanilla. That was just picking it apart, as a whole it the scent of it was just so… Miguel. Extra thickening? Interesting. Without caring, you squirted some into your palm and lathered it together with your hands, quickly soaking your hair and rubbing it softly into your scalp.

The bubbles surrounding you made the aroma that much more…intense.

Miguel heard the sound of the shower coming from his room, he wanted to grit his teeth until they shattered and fell into his hands. A frission of irritation thrummed at his temple. He swung open his bedroom door hurriedly with the might of one hand and exclaimed, “I swear to God if you’re in here I’m gonna-“

His feet stopped in their tracks. His mind went blank at what he was seeing. He was surprised he didn’t drop his damn scotch.

You going through his wardrobe in a tiny towel, legs dripping and glowing, hair wet and messy, glaring at him with a certain blank apprehension. Almost like a deer in headlights, but what could Miguel say? He was looking at you the exact same way.

-

taglist (giggles) : @deputy-videogamer @aisyakirmann @idolautism @residentialcryptid @bunnyrose01 @hqllcheers @minalovesyoubabes @amelialysm @moonvoidpng @ahano @hanberkkk @lavenderslemonade @mynameiswilliamblake @gejo333 @leahnicole1219 @iite-cool @zaunsin @kkchgee @yujyujj @hazelnutbitch @hiraya1802 @leo-lvr @sh4nn @watyousayin @siidmm @ciwywt-com @death-moth-art @ihateuguys @enmuhusben (sometimes i hate this fkn app it literally doensn’t let me tag other ppl why)

[blackbirdi]

One-Sided

Brief Description: The pains of being in love with your friend are bad, but the pains of said friend not liking you back are worse.

Point of View: 1st person

Word Count: 2155

Character: Sirius Black x Reader

House: Gryffindor

Year: Sixth Year

Prompt:

Sitting in the surprisingly empty common room, I stared at the textbook sitting on my lap. At one point it felt like I was going cross eyed from how long I was staring at the properties of whatever kind of ingredients for whatever kind of potion we were going to be making in class next week.

At this point in my studying I didn't even know what I was reading, just hoping that someone would appear out of thin air and save me from this painful reading.

"That was so incredibly stupid of you lot," a familiar voice growls from the portrait hole.

My eyes finally leave the textbook on my lap for the first time in what felt like days to see what Remus was talking about.

Remus, who was the one snapping at the rest of the Marauders walks over to me and collapses on the floor right in front of my feet. I watch as the other Marauders climb through the portrait hole - my eyes lingering a bit too long on one of the boys - before I glance back down at Remus.

"Why are you on the floor, Moony?" I ask inquisitively, shoving my textbook into my bookbag as my prayers for a distraction have finally been answered.

Remus looks up at me, giving me a lazy grin before he rolls onto his stomach and rests his head on his arms.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Sirius saunters over, smirking over at me. "What's a beautiful lady such as yourself sitting along in the common room for, L/n?"

"Studying, Black," I answer, grinning up at him. "I don't suppose you know what that means."

Sirius tosses his head back and laughs, playfully kicking my shin as he sits down next to me and throws his arm over my shoulder, bringing me close to his body. My face heats up at the contact, I can see Remus, James, and Peter smirking at me. They all know about my feelings for Sirius, apparently my feelings for Sirius can be spotted from a mile away, according to the other three Marauders.

"This is why I like you, Y/n," he announces, his words causing my heart to do backflips. "You have a witty response for everything."

"Mhm," I hum in response, glaring at the rest of the Marauders as they smirk knowingly over at Sirius and I.

"So can I ask what you lot were doing that had Remus calling you stupid?" I question, wriggling myself out of Sirius's grasp, knowing that my face would only get redder if he held me like that longer.

"I didn't say they were stupid," Remus corrects me, rolling his eyes as he crosses his arms over his chest, looking disapprovingly at the others. "I said what they did was stupid."

Around me, Peter, James, and Sirius snicker, clearly thinking about what they had done to get Remus so upset with them.

"Then what did they do?" I ask, exaggerating my annoyance with Remus correcting me.

Remus grins at your annoyance, pushing himself up from his position on the floor to sit up and say, "I think that's private information, Y/n. I'm afraid I'll have to keep that to myself."

I roll my eyes at Remus's secrecy, grumbling, "Dick," under my breath as I cross my arms and lean back against the couch.

In response to my obvious annoyance, Remus throws his head back and laughs; the others join in with their own chuckles. Sirius slings his arms over my shoulders again, pulling my body to press against his side.

"Ah, don't be like that, love," he mutters, her voice full of amusement. "Moony is just playing with you. No need to get all cranky."

Trying to stop the blush from rising to my cheeks and calling me out, I attempt to push myself out of Sirius's hold, mumbling, "Don't treat me like a child, Pads, I have a reputation to uphold."

Sirius just laughs at my resistance and words, his arms around me tightening and pulling me closer. "You're so cute, L/n, you know that?"

My resistance to Sirius's embrace falls as I hide my face against his chest so that none of the Marauders see just how red my cheeks are.

"Fuck you," I respond.

Sirius just laughs again, pressing a kiss to my hairline.

———————————

"L/n!" a voice calls my name as I study at one of the tables hidden in a corner in the library.

I lift my head, immediately rolling my eyes as I spot Sirius - and Madam Pince sending him a nasty glare.

"Keep quiet!" I demand with a hiss, moving over to make room from Sirius at the table. "Are you trying to get me kicked out of here or something?

Sirius plops down in the seat beside me, smirking over at me as I snap at him. He leans back in the chair, an arm thrown over the back of it as he gives me one of his sexy half-grins.

"I only came here for one thing, and one thing only, Y/n," he informs me.

Deciding to humour him (and set aside my book for the meantime) I ask, "And what's that, Black?"

Sirius throws a red piece of cloth on the table; I hadn't realized he was holding anything until now.

"What's that?" I ask, nodding my head towards the material.

"My jersey," Sirius answers, pride evident in his voice as he tilts his grin turns haughty.

One of my eyebrows raise in confusion, I look at Sirius in question. "Okay...?" I reply slowly, hoping he gives me more of an explanation for why he just tossed his Quidditch jersey onto the table in front of us.

"I need you to wear that on Saturday," Sirius informs me, pushing the jersey towards me.

My eyes widen at his request - or demand, however you take it - and an unwanted shade of red invades my cheeks.

"Wh-what? Why?" I ask, cursing myself internally as I stutter to ask him a simple question.

Whenever I have a girl wear my jersey to one of my Quidditch matches, I always play better," Sirius explains, nudging his jersey closer to me again. "I thought of you on the stands in every game I play - which I thank you for, love - and I thought 'Hey, why not get Y/n to wear your jersey?' ya know? I think it would be perfect." He pauses for a moment before adding with a cheeky wink, "And you'll look good while wearing it."

My cheeks heat up further to the point where I feel like I'm practically glowing red.

"Geez, Siri, I don't know," I mumble, looking down at the book I was reading to hide my red cheeks. "Don't you want one of your little girlfriends to wear it instead?" I retort, my voice showing just how obviously jealous I was of every girl that Sirius sleeps with.

If Sirius saw (or heard) my jealous, he didn't show that he did.

"Oh, come on, Y/n/n, I want you to wear it. Pleaseeeee?" he begs, giving me his best puppy dog eyes, which he knows I can't say no to.

I'm torn, genuinely torn. Do I wear Sirius's jersey, make him happy, and have my heart beat furiously against my chest for the whole match because I'm wearing Sirius's jersey? Or do I not wear it, disappoint Sirius, and watch him give it to some other girl and have jealousy pool in my stomach for the whole match?

I know that I'm leaning towards 'wear the jersey' but if I do I'm just feeding into my delusions that Sirius likes me back? Am I the first one he came to? Does he want me to wear it because he wants to see me wear his jersey? Or does he just want a girl to wear it and everyone else he asked said no?

Sighing, I finally answer him, "Okay. I'll wear it."

A large smile breaks across Sirius's face and he throws his arms around me, bringing me into an embrace.

Red blooms across my face, I'm thankful that my face is pressed against his shoulder so he can't see just how red I am just from him hugging me.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he chants, bubbling with joy.

"Yeah, yeah," I reply, trying to downplay it, because truthfully, I don't understand why he's so excited for me to wear his jersey. "It's nothing, Sirius. It's just a jersey."

"But it's my jersey," Sirius replies, releasing me from his grasp. "And you're wearing it."

I roll my eyes playfully at him, unable to hide my grin as I do so. I grab the jersey form the table in front of me, holding it close to my chest as I look over at Sirius and ask, "Anything else you need, Black?"

With a smirk, Sirius answers, "No, I think I got everything. Thank you, love."

"Mhm," I hum, looking back down at my book. My hair falls in front of my face, hiding my red cheeks from Sirius. "See you around then."

"See you around," Sirius echos, standing up from the chair. He playfully ruffles my hair before walking away.

When he disappears around the corner I straighten my hair before I look down at the jersey in my arms, those same mixed emotions swirling in my chest.

———————————

"I don't know why I agreed to do this," I grumble, watching the figures of red and blue fly across the Quittich pitch.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asks at my side, looking away from the players and over to me. "You love Quidditch; you literally watch every game, even in Gryffindor isn't one of the teams competing."

I sigh, looking down at Sirius's jersey that envelopes my body.

"I meant wearing Sirius's jersey," I mumble, glancing over at Remus before looking back to the players.

Remus's attention is still on me, his eyes burn a hole in the side of my head as he stares at me. It kinda feels like he's trying to read my mind, to understand why I was so upset about wearing someone's jersey, especially if it's someone I like.

"And that's a bad things because...?"

"Because, Remus, it-it just makes me feel like-like he likes me," I admit, cringing at my own words. "And I know he doesn't like me, so I'm just feeding my own delusions that he wanted me to wear his jersey because he likes me."

Remus doesn't say anything, which I thank him for because I'm currently so goddamn embarrassed by my own admittance.

I try to refocus back on the game, but everything on my mind weighs down the joy of our eventual win against Ravenclaw.

"I think I'm gonna go back to my dorm," I inform Remus as the crowd stands up to cheer for Gryffindor. "I'm tired."

"Aren't you going to come to the party?" Remus asks me, the victorious smile on his face disappearing as he hears my words. Concern takes over his face, his eyebrows knitted together as he tries to dig deeper and find out if there's something more going on. "We always have a party when we win. Don't you want to celebrate with the rest of us?"

"Not tonight, Rem," I mumble, taking a few steps towards the stairs to get me down the stands. "I'm tired. I just want to go to sleep. Besides, there's parties every damn week in Gryffindor tower, I'll go next time. Tell James and Sirius 'congrats' for me, alright?"

"Yeah," Remus replies, looking down at the huddle of red on the field as they celebrate their win. "I will."

"Thanks, Rem. Have fun at the party."

----------------------

Sirius's POV

Looking up at the crowd that herds towards the team and I to congratulate us on our win, I look around for Y/n. I spot Remus, expecting Y/n to be right behind him, but when I don't see her my eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Where's Y/n?" I ask him, when he gets close enough that I don't have to shout for him to hear me.

"She went back to her dorm," Remus answers. "Some bullshit excuse about being tired."

James walks over to the two of us, his own confusion showing on his face as hears Remus.

"Do you have any idea why she actually went back?" James questions.

Remus stares at James for a long moment, looking like he was trying to explain with his eyes but after a long moment just shrugs.

"I'm sure she'll be fine tomorrow morning," he says. "Let's just go enjoy the party, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay," I mutters, looking down at my feet in disappointment.

Usually after every game, whether we won or lost, Y/n would greet me with a smile and hug, and everything felt wrong without it.

part II up now!

[sophswritingthings]

OMG!!! I JUST HAD THE SWEETEST REINCARNATION/SOULMATE IDEA FOR MIZU!! ok so, let’s say in the mid-late 1660s, a while after mizu got her revenge, she and her lady love get a portrait done. (they have a happy life :,) ). years later into the present, the readers at a japanese museum, and sees said portrait. it’s titled: ‘a samurai and “his” lover’, and has a small little excerpt talking about mizu and her impact during the edo period. reader finds it beautiful, but quickly realizes that the woman in the photo looks exactly like her, and she feels a strange familiarity at the sight of mizu in the painting. then, naturally, mizu appears next to her, admiring the painting as well. they have small talk about how nice it is, and when they finally turn to look at each other, they feel their hearts stop.

pairing: modern/reincarnated!mizu x fem!reader

warning(s): none

a/n: THIS IS SO CUTE???? 

summary: while visiting a japanese museum, you meet someone who makes your heart skip a beat. 

word count: 347 words / 1,867 characters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

you were walking down the halls of the museum, you’d always wanted to know more about the edo period—and about japan, in general. It was a place you always found fascinating, all the way across the world.

your eyes land on a certain portrait. you almost feel… drawn, to it, in a way.

it’s like a hand forced it’s way out of the painting, and was dragging you closer to it. 

so you walked over to it, your eyes searching the beautiful work of art. a light background, with two people depicted on it.

a samurai, their sword held firmly on their waist, an arm wrapped around a woman. the woman was gorgeous and..

.. almost looked like yourself?

dark hair, dark eyes, and a simple and pleasant smile on her lips.

you glanced down at the title of the painting. 

“a samurai and “his” lover.”

you cock your head at the title. the quotes around “his” made your head spin a little bit. weren’t all samurai men, in the edo period?

the painting seemed to say otherwise. 

“it’s a wonderful work of art, isn’t it?”

you jump as a woman appears at your side. you glance over at her, she’s wearing a white button up blouse—and dark jeans along with a silver belt.

your attention flips back to the painting, gazing up at it with wonder. she looks to be doing the same.

“the edo period, you know—there was rumor there was a female samurai,” she begins. “that she had to conceal her identity because of her eye color.”

you chuckle, gazing at the paintings eyes. beautiful, stone cold blue.

“seriously?” you smile a bit, “seems a little silly, now. but I guess it makes sense for the period.”

she nods, “it does. half-white people were considered demons, in japan. blue eyes, or any other color than brown were the sign.”

your gaze shifts from the painting, down to the woman at your side. your eyes are wide, staring into the same river blue eyes as the painting.

you swear you could feel your heart stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: hiii, if you want more of this kind of fic, read @berryberrybeautiful’s “Enchanted to Meet You” on AO3! <3 it’s wonderful!!

[sporeblossom]

logging back onto this website to say that while i dont think (???) it was intentionally done, the scene before their "last day" where frank is working on a portrait of bill, reminded me of keith haring's "unfinished painting"

comparison here before i explain:

keith haring's painting was purposely made to look incomplete. haring was diagnosed with HIV in late 1988, and died in early 1990, at the age of 31. the painting is a self portrait, hitting us with the gut-punch reality of how the aids-epidemic robbed haring of the right to finish his own story. the overwhelming amount of empty space is a glaring reminder that haring didn't just have a short life, he had an incomplete one. the piece points to all that empty space and says: this should have been filled out. this should all have been my art, my story, and my space. by claiming this empty space, haring claimed the empty space of his unlived life, that was taken from him and so many other people, by a negligent and homophobic society that refused to care about the pandemic ravaging an entire community worldwide.

now back to my original point: like i said, im really not sure if this was intentionally done by the show. but when i was watching this episode and i saw this scene, i immediately thought of this painting. the blue color of the eye trailing off onto the blank part of the canvas is, at least to me, a strong visual parallel.

and i feel like this visual parallel highlights some very important thematic parallels as well, which deserve to be talked about. in the show, the outbreak starts in 2003 which means that bill and frank have both lived through the aids-epidemic. they have seen people like them die. they have experienced the hatred and isolation that came with it. you could speculate and read into things ad nauseaum, but i thinks it's safe to say that in this place and time, this also plays into how careful and hesitant they are, when they first start to show intimacy with each other. in their world, they didn't even get to experience the legalization of gay marriage.

seeing as this show takes place during another, fictional, pandemic, airing at a time where the real world has just faced another actual pandemic, it is impossible to ignore this aspect of their story.

these two characters however, are not destroyed by the outbreak in the show. they find each other, they experience freedom, love, and a full life together. their life is not cut short.

in an absurd twist of fate, when the rest of the world is finally forced to experience what it's like to be abandoned by your government during a devastating epidemic, this is when these two people find happiness. they get to go running, and have fights, and grow strawberries, and have friends over for dinner.

and after spending nearly twenty years together, frank spends his last time working not on a self portrait, but on a portrait of bill, the love of his life. this is the sort of thing that rightfully should have filled the empty space of haring's work. finding love(s) spending your time together, that is a life lived.

and yet frank's painting is unfinished, because of course we are never truly done living. we are never truly done loving. but he got so much more time, so much more story, than the people we lost to the aids epidemic, which the trailing off blue paint reminds us of.

at the same time their house is absolute filled with all the paintings that frank did finish, showing us all the good days he got with bill. and in a way, i feel like that is the show being very aware of what it is: a complete, beautiful story about two men loving each other, in a world that sorely lacks these stories. a world where we had so many unfinished, incomplete lives, that we lack an entire generation of older gay men.

and even though i was completely reduced to tears by the end of this episode, the ending still filled me with some sort of mournful joy. because yes, even though it was incredibly sad to see their last day, these two men got to fill so much of their empty space. they got to experience love, and they got to live their life. like bill says: "im old. im satisfied. and you were purpose."

so many people didn't get that. keith haring didn't get that. a whole generation of queer people didn't get that. that makes this episode so much more moving for me, because it is not just an incredibly beautiful love story, but it is an incredibly beautiful love story that the world should rightfully have seen millions more of. but all those lives were incomplete.

so with the undeniable, but unspoken, presence of the aids epidemic in the narrative of these characters, this visual reference to keith haring and aids, purposeful or not, is incredibly meaningful.

[valleyof-goldenlilies]

Avarice and Arrogance (Aemond Targaryen x Reader)

Aemond Masterlist | HOTD Masterlist 

Synopsis: Aemond was always confident that he could protect you and his family from any threat, but the Gods had to dole out a lesson for his impunity, and a particularly cruel one at that. 

Warnings: TW! Character death, violence, torture, angst, Aemond being somewhat toxic?? 

Word Count: 2.6K words 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire and Blood characters, save for the reader. All credit for the characters goes to George RR Martin and the showrunners of HOTD. The GIF above is also not mine, original credit to the creator is stated above. Go check them out! 

A/N: You guys asked for angst, I delivered an overdose. I hope you enjoy, although I’m not very proud of this one shot. Inspired after overplaying the epic version of Aegon’s Coronation theme. Ramin Djawadi is my true King of the Seven Kingdoms 

wonderful dividers credited to @firefly-graphics

“He whispered his final wish that his firstborn son, Aegon, should succeed him!” 

To anyone, Prince Aemond seemed the portrait of composure: his arms clasped behind his back, his expression cool and disinterested. Yet if one looked closely enough, they would see the tension in his jaw, his teeth gritted, his posture bordering more on stiff than of calmness. His lone violet eye glittered as he observed Aegon walking under the raised swords of the knights, looking as recalcitrant as always. 

‘Had that been me…’ he thought bitterly, ‘I would’ve carried myself with pride. The smallfolk would’ve took one look at me and trusted that I had the greatness, the capability, to lead House Targaryen into the apex of our power.’ 

‘And yet,’ Aemond mused to himself as his mother kissed Aegon on the forehead, ‘reality is often disappointing.’

His fists clenched at his sides. It was unfair, his brother was naught but a wastrel, a fool constantly drunk in his cups and oft found buried in the tits of some common whore. What right had he to rule, save for being the firstborn son? How could someone as useless as him be Lord of the Seven Kingdoms? Even with their grandsire by his side giving him counsel, when his half sister received word of the coronation, and of their father’s death…Aemond dreaded to think what would happen. Would Aegon be able to rise up to the defence of their family?

Aemond took a deep breath to steady himself, when suddenly, he felt a warm hand grasping his, gently unclenching his fingers from his tightly formed fist. Surprised, he looked over to the unexpected source of comfort. His lady wife stood next to him, an indifferent expression on her lovely face as she kept her eyes fixed on the smallfolk. He noticed that she was holding his sweet sister, Helaena’s hand in her other hand, and his mind halted in its baleful, raging course to settle on her instead, admiring her. 

My beautiful, brilliant lady wife. 

She would’ve been the most wonderful queen, he thought, and the wave of resentment began its course once more. As if sensing the switch in Aemond’s thoughts, she squeezed his hand lightly in hers. Aemond marvelled at his wife, amazed at how she always could sense the slightest shifts in his moods, even when her eyes were not on him. And just like that, the worry and the resentment fell away, and his envy for his brother became a little easier to bear, even just for that moment. 

But…he felt a sense of strangeness creep over him as he took in his wife’s features. Her face was impassive, but it was hard and cold, as if she did not approve of this very scene. As Aegon raised Blackfyre and rallied the crowd, and his wife squeezed Helaena’s hand tighter, Aemond realised that mayhaps her gesture was not done solely out of comfort, but for anxiety.

For fear. 

You were chewing on your bottom lip, Helaena’s hand still in yours as you both stewed in contemplative silence, each engulfed with thoughts and worries of your own. Aemond frowned as he watched his sister and his beloved. Aegon had ridden in a separate wheelhouse with their mother and grandsire, and mayhaps it was for the better, given the gloomy atmosphere. 

When they were back in the safety of their apartments, Aemond followed his wife’s every movement in rapt attention. You began unravelling the tight updo that your hair was in, running your hands through your long locks pensively. It was done now…you were true traitors to the Crown. You sighed, wanting nothing more than to crawl in bed and hope that this was nothing but an unpleasant dream. 

Suddenly, you felt warm arms engulfing you from behind. Aemond dropped his chin onto his beloved’s shoulder as he embraced her, breathing in her scent. “Tell me what troubles you, my love,” his voice husky. 

You shook your head slightly, trying to mask your thoughts. “Tis nothing, my love. I swear it.” 

Aemond chuckled, a dark and soft sound. “Liar.” 

He spun his beloved round to face him, taking note of her expression. “I know you are worried,” his voice was soft, “We are husband and wife, my love. Whatever troubles you hold, I want to know all of it. We swore before the Gods, did we not? To share each other’s burdens? We will honour our vows, do we not?” 

Your lips twisted slightly, trying not to grimace. “If vows were of any matter to us, then we would not have committed such a grave sin.” Aemond frowned, the reasons for his wife’s anxiety suddenly becoming apparent to him. “Aegon is the King now,” he reminded her, “My father named him so.” 

You let out a humourless snort. “He was an old man, half senile and drunk on the Milk of Poppy.” Aemond opened his mouth as if to protest, but you continued before he could. “The late king had named Rhaenyra as his heir. Even when the Stranger drew close, he had forsaken his health and braved through his pain to uphold Rhaenyra’s claim during Vaemond’s speech. Does the Hand expect all of Westeros to believe the King changed his mind all of a sudden on his deathbed? It is insanity, and even a deaf fool would know better.” 

“Enough,” Aemond’s voice was low, tinged with warning. “You will not insult my grandsire like this. It is done now, and that is the truth.” You persisted, however. “Putting that aside, Rhaenyra will seek to have all our heads when the news breaks. How can your grandsire be as foolish as to put all of us in danger like this?” 

Aemond arched a brow, “Is that what you’re worried about?” “Are you not worried about that?” Aemond laughed, “We have dragons, my love. I should think Vhagar, Sunfyre and Dreamfyre are enough to defend us. That whore on Dragonstone will soon realise that she can get angry, and she can spit and curse all she wants, but she cannot match against our might.” 

You looked unconvinced, which irked Aemond a little. Why was she so worried? “Do not tell me,” his voice was low with menace, “That you are loyal to Rhaenyra. That you are sympathetic to that whore’s cause.” You kept mum, but your eyes told Aemond everything he needed to know. He snarled, moving to pin you against the wall. 

Your eyes widened with panic, your hands moving to push Aemond away, but he held your wrists in a vice grip. You had never seen him so angry with you before. “You are my wife,” he hissed angrily, “Your priorities should lie with me, with my family. Our family. In keeping us safe from that accursed whore and my uncle.” “And making Aegon king, usurping the rightful queen, is supposed to keep us safe?” You argued, unintimidated. “Have you lost all your senses, Aemond? We are traitors! Usurpers! You claim protecting your family is your priority, but yet you allow your grandsire to risk our lives for his mad grab for power!” Aemond’s grip tightened on your wrists, causing you to wince and fall silent. Aemond took notice of that, but he couldn’t let you go. Not just yet. He needed to make his point. 

“I said, do not speak of my grandsire in that manner,” he seethed. “He is my family, and I will not tolerate you insulting him.” He took a deep breath, letting go of his wife’s wrists, and she took the chance to push him away before fleeing to their bed. He sighed and sat down next to her, but she only moved away and folded her arms, turning her back on him. He heard a soft sniffle, and he realised with horror that she was crying. He had made her cry. 

A pang of guilt shot through Aemond’s heart, and he tentatively reached out to put his hands on her shoulders, dismayed when she flinched away from his touch. “I’m sorry for how I acted earlier, my love,” he said quietly, “I got carried away, and I hurt you. I apologise for that.” He saw her shoulders lose some of their tension at his apology, and a glimmer of hope shone in his violet eye. Mayhaps he could make her see his viewpoint after all. He knew of her house’s loyalty to Rhaenyra’s claim, and how she might be swayed to support Rhaenyra’s claim, but she had to see. That this was the best for their family. 

“My love…” he bit his lip, “I know my words were harsh, but it is true. What is done is done. Even if I dislike Aegon being on the throne, he is my brother. If Rhaenyra had taken the throne, she would’ve had us executed. She would not suffer any presence that could be a threat to her claim to the throne. Even if she did not, there is no doubt Daemon would.” He took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. “Rhaenyra is impulsive, violent and reckless. You saw how she took off Vaemond’s head when his only crime was speaking the truth. Her son blinded me when we were naught but boys,” Aemond’s voice became hard. “If we allow her to ascend the throne, that means that the Strong bastard, Jace, would ascend the throne after her. Do you really think the realm would really bow before him?” 

Your hard gaze softened a little, and Aemond saw a window of opportunity. “Think rationally, my love,” Aemond pleaded softly, “My father may have named Rhaenyra the heir, but it is an irreplaceable fact that the lords of Westeros would never bow before her. The Seven Kingdoms would plunge into chaos, do you really want that?” Aemond raised her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “I know you’re afraid of Rhaenyra’s wrath, but I ask of you to trust me. Trust that I will keep us safe, no matter what.” 

“...I’m not sure if you can, Aemond.” Aemond’s heart dropped, “Whatever do you mean?” You finally turned to face him, and he was alarmed when he took note of the tears glistening at the corner of your eyes. “Aemond…I’m with child. For nearly three moons now.” 

Aemond swore his heart stopped at that very moment. But his shock only lasted briefly before he pulled you into his arms, voice filled with excitement and wonder, “You’re with child? Our child?” When he broke the embrace, you were surprised to see the corner of his violet eye wet. Aemond dropped to his knees in front of you, stroking his hand over your stomach reverently, in disbelief almost. “We’re going to be parents…” he murmured, “I’m going to be a father.” 

But even in Aemond’s joy, you could not find it in yourself to smile. Not with the threat of the impending succession war. Aemond noticed your discomfort, but nothing could take away the happiness he felt at the moment. “My love, you don’t have to be afraid,” his voice was reassuring, “I swear on my honour, on the Old Gods and the New, on the Seven and all my ancestors, that I would burn the world to ashes on Vhagar before I let anyone lay a finger on you or our child.” He took your hand, cradling it in his, tilting his head upwards, a pleading look in his eye, for you to believe in him, to trust him to keep you safe. 

“But even all the dragons in this world will not keep us from reaping the fate we sowed,” you said quietly, eyes never leaving Aemond’s. “The gods will strike us down for our treason.” 

Aemond rolled his eye, exasperated that his wife just didn’t seem to grasp the true extent of their power. “We are Targaryens, my love,” Aemond said self-assuredly. “We possess dragons, the largest, most dangerous and powerful creatures in the world. The gods may try as they might, but they can never strike us down. Seven hells, I would dare say we are the gods, my love,” Aemond chuckled at how your eyes widened at his brazen words. “For what other than a god can mount a dragon, and command it?” “Don’t say things like that, Aemond,” you were aghast, “The Seven will-” 

“Fuck the Seven,” Aemond said bluntly. “When men pray, the Gods never answer. Why should we fear the consequences inflicted upon us by some unknown higher power?” He resumed his seat on their bed, pulling you back into his embrace and gently stroking your hair. “We need not fear the Gods, my love,” he murmured softly. “You will see soon enough, when war comes, and the Gods do nothing to interfere, then you will come to revere them less. In the meantime, you will come to see who the true gods are, when our dragons raze the earth and win this godforsaken war.” 

It was known to all that the gods despise hubris, and perhaps they were watching that evening, when you laid your head on Aemond’s chest with a sigh and allowed him to soothe and comfort you, making promises that he would keep you safe no matter what. 

Aemond had been so sure in his words, so confident in his beliefs and in his abilities, and blinded by his ego. Mayhaps this was what drove him when he bade Vhagar prowl around Lucerys Velaryon and his dragon Arrax in the stormy skies of Storms’ End, shouting for the Strong bastard to repay the debt he owed. 

Mayhaps his pride was what had blinded him to the possibility that he could never keep his family safe after his act of kinslaying. 

But he knew for sure that he had regretted making an enemy of the gods when he saw you, eyes wide with fear, a sharp dragonglass blade to your throat as you were held hostage by some cutpurse. An eye for an eye, a son for a son, the cutpurse had grinned, before slitting your throat and lodging the dagger into your stomach. 

It mattered not how much Aemond had howled with grief as he held your lifeless frame in his arms, begging for you to wake up. It mattered not when Aemond personally tortured your assassin with the most vicious methods he could devise, flaying every inch of skin from his body until he had expired. Even in death, he was not spared of Aemond’s wrath. His body was marked with incisions when it was finally fed to Vhagar, courtesy of Aemond cutting out his heart and crushing it with his bare hands. It mattered not when Aemond had sworn to avenge you no matter the cost, to cut down Daemon Targaryen and give him the same treatment he had for the cutpurse. It took the combined efforts of the Queen Dowager, Queen Helaena, King Aegon, the Hand, and many other lords and knights of the Kingsguard to prevent him from mounting Vhagar upon the cutpurse’s death to fly to Dragonstone. A fool’s folly, they called it, but Aemond had drawn his sword and snarled at them to get out of his way, lest they wish to be the recipient of Vhagar’s flames. It was only when Alicent motioned for Ser Criston to deliver a blow that rendered Aemond unconscious that they could restrain him at all. 

A part of Aemond had died that day, and he rained curses upon the Seven, on his uncle, on his wretched half-sister as he took his seat in the Small Council, being the advocate for absolute and brutal violence against the Blacks. And yet he did not repent for looking down upon the gods, not even till the day when he faced his uncle Daemon in battle and died in the cursed halls of Harrenhal. Another casualty of the Dance of the Dragons. 

After all, even the Valyrian dragonlords of old had not been able to escape the Stranger’s clutches when death came for them. And Aemond Targaryen was no different. 

...i’m very sorry :( but I swear, happier Aemond one shots are coming 😭

Aemond General Taglist: @aiyaiy​ 

Let me know if you wish to be added to the taglist! If you enjoyed this chapter, comments and reblogs are highly appreciated :) thank you for reading! 💗

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

CG and Execution Thumbnails

I recently got my hands on the V3 art book and I am absolutely obsessed with it!! I wanted to share some of my favourite (mostly subtle) differences between CG/Execution thumbnails and their final iterations.

In this death road of despair cg, Miu was originally supposed to be in the same slice as Kokichi and Gonta, and a tenth unknown person in the top left corner.

Angie seems much more defeated in the original sketch for the other death road of despair cg, with her head drooping rather than praying.

I just find Shuichi's grimace in the sketch of the first training cg Very funny compared to the final one (which is much more dignified).

Shuichi and Kaito's shocked expressions in the original sketch for the cg with Maki joining in training are delightful to me, I wish they kept them.

Maki originally was reaching out to Kaito in the trial 4 cg where his illness is revealed, as opposed to her straight posture in the final cg. Shuichi's expression in the thumbnail is also very funny to me.

The stupid little nose they gave kiibo in the sketch of the cg where he's lying flat in the hydraulic press made me giggle.

Maki's expression was much more intense in the original sketch for her pointing the crossbow at Kokichi in this cg.

Himiko's >_< face made me smile in the cg of everyone (minus Kiibo) training together after trial 5.

THIS thumbnail from trial 6 is especially interesting to me. I wonder if the thumbnail was made before the trial character placements were decided at all, so this portrait and figure are random. Or maybe this was done later on when it was partially decided, and a survivor was initially next to Tsumugi, before they were moved later. It's kind of hard to tell because of the, uh, lack of detail in this one. But I'm very curious.

In the dark belt bonus scene in chapter four, originally Himiko, Shuichi, and Gonta were in their normal outfits! Also, Gonta's expression is MUCH different. I'm glad we got that cute little smile in the end, its such an iconic Gonta CG and probably one of my favourites because of it.

Initially, the end of Kaede's Execution had everyone sitting as members of the audience. Its much less intense then the final result, so I think this was a good change.

Originally, there was no death fake out for the v3 survivors! Kiibo just let them be and proceeded to blow up the school.

BONUS:

Nothing different here as far as I can tell, I just LOVE how detailed the storyboards are for Kaito's execution. This is just one example. Its so, so pretty looking