#green hill fox legend | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sicmvndvscreatvsest · 11 months

Text

BASICS

FULL NAME: SEON HAE [ 선해 ]

OTHER NAMES: AKIRA, AKIRA HAE, SEON HAE [ 아키라 in Korean, あきら in Hiragana, アキラ in Katakana, and 明 in Kanji. 선해.]

» MEANING: Seon [ As a family name, Seon may be written with either of two hanja, one meaning "to announce" (宣) and the other meaning "first" (先). Each has one bon-gwan: for the former, Boseong, Jeollanam-do, and for the latter, Jinseong, Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, both in what is today South Korea.. ]; Hae [ Hae in Korean means 'sun.' The Chinese character behind "Hae" (해) in Korean names, meaning "sun", is 海 (hǎi) in Mandarin Chinese and 해 (hae) in Korean Hanja. It is a combination of the characters for "sea" (海) and "sun" (日), and can be interpreted as "ocean sun" or "sun over the ocean". ]; Akira [ Akira (あきら, アキラ) is a given name present in a few languages. It is a unisex Japanese given name that is predominantly used for males. There are several kanji for Akira. In Thai, Akira or Arkira (Thai: อาคิรา, อาคีรา, อาคีระ) is a unisex name meaning 'the sun' or 'sunlight'. In Japanese there are many alternative ways to write the name Akira in kanji. This is not an exhaustive list. A popular kanji is 明 (the combination of the two different characters 日 = sun and 月 = moon) which means "the light coming from the sun", "sunlight and moonlight", "bright", "intelligent", "wisdom" or "truth". Though Akira is generally used to name males, sometimes it can be a female name as well.]

NICKNAME: Sunny, Aki.

AGE: Nearly 300-years old; 28 in appearance.

DATE OF BIRTH: 13th November, 18th century South Korea.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Kumiho realm, in fall.

OCCUPATION: Bodyguard to a powerful and rich vampire businessman.... Akira trained with her friend Seung-yong.

RELIGION: N/A

ORIENTATION: Homosexual; Homoromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender Female.

SPECIES: Kumiho

A kumiho or gumiho (Korean: 구미호; Hanja: 九尾狐, literally "nine-tailed fox") is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese huli jing, the Japanese kitsune and the Vietnamese hồ ly tinh. It can freely transform into a beautiful woman often set out to seduce men, and eat their liver or heart (depending on the legend). There are numerous tales in which the kumiho appears, several of which can be found in the encyclopedic Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (한국 구비문학 대계/韓國口碑文學).

Mythology

The old Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Seas, the earliest record to document the nine-tailed fox, mentioned that the fox with nine tails came from and lived in the country called Qingqiu (靑丘) three hundreds miles east, the term meaning "green hill" interpreted as the country or region of the east and was later historically used to refer to the region of Korea at least since the era during the Three Kingdoms of Korea. However, the name of Gojoseon (called Joseon in the record), the Korean kingdom that existed along with other minor states of the Korean peninsula at the time, was separately introduced in the same record. Kumiho and other versions of the nine-tailed fox myths and folklores share a similar concept. All explain fox spirits as being the result of great longevity or the accumulation of energy, said to be foxes who have lived for a thousand years, and give them the power of shapeshifting, usually appearing in the guise of a woman. However, while China's huli jing and Japan's kitsune are often depicted as either good, evil or neutral, the kumiho is almost always treated as a malignant figure who feasts on human flesh. It is unclear at which point in time Koreans began viewing the kumiho as a purely evil creature, since many ancient texts mention the benevolent kumiho assisting humans (and even make mentions of wicked humans tricking kind but naïve kumiho). In later literature, kumiho were often depicted as bloodthirsty half-fox, half-human creatures that wandered cemeteries at night, digging human hearts out from graves. The fairy tale The Fox Sister depicts a fox spirit preying on a family for their livers.

Knowledge beads

The most distinctive feature that separates the kumiho from its two counterparts (Japanese kitsune, and Chinese huli jing) is the existence of a 'yeowoo guseul' (여우구슬, literally meaning fox marble/bead) which is said to consist of knowledge. According to Korean mythology, the yeowoo guseul provides power to the kumiho and knowledge (and intelligence) to people if they can steal and swallow one. The kumiho can absorb humans' energy with it. The method of absorbing energy with the "yeowoo guseul" resembles a "deep kiss" (i.e. a kiss using a tongue). The kumiho sends the yeowoo guseul into people's mouths and then retakes it with their tongues. If that person swallows the yeowoo guseul, however, and then observes "sky, land, and people", each observation gives the observer preternatural knowledge. But the person fails to watch the "sky" in most tales, so they get a special ability but not the most important one.

Powers

Most legends state that while a gumiho was capable of changing its appearance, there is still something persistently fox-like about it (i.e. a foxy face, a set of ears, or the tell-tale nine tails) or a magical way of forcing; its countenance changes, but its nature does not. Although ancient legends indicated that kumiho could help humans, in modern times, these animals are known to eat human livers and hearts. They usually carry out their evil acts by tricking people into consuming their organs. Unlike Japanese kitsunes, which are portrayed as having multiple tails and magical abilities, kumiho is a nine-tailed creature all throughout their lives. According to Korean mythology, if a kumiho doesn’t eat human flesh for a thousand years, it might transform into a human. This is because the animal’s soul can still seek human flesh.

**Akira is deemed to be very strong even at a young age as a kumiho. She fights well because of her extensive training and has the ability to use her kumiho powers of bending and stopping time, appearing and disappearing, etc. Although sometimes, she can be impulsive. Akira is trained in taekwondo, sword fight, and other forms of martial arts. She also boxes often with Seungyong.

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Powerful, Brave, Loyal, Passionate, Resourceful.

WEAKNESSES: Distrusting, Violent, Stubborn, Manipulative, Jealous.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Han So-hee.

HEIGHT: 5'5 [165 cm.]

WEIGHT: 105 lbs. [48 kg.]

BUILD: Lean.

GAIT: TBA

HAIR COLOR: Reddish.

EYE COLOR: Amber in kumiho form; she likes wearing contact lenses for the colors.

BIRTHMARK: Yes.

OVERVIEW: » SCARS: Yes. » TATTOOS: Hell yeeees!

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Spirit world; kumiho world.

RESIDENCES: Spirit world; Seoul, South Korea. She has a home in Japan, too.

NATIONALITY: Well, South Korean.

ETHNICITY: Asian.

FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper-class, she is also mad rich.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Akira took many courses coz she gets bored easily, she probably finished some of them or almost finish some of them.

DEGREES: Something...

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Korean, Japanese, other Asian languages, she's been learning Thai but she sounds awful. English and Hebrew... She said she likes the way it sounds so she just picked it up. Then she got into Arabic, too. She's a mess.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Kumiho gods/spirits. They're alive and well and just want Akira to settle down. Never happening, she said.

SIBLINGS: Lots....

CHILDREN: None.

PETS: She's got a pet dragon, but not really coz this 'pet' is a FULL GROWN dragon. More like bffs.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: » Dragon bff.

FAMILY HISTORY: Akira is a mischief and lazy and her parents prayed to the kumiho gods and guardians to help them straighten her. A kumiho have nine tails all throughout their lives but the gods decided that Akira will be working for hers. She was to earn a tail for each 100 year she lives and make her parents proud. Later on, Akira met Seung-yong, a human who bonded with a dying dragon's ball and earned its powers. She became very close to the young witch/dragon and trained with him as a soldier/fighter. Seungyong became a bodyguard which interested Akira but her parents didn't think it was a suitable job for her. Akira pursued different careers then and witnessed how her kind were treated and taken advantage of by humans. When a childhood acquaintance got into a mess caused by a human, Akira became vindictive and haunted humans who has a dark heart and feasted on them.

Her parents didn't want her getting in trouble so they allowed her to finally train with Seungyong and pursue a career that would keep her focus. She has been working as a body guard for various entities and the latest was for a rich vampire who is living among the humans.

Seungyong wanted to investigate this vampire who has been connected with some known murders in other realms. Akira is helping his friend by sticking with the vampire and collecting info for her bounty hunter friend.

Akira travels everywhere due to the nature of her job.

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Messy. She had a lover that she had a roller-coaster relationship with. Akira can get overwhelming and many times, this reincarnated lover/partner, left her.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Dragon bff, Seung-yong.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "It's messy."

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): None.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISORDER: None.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): N/A.

#{ character sheet: akira }

7 notes · View notes

lena-after-dark · 2 years

Text

Masterlist

Who I write for is listed below:

Individual masterlists will be linked as they are created. Don't see a character you like? Send me an ask! I may be willing to add them.

American Horror Story

The Countess Dandy Mott Misty Day

Bates Motel/Psycho

Norma Bates Norman Bates

Blade

Deacon Frost Eric Brooks/Blade Mercury

Bleach

Byakuya Kuchiki Findorr Calius Gin Ichimaru Jin Kariya Kenpachi Zaraki Kensei Muguruma Mayuri Kurotsuchi Retsu Unohana Ryo Utagawa Sosuke Aizen Szayelaporro Granz Yoshi

Cabinet of Curiosities

Jenkins Brown (possessing Walter) Richard Pickman Walter Gilman

Cobra Kai/The Karate Kid

Da-Eun Kim Daniel LaRusso John Kreese Terry Silver

Courage the Cowardly Dog

Black Puddle Queen Freaky Fred

The Crow

Eric Draven Myca Top Dollar

Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale) Edward Nashton/The Riddler (Dano) Edward Nygma/The Riddler (Carrey + Smith) Fish Mooney Harley Quinn (Robbie) Jervis Tetch/ Hatter Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Murphy) Joker (Ledger + Phoenix) Orm Marius Oswald Cobblepot (Taylor) Victor Zsasz (Carrigan)

Dead to Me

Jen Harding Judy Hale

Disney (* denotes live action only)

Claude Frollo Cruella DeVil* (2021) Diaval* Maleficent* King Stefan*

Evil Dead Rise

Ellie

The Faculty

Edward Furlong Elizabeth Burke Joe Willis

Firefly Trilogy

Baby Firefly Otis B Driftwood Foxy Coltraine

Final Fantasy

Cid Bunansa/Dr. Cid Kadaj Loz Lulu Rufus Shinra Sephiroth Seymour Guado Vayne Solidor Vincent Valentine Yazoo

Funny Games

Paul Peter

Game of Thrones

Brienne of Tarth Cersei Lannister Jaqen H'Ghar Margaery Tyrell Melisandre Petyr Baelish Ramsay Bolton

House of the Dragon

Aemond Targaryen Daemon Targaryen Larys Strong

Hunter x Hunter

Chrollo Lucifer Hisoka Morou Illumi Zoldyck Uvogin

Insidious

Josh Lambert + Parker Crane possessing Josh Steven "Specs" Fisher

Jujutsu Kaisen

Choso Kamo Geto Suguru (+ Kenjaku) Mahito Mei Mei Nanami Kento Ryomen Sukuna Toji Fushiguro

The Legend of Zelda

Ganondorf (Twilight Princess) Ghirahim Midna Sidon Zant

The Letter for the King

Jaro Viridian

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

Beorn Grima Wormtongue Thranduil

MCU

Agatha Harkness Heimdall Hela M'Baku Melina Vostokoff Namor/K’uk’ulkan Natasha Romanoff Norman Osborn/Green Goblin Okoye Olivia Octavius/Doc Ock Otto Octavius/Doc Ock Peter Parker (Maguire) Ultron Wanda Maximoff

My Hero Academa

Enji Todoroki/Endeavor Shota Aizawa/Eraserhead

Naruto

Deidara Hidan Kakazu Kisame Orochimaru

One Piece (Live Action ONLY)

Buggy Garp Kuro Sanji

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Amber Sweet Luigi Largo Nathan Wallace Pavi Largo

Saw

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight Amanda Young John Kramer

Silent Hill

Pyramid Head Vincent Smith

Stranger Things

001/Henry Creel Dmitri "Enzo" Antonov Joyce Byers

Thirteen Ghosts:

Dana Newman/The Angry Princess Dennis Rafkin Horace Mahoney/The Juggernaut Royce Clayton/The Torn Prince Ryan Kuhn/The Jackal

Us:

Abraham Tex

Wednesday

Larissa Weems Marilyn Thornhill

Would You Rather

Julian Lambrick Shepard Lambrick

X-Files

Cecil L'ively Dana Scully Fox Mulder Luther Lee Boggs

Misc. Characters

Adrian Tepes/Alucard (Castlevania) Albert Shaw/The Grabber (The Black Phone) Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) Bo Sinclair (House of Wax) Cesaire (Red Riding Hood) Commodus (Gladiator) Creepy Thin Man (Charlie's Angels) Daniel Robitaille/Candyman (1992) Doug Davis (Cooties) Dracula (Lugosi + Bang) Ellie (Evil Dead Rise) Habit (EverymanHYBRID) John Ryder (The Hitcher) John Wick Kruger (Elysium) Kusuriuri/Medicine Seller (Mononoke) L Lawliet (Death Note) The Man (Hush) Moira (The Princess) Quentin Shermer/The Blissfield Butcher (Freaky) Rachel Summers (The Uninvited) Ransom Drysdale (Knives Out) Ross Humboldt (In the Tall Grass)

Celebrities* (see request rules)

Angela Bassett Idris Elba Jeffrey Dean Morgan Kathryn Hahn Patrick Wilson Sigourney Weaver Vera Farmiga

#masterlist #fandom list #character list

24 notes · View notes

usstatesguide · 1 year

Text

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

esonetwork · 2 years

Text

The Earth Station DCU Episode 312 – Too Legit to Quit

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/the-earth-station-dcu-episode-312-too-legit-to-quit/

The Earth Station DCU Episode 312 – Too Legit to Quit

This Week on Earth Station DCU! Just like the Legends, Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs are too legit to quit! To get to Damien, Batman must face his former partners in Batman vs. Robin #3. Teen Justice battles Sinestra and the Green Lantern Corp in a final confrontation in Multiversity: Teen Justice #6. A mysterious killer known only as the Phantom is traveling through time murdering members of The Justice Society of America in The New Golden Age #1. Stephanie and Cassie bring an end to the terror of the Hill Ripper in Batgirls #12. Jace Fox must face his fears in I Am Batman #15. Jon fears coming out of the closet to his dad in Superman: Son of Kal-El #17. Diana meets Superman and Batman on the Watchtower after receiving a mysterious signal in Wonder Woman #793. The Justice League returns to help in the battle against Pariah and the Great Darkness in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6. All this plus, DC News, DC TV, Shout Outs, and much, much more!

————————

Table of Contents

0:00:00 Show Open

0:01:22 DC News

0:06:30 Batman vs. Robin #3

0:12:18 Multiversity: Teen Justice #6

0:15:03 The New Golden Age #1

0:22:39 Batman Urban Legends #21

0:29:20 Batgirls #12

0:34:30 I Am Batman #15

0:37:36 Superman: Son of Kal-El #17

0:42:41 Wonder Woman #793

0:48:50 Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6

0:59:22 Titans S4 Ep2 – Mother Mayhem

1:07:00 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow S7 Ep12 – Too Legit to Quit

1:12:26 Stargirl S3 Ep11 – Frenemies – Chapter Eleven: The Haunting

1:17:21 Show Close

Links

Batman vs. Robin #3

Multiversity: Teen Justice #6

The New Golden Age #1

Batman Urban Legends #21

Batgirls #12

I Am Batman #15

Superman: Son of Kal-El #17

Wonder Woman #793

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6

New Teen Titans #21 (Cletus’s Read More Comics Pick)

Earth Station One Tales of the Station

Earth Station One Tales of the Station Vol. 2

The Chameleon Chronicles: Colors of Fate

The Chameleon Chronicles: Sisters of the Thorn

If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 564-9133 (remember long distance charges may apply) or feel free to email us @ [email protected]

#Batgirls #Batman Urban Legends #Batman vs. Robin #Cletus Jacobs #Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #Drew Leiter #Earth Station DCU #ESO Network #I Am Batman #Legends of Tomorrow #Multiversity Teen Justice #Stargirl #Superman Son of Kal-El #The New Golden Age #Titans #Wonder Woman

0 notes

dd20century · 2 years

Text

Richard Day: The Art Director who Brought Reality to Classic Films

Artist and designer Richard Day won seven Academy Awards for art direction and was nominated for his work on thirteen other films. At one time Day was the highest-paid art director in Hollywood. (1) “He worked on 265 films between 1923 and 1970”(2). Day also served in both World War I for Canada and in World War II serving the United States. Yet today, Richard Day is largely forgotten.

Richard Day’s Life Prior to Hollywood

Richard Welsted Day was born on May 9, 1896 in Victoria, British Columbia to Patience Day and Robert Scott. Scott “was an architect who began his career in South Africa” (1). Due to a physical condition young Richard was tutored at home and never had a formal education. Early on he loved to read and displayed “a natural talent for drawing”(3). Day served in World War I as “a captain in the Canadian Expeditionary Force” (1). He met his wife during the war while serving in London. (1) The couple married in 1918 and would eventually have six children. (4)

Richard Day inspecting a model with young actress Ingrid Bergman (c. 1935). Photographer unknown. Image source.

Day Begins His Career in Hollywood

After the war ended Day returned to Canada to establish himself as a commercial artist. At his father’s suggestion, Day traveled to Hollywood in 1920 to find work in the film industry. (1) Thereafter a chance encounter with director Erich von Stroheim, Day was hired as art director on von Stroheim’s 1922 production of FOOLISH WIVES. “Day served as art director on all of von Stroheim's [silent] films thereafter” including THE MERRY WIDOW (1925) and von Stroheim's masterwork GREED (1925) (4). In addition to von Stroheim, Day also worked for director Tod Browning on the films THE UNKNOWN (1927), THE SHOW (1927), WEST OF ZANZIBAR (1928), and THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1929). Day served as art director on several notable silent films: THE STUDENT PRINCE IN HEIDELBERG (1927), LAUGH CLOWN LAUGH (1928), OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS (1928), and ROSE MARIE (1928) (4).

In 1929 Day parted with von Stroheim and MGM, the studio where the two had been working, and began working for independent producer Samuel Goldwyn. “He served as Goldwyn's principal art director throughout most of the 1930s. During that time, he won Academy Awards for his production design for THE DARK ANGEL (1935) and DODSWORTH (1936)” (1). According to legend Day’s designs for the slum in the iconic film, DEAD END (1937) were so realistic and seedy that Goldwyn was outraged that “his money couldn't have been used to build a better slum (1)”! “In 1935, Day was the highest-paid art director in Hollywood” (3).

Richard Day, Dodsworth's Office Set from DODSWORTH (1936), Director William Wyler. Image source.

Richard Day’s Attention to Detail

Throughout his career Day excelled in portraying the harsh realities of life through his gritty set designs in films such as GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) (5). John Ford’s production of HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941) was originally slated to be shot on location in Wales, but because of World War II, the film was forced to be shot stateside. Day along with Nathan Juran “won an Academy Award for their efforts in creating a [mining] community” (5) in Wales in the hills of Malibu, California on the Fox Ranch. (5)

Richard Day, Welsh Mill Town set from HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941), Directed by John Ford. Image source.

Day’s art direction was, however, incredibly versatile; his “films were lush with details.”(4) Sets Day created for the film DODSWORTH (1936) range from the modern aesthetic of Mr. Dodsworth’s corporate office to elegant European interiors, a luxury steamship stateroom, and include “a lavish Italian Villa” (5). During the 1930s Day even found time to produce lithographs, many inspired by the landscapes of Mexico (4). In 1941 Day’s photograph “Vacation in Tombstone, Arizona” was shown in “Image of Freedom” an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, along with other artists including Charles Sheeler and André Kertész (2).

Richard Day, Capilla No. 2, Lithograph (1930). Image source.

Richard Day's Service in World War II In 1942 the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences awarded separate awards for color and black and white productions. That year Richard Day won Academy Awards in both categories: MY GAL SAL (Cummings) in the color category and THIS ABOVE ALL (Livak) in the black and white category.

After the United States entered World War II, Day became a US citizen in order to serve in the Marines (1). During his service Day used his artistic skills Day to “ develop camouflage designs and relief mapping techniques” (1). Day did not serve as art director on any films in 1944 or 1945, (4) but he did serve as a technical advisor on the Danny Kaye comedy UP IN ARMS (1944).

After the war Day received Oscar nominations for his work on THE RAZOR’S EDGE (1946) and JOAN OF ARC (1948). Other films he served as art director on in the late 1940s include MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), MOTHER WORE TIGHTS (1947), and THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947).

Richard Day, Tibetan Temple set from THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1941), Director Edmund Goulding. Image source.

Day Works with a New Crop of Directors in the 1950s

“In the 1950s the ‘new breed’ of…directors found Day's work well suited to their needs. Richard Day could capture the brutal snap and underlying sensitivity dominating the works of such directors as Elia Kazan (4)”. Day would win his final Academy Awards for art directions on Kazan’s iconic films A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) and ON THE WATERFRONT (1954).

Richard Day, New Orleans courtyard set for A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951), Director Elia Kazan. Image source.

Day did, however, continue to work with legendary directors such as King Vidor on SOLOMON AND SHEBA (1959), Otto Preminger on EXODUS (1960), John Ford on CHEYENNE AUTUMN (1964), and on George Stevens’s THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965).

TORA! TORA! TORA!

Richard Day continued working until he was 74 years old with his final film the 1970 World War II blockbuster TORA! TORA! TORA! In All Movie Guide, Hal Erickson describes the film as “a painstakingly accurate restaging of the Pearl Harbor attack, for which 20th Century Fox spent more money than the Japanese had on the original attack in 1941” (6). Day’s efforts in the film earned him his final Oscar nomination.

Richard Day’s Legacy

Richard Day’s award-winning Welsh Village set for HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY which had been used for several other films survived until 1962, when “it was bulldozed along with the rest of the [Twentieth Century Fox] studio backlot” (6). Day died on May 23, 1972 in Hollywood, California over 50 years after his father suggested he go to there to try his fortune (1).

In 2005 Richard Day was among the first class of inductees into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame. (7) Day’s papers are housed at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Library. In a career that spanned more than a half-century Day’s attention to detail, realistic set designs, and ability to interpret film characters through the environments they inhabit earned him numerous awards and continue to influence contemporary film production design.

References

Wikipedia, (18 July, 2022). Richard Day (art director) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Day_(art_director)

Museum of Modern Art, (n.d.). Richard Day. https://www.moma.org/artists/1418

Annex Galleries, (n.d.). Richard Day. https://www.annexgalleries.com/artists/biography/531/Day/Richard

Lee, E. C., (n.d.). Richard Day. http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ch-De/Day-Richard.html#ixzz7dwqYE1B4

Whitlock, C. (2010). Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction. It Books.

Erickson, H. , (26 November, 2007). Richard Day, New York Times Archives. https://web.archive.org/web/20071126135712/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/86980/Richard-Day

Wikipedia (29 July, 2022). Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Directors_Guild_Hall_of_Fame

#film #production design #Richard Day

0 notes

katoalltrades · 7 years

Photo

The groom Presents himself (har har har…) - 青丘狐传说 Green Hills Fox Legend/Legend of Nine Tails Fox ep 25

#wang kai #青丘狐传说 #王凯 #cdrama #cdramagifs #my gifs #green hill fox legend #legend of nine tails fox #cdramanet #wangkai #王凯kkw

30 notes · View notes

swordsandparasols · 8 years

Text

January talking meme: cdramas

January 23 - talk to me about cdramas you think I'd like! (@daughtersofthedragon)

Unless I’m misremembering, you’ve already watched some or all of Love020, all of The Princess Weiyoung, and some of The Legend of Hua Mulan, or I’d rec those. These aren’t necessarily the absolute best cdramas ever, but they’re accessible (both in terms of content and ease in finding with English subtitles), dramas I liked, and have good actors and characters and no bad writing/terrible endings. So, in order of release (and with years because some of these are based on stories that have multiple adaptations): Return of the Condor Heroes (2006): This was hugely popular at the time and remains a favorite of many. Some of the special effects (such as the naked kung fu scene) kind of inspire secondhand embarrassment now. ROCH is the grand romance of wuxias, and I’ve seen it called the wuxia Romeo and Juliet. No feuding families (in the forbidden romance aspect) but definitely a superforbidden romance. This is a good intro wuxia series in general to get a feel for the tropes because it’s a more straightforward romance and lighter of subplots and politics, but still covers most of the tropes. The Young Warriors/Young Warriors of the Yang Clan(2006): So, this is based on a famous story about a Song Dynasty family, this part of the story largely being known for the fact that the father and most of his sons (7 in this version, but the number varies in different version) dying in a ingle battle, and their wives later replacing them as warriors, so you know going in to expect a fair bit of character death. This focuses on the romances of the 4 youngest sons and the parents and does a good job of switching between different storylines and characters. It’s just well made and a good drama in general Legend of the Condor Heroes (2008): A prequel to ROCH but you honestly don’t really need one to enjoy the other. The leads of LOCH are supporting characters in ROCH, and the male lead of ROCH is the son of a villain in LOCH. While you don’t need one to enjoy the other, you really should experience both stories. ROCH has a more complex plot than LOCH, and Huang Rong is one of the best wuxia heroines. This version apparently takes a lot of liberties, and people who have read the book say that the 2003 version is much more faithful. I haven’t seen that version yet, but I’ve only ever heard good things about it, and the version currently airing is apparently pretty good ,but it doesn’t have English subtitles (hopefully with a “yet” attached to it. Detective TangLang (2010): To take a break from the ancient dramas, this is a mystery series set in the 1920s with a former police officer turned private eye and a female lawyer clashing and working together on various cases. It starts mostly focused on him, but by the end the mysteries surrounding the lawyer’s past largely take over, and he’s more in the position of a glorified and devoted bodyguard. It isn’t a comedy, but it’s definitely lighter fare than the rest of the list. Vigilantes in Masks/Strange Hero Yi Zhi Mei (2011): This one is pretty much Wuxia Leverage, with a former police officer turned drunken street fighter working with a team of several criminals to fight government corruption, and rich people who get away with things by buying off officials. There were some things in the last third that made my like it less than the rest, though others didn’t have the same problem I did with that, and it remains a good show. It does, unfortunately suffer from There Can Be Only One syndrome as far as major female characters, great as she is, unless we count the Tragically Dead (and Virtuous) wife in flashbacks. Sound of the Desert/Ballad of the Desert(2014): This is actually somewhat my default rec for people looking into checking out cdramas lately. It’s very female centric and has multiple good interactions with women (both allies and enemies, and some in between) in most episodes, and the main villain is a former friend of the heroine’s, and she’s a very worthy villainess. It’s a little less prone to being overdramatic than many cdramas (though they do play up the literal “raised by wolves” aspect of the heroine’s character) and sometimes the feel is a little more in line with Sageuks than most ancient cdramas. It’s one of the series that’s basically a romance novel in TV form, but less prone to soap opera elements than some others. Green Hill Fox Legend (2016): I debated this one because it could be a bit draggy, but overall it’s a pretty good fantasy series. It’s an anthology series about members of an ancient fox clan (fox clan=immortal fox demons who take human form) trying to find a sacred treasure that was stolen from them before the goddess who assigned the to safeguard it punishes them for losing it. Most of the stories needed to be an episode or two shorter, but I liked all but one of them, and it has a good array of the types of folktales and stories and romances that show up in xianxia and fantasy series. Two series that I like a lot and would recommend but not as a first wuxia are Sword Stained With Royal Blood (2007) and Paladins in Troubled Times(2008). Over the last year or so, several people I know who hadn’t watched cdramas before watched and loved Nirvana in Fire (2015), and it’s also very well liked and highly recommended by longtime cdrama fen, so it’s probably a pretty safe bet. I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan to. I have been very (but largely a bit quietly) into The Legend of Chusen for a few months now. I’ve been taking it slowly because it’s actually 3 seasons long, with the 3rd season not having aired yet, or even started filming. Hu Ge, Wallace Huo, Liu Shi Shi, Yuan Hong and Eddie Peng each appear as major characters in two or more dramas each usually with more than one of them in a drama-Young Warriors wins there for featuring all of them except Wallace Huo)-with Liu Shi Shi ahead of the pack with 4 dramas in the list, though Hu Ge ties with her if I count Nirvana in Fire. This isn’t deliberate, they just tend to choose projects that I like, and often work together.

#january talking meme #Legend of the Condor Heroes #return of the condor heroes #strange hero yi zhi mei #detective tang lang #sound of the desert #Ballad of the desert #green hill fox legend

20 notes · View notes

legend-collection · 2 years

Text

Kumiho

A kumiho or gumiho is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. Korean kumiho shares many similarities to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune. It can freely transform, among other things, into a beautiful woman often set out to seduce boys, and eat their liver or heart (depending on the legend).

the gumiho/kumiho by kuechi farron

Kumiho and other versions of the nine-tailed fox myths and folklores share similar concept. All explain fox spirits as being the result of great longevity or the accumulation of energy, said to be foxes who have lived for a thousand years, and give them the power of shapeshifting, usually appearing in the guise of a woman. However, while China's huli jing and Japan's kitsune are often depicted with ambiguous moral compasses, possibly good or bad, the kumiho is almost always treated as a malignant figure who feasts on human flesh. It is unclear at which point in time Koreans began viewing the kumiho as a purely evil creature, since many ancient texts mention the benevolent kumiho assisting humans (and even make mentions of wicked humans tricking kind but naïve kumiho).

In later literature, kumiho were often depicted as bloodthirsty half-fox, half-human creatures that wandered cemeteries at night, digging human hearts out from graves. The fairy tale The Fox Sister depicts a fox spirit preying on a family for their livers.

The most distinctive feature that separates the kumiho from its two counterparts (Japanese kitsune, and Chinese huli jing) is the existence of a 'yeowoo guseul' (literally meaning fox marble/bead) which is said to consist of knowledge. According to Korean mythology, the yeowoo guseul provides power to the kumiho and knowledge (and intelligence) to people if they can steal and swallow one. The kumiho can absorb humans' energy with it. The method of absorbing energy with the "yeowoo guseul" resembles a "deep kiss" (i.e. a kiss using a tongue). The kumiho sends the yeowoo guseul into people's mouths and then retakes it with their tongues. If that person swallows the yeowoo guseul, however, and then observes "sky, land, and people", each observation gives the observer preternatural knowledge. But the person fails to watch the "sky" in most tales, so they get a special ability but not the most important one.

Most legends state that while a gumiho was capable of changing its appearance, there is still something persistently fox-like about it (i.e. a foxy face, a set of ears, or the tell-tale nine tails) or a magical way of forcing; its countenance changes, but its nature does not. In Transformation of the Kumiho, a kumiho transforms into the identical likeness of a bride at a wedding and is only discovered when her clothes are removed. Bakh Mun-su and the Kumiho records an encounter that Pak Munsu has with a girl, living alone in the woods, that has a foxy appearance. In The Maiden who Discovered a Kumiho through a Chinese Poem, the kumiho is ultimately revealed when a hunting dog catches the scent of a fox and attacks. Although they have the ability to change forms, the true identity of a kumiho was said to be zealously guarded by the kumiho themselves. Some tales say that if a kumiho abstains from killing and eating humans for a thousand days, it can become human.

Much like changelings, werewolves or vampires in Western lore, there are always variations on the myth depending on the liberties that each story takes with the legend. One version of the mythology, however, holds that with enough will, a kumiho could further ascend from its yogoe (spirit) state, become permanently human and lose its evil character. Explanations of how this could be achieved vary, but sometimes include aspects such as refraining from killing or tasting meat for a thousand days, or obtaining a cintamani and making sure that the Yeoiju saw the full moon at least every month during the ordeal. Unlike Yeoiju-wielding dragons, kumiho were not thought to be capable of omnipotence or creation at will, since they were lesser creatures.

#kumiho #korea #asia

21 notes · View notes

bokutoslittlebird · 4 years

Text

Awakened

Alpha!Osamu x reader x Alpha!Atsumu

Author’s note : Fantasy AU based on two pieces of fan art of the twins as fox yōkai, but I hope it’s to your liking! ; their names are never directly said to reader-chan, so their names are what they call each other.

Warnings: bullying (brief, not from the twins), naive and innocent reader, knotting, double penetration, backshot, face fucking/blowjob, dubcon/noncon, blood, biting and licking, cunnilingus, creampie

There’s a legend that runs deep in the roots of your village, one that’s told to many and encourages children to stay away from the forest. It was proven effective — no child dared to enter the forest, holding onto that fear into their adult years. The legend revolves around two mischievous fox spirits that would always be in competition. They always had someone who would win, but then a terribly evil spirit came upon the clearing they played in, forcing the two spirits to push differences aside and fight off the evil spirit that entered the territory. It was a combined effort, the two spirits realizing they worked better when they worked together. It taught children that sometimes it was better to ask for help; however, it also taught children that they couldn’t go into the forest. The spirits resides in the forest, protecting the village from evil spirits as a combined task and if anyone dared trespass in their forest, then destruction would come to the village.

It was a legend some teenagers dared to challenge, entering the forest and coming out, saying “nothing bad happened to them!” but then their luck would turn sour sometimes. It always put things in perspective, seeing them suddenly fall into a mud puddle after entering the forest, or having their pants suddenly fall. It made people laugh, but it really made you feel like the forest was alive and watching. You never dared to go near the forest. At least, not until your pride was at stake.

“Go get a stupid stick, [Y/N]!” Jocelyn sneered, her eyes narrowed. Her arms were crossed and she was tired to repeating herself. You were dared to go into the forest, get a stick to bring back for proof, and you would no longer be a coward. It was simple in words, but not so simple in action. You feared the bad things that happened after people entered the forest, but you were considered a coward for those beliefs. “You’re just a big, dumb baby!”

“No I’m not!” You shouted back, puffing your cheeks. You let out a heavy breath and turned to the brown and green image of the forest. They wouldn’t be able to see you enter the forest, but they just needed a stick as proof. Sucking up the courage to go, your legs moved towards the foliage. You could hear the other girls’ jeers as your pace slowed, the forest closer than you had ever dared to let it. The forest itself looked peaceful, but the legend of the spirits scared you, halting your footsteps. Instead of going in, you were going to pick up a stick on the outskirts, but there was no stick. Nothing but grass lay before you, the shadows of the trees outlining what was the forest and what was not. There was a stick you could see, the light seeping through the leaves illuminating it as if you were on a quest to get — well, you kind of were.

Sucking up any inhibitions you had, you entered the forest. Picking up the stick, you noticed a lack of any other stick lying in the fallen leaves. Clutching the stick to your chest, you turn to go when you find a small piece of cloth, hidden in the leaves. You pick it up, looking at the designs and feeling how soft and silky it was. It was a robe that your ancestors adorned, but the fabric told you it was either brand new or kept in pristine condition. With it in your hands, you found yourself turning to flee once again. The howling of the wind sent your legs running out of the forest and up the hill, as fast as you could. If you had listened closer, you would have heard the howl of a beast as you fled.

Deeper into the forest, a pair of eyes watched as you obtained the stick and plucked the ceremonial robe from the earth he presented to you. When you chose it and fled, he smiled. His eyes turned from your retreating figure and moved to leap from the tree he perched himself on. As his body was that of a grey fox, he was much better at hiding than if he was in his more human form. Transitioning between into his human form, he smiles once more, a finger on his chin.

“What to offer her next, I wonder?” He ponders aloud, with only the wind around to hear him and carry his voice.

Your lungs are burning as you arrive back at the little picnic you were attending, the girls giggling as you finally come back. “Did ya see a ghost or somethin’?” Akira asks. You’re heaving as you present the stick, perfectly in tact and big enough to feed a fire. Everyone’s cheers are perceived as mocking to you, as you move on. The picnic is no longer something you want to attend, instead preferring to take a bath and sleep. With your worries placed on the forest and the spirits within, you find yourself wondering if you’ll be able to sleep or shall an entity come and judge you for trespassing.

The next day, you find your gaze drawn to the forest, as if it calls you down. Ignoring the calls are hard, you legs involuntarily moving as you think. On the edge of the forest, you see inside to find a small temari ball. It looks as if a young child once played with it, as you get closer to the object. Looking around the forest, you expect to see a child lost or crying, but you find nothing. With the lack of an owner, you decide to leave the ball. Turning to leave, you reprimand yourself for entering the forest again.

The sound of leaves rustling has you swiveling around, almost falling over when you realize the temari is following you. Moving back, it continues to follow you. A quick glance around proves that no one else is around, so you pick up the temari. As you did yesterday, you flew out of the forest and hope you didn’t take a malevolent being’s toy.

Another pair of eyes watch as you flee, his temari offering close to your chest. A wickedly mischievous grin spreads upon his lips, his form emerging from the shadows where he was hidden. With sharp canines peeking from his smile, warm brown eyes look to the path you had just taken. “I’m glad she likes her present. I can’t wait for what tomorrow will bring,” he chuckles, moving further into the forest. With each step he takes, a thick fog permeates the forest floor, providing a barrier past the stream.

You don’t know what it is. The growing urge to enter the forest gets stronger as the day continues on, the urge barely quenched upon nightfall. Even in your bed chambers, you find yourself looking through your open window, into the forest. Mist seeps from the greenery, an ominous feeling settling in the pit of your stomach. A howl from the forest startles you, eyes finding the gaze reflecting back at you. As you hold the gaze, feeling yourself rooted in place, another set of eyes joins. You shut the window, deciding to never go back to the forest.

When morning comes, the feeling of needing to go to the forest is even stronger. Feeling ill from the image of last night, you decide to stay home for the day. When a knock comes to your door, you assume it to be the milk delivery. Upon opening the door, your eyes widen at the two boys on your doorstep.

“Can you go get my ball?” The first one says, a bright smile on his face. The one currently sniffling nods in agreement. They look like twins, not that you’d recognize them.

“I didn’t mean to kick it so hard, please don’t tell my dad!” He cries out, holding onto his brother. You smile warmly at him, getting to eye level. Running your hand through his hair, his sniffles lessen.

“I won’t tell anyone, you’re fine. I’ll be right back,” you smile at him, wiping his tears. You shut the door, telling them to stay put as you go searching for the ball. As you look around, you become confused. Where is the ball? Moving further along your backyard, you hear a hushed whisper from the forest, wide eyes turning to sound. With an apology already on your lips, you turn to enter your house when you find yourself unable to move. As if an invisible barrier prevents you from progressing towards your house — which seems proven true as you inch towards the forest and suddenly cannot go back to where you were. With the unsettling pit in your stomach, you enter the forest once more.

Entering, you find the mist from before still evident, yet it parts for you. Curiosity sets in as you are further urged into the forest, stopping as you hear water trickling. A stream lays in front of you, waters more calm than your heart beat. You inhale, deciding to risk it as you wade through the stream. The water seeps into your shoes, the bottom of your dress becoming saturated. Progressing further into the mist, now a heavy fog, you find a large temple inside. It’s stable and perfectly standing, as if it isn’t centuries old. The two erected statues tell you the temple belongs to the spirits of the legend, finding a chill run through your blood as you realize your situation. Before you step foot onto the stairs, you turn to leave but are halted.

“Where do you think yer goin’?” A rough voice speaks. You whip around to see a tall, but handsome man. The hair is a dark grey color, eyes to match. What stuns you is the pair of grey fox ears, a tail that matches in color swishing behind him. His clothes remind you of the robe you found amongst the leaves.

“I-I’m terribly sorry, really!” You begin to plea, pulling on your wrist. “I-I didn’t mean to- to trespass!”

“What’d’ya mean? This is your home, y’know?” He seems genuinely confused, another stun to your body as his words settle. Home? This temple? Before you can refute him, another voice joins in.

“Ah, ‘Samu, I told ya humans are different. They don’t know the offering ritual, but I made sure to get our offerings. Our silly little human forgot about them,” he chuckles, looking at you. With the robe you found on one arm, the temari in his hand. “This was my offering, you know,” he gestures to the ball. “A precious item to me, it is. I’m glad you took care of it and cleaned it up. What a perfect little wife you’ll make,” his grin makes his words more sinister than they originally were. Fear spikes through your veins, your limbs suddenly shaking as you feel your legs give out. The one dubbed ‘Samu catches you, holding you bridal style as you find yourself hesitant to hold onto his robes.

“‘Tsumu, y’know I’m not watching humans like you do. That’s weird,” he cringes, nose scrunching up in disgust. ‘Tsumu seemed to get ticked off at that, growling. Only then did you notice how animal-like the both of them were, sporting fox ears and a tail to match. While ‘Samu had dark grey, ‘Tsumu spotted a saturated yellow hair color and slightly lighter ears and tail. So caught up in the view, you didn’t notice that the brothers has started walking, heading towards the temple.

“W-Wait, I can’t go with you! I’m— I’m not who you’re looking for!” Sputtering out the first things to pop into your mind, the two don’t stop.

“Of course yer who we’re looking for! You’re meant for us, meant to know your place with us. After all, why else would enter our domain, smelling so delicious as you do?”

“Smell— what?”

“‘Tsumu, stop bein’ cryptic. He’s saying you entered the forest during your heat cycle,”

“Well, ovulation in humans. Apparently, they’re not like us special spirits,”

“You’re ready for us, we can smell it. You’ll be the perfect mate for us to breed,” although ‘Samu seemed uninterested, you could feel how his chest seemed to heave as he inhaled deeply. The growling accompanying his final word sent slick between your folds as you held onto him close, afraid of falling.

Arriving at the top of the temple, you saw a cot that has been lain out, the soft cushioning big enough for the three of you. The sight of it had your brain going into overdrive, panicking as you attempted to leave ‘Samu’s arms. He complied, but his hands stayed firmly on your hips. “Time to get dressed,”

Before you could ask for an explanation, your clothes were practically torn off of you. Blood spilled onto your ripped dress, your side burning from where the claws caught you. The shreds fell to the temple floor, your hands flying to cover the exposed skin. While one hand covered the area between your legs, your arm held your breasts close to your chest. ‘Samu clicked his tongue, easily removing your hands from your body while ‘Tsumu slid on the robe, his claws lightly grazing your skin. He didn’t hide the fact he was admiring the view, either, his dark eyes gazing over each inch of skin you presented to him. Once the robe was on, you were released from ‘Samu’s hold, left to cover yourself up with the fabric. You’d deny it aloud, but the robe fit you perfectly.

“You’re gorgeous,” ‘Tsumu growled, shedding his own robe. Your hands came in front of you, hoping to somehow deter him when ‘Samu brought you backwards, to the cot presented. ‘Tsumu wasn’t far behind, dropping to his knees while you lay against the cot. It was softer than expected, more plush than it looks. ‘Samu had stripped of his own clothes, his robe hanging loosely on him by the ribbon around his waist. ‘Tsumu was different, his robe open and letting you see every inch of skin, but his arms still through the sleeves as if he was cold.

“I don’t—“ you began, your words interrupted by ‘Samu’s lips on yours, his tongue brushing against your closed lips as he deepened the kiss. ‘Tsumu’s touches had begun to litter your thighs, spreading your legs as he inhaled deeply. A finger touching your entrance had you jumping, only to be held firmly down by ‘Samu’s hands.

“You’re so wet, it’s hard to hold back,” ‘Tsumu growls out, his tongue lapping at your folds. You squirm and make a noise of displeasure, but ‘Samu is there to keep your focus on his lips and kisses. The more he kisses you, the hotter your body gets and the more you feel your resistance melt away. ‘Tsumu has his face between your thighs, licking and sucking on your clit, claws digging into the skin. It has you clenching around nothing, the hot pleasure from his tongue and burning sensation on your thighs. It isn’t until he removes himself from between your legs do you feel relaxed and at ease, as if your body is jelly. Your resistance is no more, a small whine coming from you when ‘Samu and ‘Tsumu remove themselves to admire their handiwork.

It’s a sudden change, the relaxing touches and breathless kisses are gone, replaced by the feverish touches of both men as they paw and scratch at your skin, ‘Samu’s teeth sinking into hot skin and lapping at the blood while ‘Tsumu presses less destructive kisses to your neck. With the air much too hot for your liking, a breathless moan leaves your lips when ‘Tsumu pulls your head back by your hair, spitting into your mouth and then kissing you. With his tongue tracing your teeth and his growls being swallowed up by your mouth, you’re oblivious to ‘Samu. With his cock in one hand, he kneads your thigh with his other hand as he rubs along your folds.

“‘Tsumu, move off,” ‘Samu growls, pushing the fox spirit off of you, his large frame colliding with the wooden planks of the temple. You find yourself on your hands and knees, ass in the air while the robe is promptly stripped off of you, lain underneath you. ‘Samu licks his lips, lining himself up with you entrance while ‘Tsumu gets his balance back. The first press in has you screaming, but it isn’t just because he’s big. His thickness is something you never expected, but with his calloused hands on your hips, bringing you back into his hips with no regards to adjusting you. A guttural groan comes from ‘Samu, head thrown back as he basks in the pleasure of being buried in your cunt. ‘Tsumu is now back to you, his hard cock in front of your face.

With another rough thrust, one that has you practically bouncing off ‘Samu’s cock, ‘Tsumu has you wrapping your lips around his. You can’t take it all in, that’d be impossible. With a pair of hands on your hips, you’re brought to ‘Samu while the pair of hands tangled in your hair pulls you towards ‘Tsumu. Lips pressed firmly against ‘Tsumu’s cock as your tongue runs under the length, running over the bulging veins and ridges you find. Your eyes are screwed shut, unable to stay open while ‘Samu splits you on his cock, somehow forcing himself deeper and deeper inside of you. It isn’t until you’re finally bouncing flush against him do you feel something strange on his cock. It’s only then do you open your eyes, looking at ‘Tsumu’s cock that has a large bulb at the base of it, growing in size the more you suck on him. Hollowing out you cheeks has ‘Tsumu groaning, claws digging into your scalp as he forces himself down your throat. He doesn’t force the bulb in your throat, thankfully, but he does coat your throat in his cum.

“Your mouth is fucking hot, little human. It’s like you were made to take us,” he breathes out, panting. You’re coughing, feeling Samu’s thrusts speed up as he brings you close to him, but he pulls out at the last moment to spill all over your back.

“With our scent on you, you’ll be stuck by our side until you pass,” ‘Samu is in a similar situation, chest heaving as you’re flipped over. You’re then placed on ‘Tsumu’s lap, his cock rubbing between your folds as he grinds into you. “But we’ll take you together first,”

“So no hard feelings, right ‘Samu?”

“Right, ‘Tsumu,” the agree, Tsumu’s cock rubbing into you and then prodding at your drooling cunt. He slips the tip in, the feeling similar to ‘Samu’s thick cock. Speaking of ‘Samu, he’s quick to stick his own tip back in, stretching you out farther then you expected. A silent scream comes from you as tears spill down your cheeks, both of them thrusting into you as your cunt burns.

Split open on their cocks, you’re helpless. Nails digging into ‘Samu’s shoulders as his hands once more find themselves on your hips. ‘Tsumu’s hands are keeping your legs spread, the view of you sucking in both their cocks on display as they thrusts in tandem. When one pulls out, the other thrusts in and vice versa. The rhythm they set is one that works, their lips finding opposite sides on your neck to kiss and lick, teeth grazing the skin. You feel a buildup of your own orgasm as they plow into you, your walls squeezing them as they pick up the pace. Their rhythm gets sloppy, short growls from each as their bulbs start to grow again.

When ‘Tsumu sinks his teeth into you, your scream is one of pleasure as you reach your high, coating both of their cocks a milky white cream, the liquid falling to their base and dripping down. ‘Samu sinks his teeth into your skin on the opposite side as they both push into your tight cunt, a scream and shiver running through you as the do, their bulbs inflating inside to stretch you even more.

You’re completely stuck, their cocks inside you as they lap at your wounds. It’s only when you squirm do they start talking. “You’ll get used to it,”

“After all we have a week,”

“You’ll be able to take our knots with no problem,”

“All your holes will be used to taking us,”

Their words don’t ease you concern, but the fact that once they leave your warm cunt, they’re still hard and readying you for round two. The heat encompassing your body refuses to leave, their skin as sweaty and hot as yours. With their relentless stamina and obsession with pumping all their seed into you, you’re positive you’ll get pregnant.

1K notes · View notes

jacky-rubou · 2 years

Text

Ok guys, Gravity Falls x Sonic crossover thoughts that are giving me the feels so buckle up. Here we go.

I'm imagining Ford ending up in Sonic's world during one of his dimension hops (surprisingly not implausible in canon since Mabel actually briefly fell through Green Hill Zone in the Don't Dimension It! story of Lost Legends) and eventually bonding with Tails. Like, at first he's just kinda stalking Tails like he would with any other research subject because he was intrigued by the anthropomorphic fox's two tails. Yeah, that ends up backfiring when Eggman shows up and wrecks everything as he does. Things happen and Ford ends up getting saved by Tails, much to the detriment to his pride, oof.

They greet each other and talk about themselves. Can ya imagine the angst when Tails refers to his tails as 'twin' tails since that's what they're referred to as, like, "Hi, my name's Miles Prower, but my friends call me Tails for my twin tails!"? Just auugh. Or even when Tails tries to high 'five' when they defeat Eggman but catches his words and gives him a high six!?. I love the idea of Ford and Tails finding some sort of kinship with each other because of their remarkably similar anomalies and the harassment both of them faced by their peers, man. Heck, even the fact that Tails found comfort and security in Sonic, someone he considers a brother, would resonate heavily with Ford! And cause ANGST cuz it's reminding him of Stan and pain and all that, y'know?! Anyway, Tails eventually helps Ford find a way out of their world with his awesome inventing skills and gives him a sappy goodbye and everything. Ford misses the dimension and Tails almost immediately after leaving, but it was for the best.

Idk, Sonic was my first real fandom as a kid. It has a lot of sentimental value to me so I couldn't help myself from this silly little thought. Ford and Tails would be friends and you can't convince me otherwise. Tell me what you guys think!

#gravity falls #sonic the hedgehog #ford pines #stan pines #miles tails prower #eggman #crossover #also they're both nerds

12 notes · View notes

likeatlas · 2 years

Text

Chen James Caan's death was announced last month, the movie legend's favorite table was cordoned off at the Polo Lounge, the Beverly Hills Hotel's famed bar and restaurant. In the hidden Table One, which was also the favorite place of Charlie Chaplin, a candle and a photo of the star were placed, as well as Caan's favorite food; the house special, a chopped “McCarthy” salad, with chicken, bacon, beets and avocado, and an extremely dirty martini with extra olive brine. "When one of our great and well-known regulars passes away, we always pull away their favorite table and leave it all day and all night," says Steven Boggs, the hotel's director of global guest relations and a real source on Hollywood history. . "We call it 'putting an end place.'" Carrie Fisher, James Garner and Burt Reynolds are just a few of the other deceased regulars who have received this same honor. As you may have noticed, the regulars at the Beverly Hills Hotel are not like other regulars. They are Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, Paul McCartney and, according to last week's posts from the celebrity gossip Instagram account Deux Moi, Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox and rapper Machine Gun Kelly. While other places fall out of favor with the cream of the crop of celebrities, no other place in Los Angeles boasts the same ongoing level of star power as the Beverly Hills Hotel. "We also sit where Al Pacino likes to sit," notes Boggs, who has cordoned off Caan and Chaplin's table for our conversation, a cozy corner seat with sage-green velvet seats. "I can show you where Frank Sinatra sat, where Marilyn Monroe sat, where Elizabeth Taylor sat, et cetera," he adds, pointing to the table where Sinatra celebrated Dean Martin's 49th birthday, with the ensuing bar fight, which ended with the skull fracture of a well-known art collector. “But I can also show you the table where Steven Spielberg likes to write, and the table that Leonardo DiCaprio likes to have. Dinner is also interesting. Jimmy Fallon comes over and sits at the piano and plays some tunes. People still come here, deals are made all the time. It's still the nerve center." Los Angeles is a city that likes to play without much thought with its history. Although it has been the world famous center of the film industry for just over a century, many of its architectural treasures and buildings steeped in pop cultural folklore have been destroyed. Despite its legendary status, the Garden of Allah Hotel (adored by Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, and Errol Flynn), the majestic Ambassador Hotel, along with the Coconut Grove nightclub where the Rat Pack met, and the seedy paradise of the rock and roll The Tropicana Motel, all have fallen victim to the wrecking ball. Recently, Netflix bought the majestic Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, causing many to worry about the future of the 100-year-old movie palace, which was built during a period of Egyptomania. However, the Beverly Hills Hotel still stands. Built in 1912 on 12 acres in the pristine foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains west of Los Angeles, the hotel was originally intended to encourage others to purchase adjacent land. Almost as soon as it opened, it attracted the first wave of Hollywood, with stars like Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, WC Fields and Harold Lloyd. The golden couple of the silent screen, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, followed in the hotel's wake and bought a cottage next door, which they refurbished in faux Tudor and turned it into the luxurious "Pickfair", one of the most famous private residences from the United States. Marilyn Monroe was a regular customer of the hotel (Beverly Hills Hotel) In the 1930s, with the birth of sound films, a new wave of actors made the hotel their playground. Among them was Marlene Dietrich, who defied the rules of the Polo Lounge bar (no solo women or women in pants) by showing up alone in a stylish pair of pants. A 1940s addition by renowned black architect Paul Revere Williams made the hotel even more appealing to Hollywood's growing celebrity community.

The exterior was painted its signature pink color (check out its peach-colored turrets featured on the cover of The Eagles' seminal 1976 album, Hotel California) and the property's famous pale pink and green color scheme was adopted. However, it is not the main building of the hotel that has the most famous force: that claim belongs to the bungalows that are located just behind. These 23 self-contained shelters, the first five of which were built in 1915, had direct access from the street and were perfect for residents who wanted more privacy. One such guest was Elizabeth Taylor, who stayed in various bungalows after six of her eight weddings. The British-born icon's preferred bungalow was Number 5, and after her death in 2011, her family arranged a private ceremony inside it. The bungalows also hosted one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's long stays (on a divan commissioned by Dietrich for the suite), while Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman spent a week in isolation on another, shortly after they met. Marilyn Monroe was also a big fan of bungalows, she often stayed at numbers 1 and 7, where she spent Christmas with her second husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio, and had an affair with her co-star. by Let's Make Love, Yves Montand, in adjoining rooms, 20 and 21. Reclusive director and businessman Howard Hughes often stayed at Number 4, reserving several rooms at once so no one would know exactly where he was staying. "The only person in the hotel who knew exactly where it was was the executive chef," explains Boggs. "Because Howard Hughes loved his roast beef sandwiches." Even then, the chef didn't deliver the food directly to Hughes, but instead left it in a tree hollow outside his bungalow for the insomniac headmaster to grab in the middle of the night. Then there is bungalow 1, where the socialistGore Vidal's mother, Nina, had an affair with Clark Gable. "It got to the point where I'm not saying anything is definitely true unless I've seen it with my own eyes, or someone who saw it was drunk enough to tell me," Boggs assures me. So who told you about the adventure, I ask. “Gore Vidal!” he says laughing. The American writer and intellectual was a long-time lover of the hotel, spending its last days in 2012 in the lobby by a fireplace, singing to himself after their martini-filled lunches. "Gore, God bless him, toward the end of his life he spent every day at the Polo Lounge," explains Boggs. “He would bring his own sheet music and have the pianist play. He had a tremendous ear for music but a horrible voice. People who didn't know who he was were very upset!” Marlene Dietrich in 1940: defied the Polo Lounge bar's rule of not allowing unaccompanied women (Beverly Hills Hotel) It is not only the tradition of entertainment that lies deep in the bungalows, but also the political history. Bungalow 3 is where the young children of Robert Kennedy tragically discovered that his father, a presidential hopeful, had been assassinated, after seeing it on the news. The pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel, once surrounded by golden sand specially shipped from Arizona, has also seen its fair share of sensational activity. British actor Rex Harrison was fond of sunbathing nude, with nothing but a scarf covering his 'Doctor Doolittle', in private cabins, which is where composer Leonard Bernstein got the idea for West Side Story. When the Beatles stayed at the hotel, they had to sneak in through the pool exit to avoid the hordes of excited fans. Their manager, Brian Epstein, even met with Colonel Tom Parker at the Polo Lounge to set up a meeting between the band and Elvis, which sadly fell through on that occasion. The pool is also the site of one of the most iconic Oscar photos of all time: that of Faye Dunaway dramatically reclining the morning after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1977. Newspapers are strewn about the pool. ground, one announcing Peter Finch's posthumous award for Best Actor for the same film.

Finch was also indelibly linked to the hotel, having died of a heart attack in the lobby just two months earlier. Celebrating 110 years since its opening, the Beverly Hills Hotel remains as popular as ever, and on Oscar and Grammy weekends it is filled with the world's biggest celebrities. "It's still relevant," says Boggs proudly. "We are literally the last of our kind." Rarely seen photos of Elizabeth Taylor taken by Bert Stern will be on display in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel from August 1 to September 30.

2 notes · View notes

frostmarris · 4 years

Text

Jailbreak

KakaSaku, KisaSaku, ShikaSaku - Fantasy Au

summary: A witch, a knight, a dog trainer, and an apprentice mage. Great minds think alike.

notes: gift fic for petrikore for the Sakura Haruno discord server's 6 month anniversary exchange!

there's uh,,, a lot more lore and world building that I thought up that I didn't end up including in the fic lol. Maybe I'll continue one day?

Enjoy!

: :

The hall is silent except for the crackling of flames and the whispers of onlookers. The torches perched equidistant along the polished stone walls of the grand hall hold their flickering fires behind fine metal cages, twisting and curled in elegant loops that glow red when kissed by the flames. The court is full, fine silks and satins and lace and pearls crowded together between the towering columns that lined either side of the main path from the entrance to the throne. The noblemen and women keep clear of wide path, necks craving to see over each other and the occasional muffled tap of tailored shoes against marble floor joining the crackling and whispers. Royal guards are placed periodically down the sides of the wide walkway to hold the line, either to keep the members of the court back or to protect them from something else.

All eyes are on the pair of grand doors opposite of the throne, the carved wood aged but well-maintained and the metal lining reflecting the light of the torches. Dancing shadows are cast over the painted carvings of forest creatures - foxes chasing rabbits, a mother doe grazing with a fawn, wolves running as a pack, birds soaring overhead, a hunting party on horseback following a lone stag. In the center, standing atop a green hill, every blade of grass meticulously carved, is a white silhouette of a strange beast - the single horn in the center of its forehead pointing to the heavens and touching a fallen star. The paint and carvings mimic the light radiating from the star, stretching out over the other creatures and bathing them in its ethereal glow.

A chorus of footfalls grows steadily louder from behind the carved wood and the whispers fall silent, leaving only the crackling flames to accompany the low groan of the old doors as the unicorn is split in twain.

The metallic ringing of armor scraping against armor and the sturdy thuds of leather boots against the marble floor soon drowned out the flames, but the entourage of royal guardsmen is ignored in favor of the woman trapped in the center of the pack. Two men stand on either side of her, just a step behind, with their hands on their hilted swords and their keen gazes never leaving her profile. Ahead of her walks the Captain, holding the iron chain attached to the heavy shackles encompassing her delicate wrists.

Her skin is rubbed red and raw under the sharp edges of the cuffs and her gown is torn and stained along the hem. A long sleeve ripped up to her bicep and a straight scratch along her left cheek, but she might as well have been dressed in all the finery and jewels of a queen with how the court stares in awe.

She radiates… something.

Something unseen and powerful and glorious that has breaths caught in lungs and eyes unblinking as she strides forward, the chain slack and her back straight. She stands with all the power and regal air of a royal lady of the court, as if she were here as a guest rather than a prisoner in chains.

The deep green of her gown, velvet and hemmed with silver threads, sweeps over the marble like a curtain of moss, silent compared to the footsteps of the soldiers. Beaded starlight dappled lightly over her skirt gathers together in larger clusters towards the bottom hem, gradient of silver and white sparkles that catch the crackling flames with every movement. Her skirt trails behind her, tattered and torn, and the guardsmen take care not to step on it.

They keep a wary distance from the woman, even though they must remain close - as if afraid to touch any part of her.

Hair the color of flowers only found in the royal garden cascades down the open back of her dress, brushing over unmarred skin and twisting in loose curls. Her head is held high and remains facing forward even as her eyes pass over the awed faces of the court. Eyes like the emeralds lining the King's crown and a face that is both hard edges and gentle curves, her stern expression unwavering and the smallest downward tilt to pink lips is the only inclination to her thoughts as she is led towards the raised dais of the throne.

The guardsmen and their charge stop at the first step of the platform and the hall falls silent once more, except for the soft rustling of fabric as the King shifts in his throne. Hard, aged, brown eyes stare into sharp green and the hall is filled with bated breaths, no person daring to speak or draw breath too loudly lest they draw the ire of either the King or the woman.

She stands tall and unwavering, refusing to break her gaze from the King's. Neither of them speak and the tension in the air grows heavy and thick, the crackling of the flames falling to a soft hush as well.

Then, her eyes flicker upwards and green-stained fingertips curl as her hands fist against the fabric of her gown.

The flames lick and rage against their delicate metal cages, growing bigger and brighter and hotter as her gaze falls on the single opalescent, spiraling horn mounted at the top of the King's throne, the jagged ivory base still stained red.

: :

Kakashi sees a ruby.

It is placed in the center of her forehead, pressed into her skin rather than the metal of a circlet or crown, and it catches the flickering flames of the torches as she passes by.

The Guardian of the Forest, he'd heard them call her - a strange woman inhabiting the mysterious woods just at the edge of the King's claimed land. She kept the creatures of the forest safe, allowing neither hunter nor soldier to enter and discover its secrets. Tales of magical beasts mingling among common animals and an ethereal being dressed in leaves and moss who wandered its hidden paths.

They were bedtime stories and lullabies that all children who lived near the woods grew up hearing, their dreams filled with creatures of legend and fae that would whisk you away into the darkness if you walked too close to those tall, tall trees.

He couldn't recall any mention of pink hair and eyes like green fire, however.

Kakashi stands at the edge of the crowded court, one of his hounds sitting obediently his side while he stands mesmerized, catching glimpses of the strange woman as she is led towards the throne.

He rarely ventured inside the castle anymore, preferring to spend his time in the kennels where he trained and tended to the royal hunting dogs. He'd had his fill of the court and politics and retired some years ago from his position as the Captain of the Guard. No more bloodshed, no more fighting - Kakashi had seen enough battles and men dying to fill several lifetimes.

Now, he took his place as the kennel master, making sure the hounds were kept happy and healthy between hunts and training pups for their eventual roles in the King's hunting parties. He spent a fair amount of time in the woods, but specifically those near the castle that were used for game and sport. Occasionally he ventured to other forests where townsfolk and noblemen hunted for their meals, but never to the great forest to the West, where white stags and black wolves and something otherworldly roamed.

Kakashi had been checking up on an order for new leather leads for the pack when he'd heard the whispers amongst the castle servants.

"A strange woman in chains caught by soldiers."

"A witch was being bought to the castle."

"The Guardian of the Forest had been captured."

So, he'd slipped into the throne room and kept to the edges of the great hall like many other curious members of the palace staff, unable to resist.

And he sees the woman, standing so tall and strong despite how the shackles dwarf her wrists and she barely reaches the shoulder of the guard next to her, soft and lovely and out of place in the court, and Kakashi insists to himself that there must be some mistake.

But then his hound whines and cowers and the flames lick at the metal cages of the torches, nearly grazing him as they seem to reach out in their rage, and the air grows cold, heavy and thick in his lungs.

And he knows that a mistake has been made, dire and dreadful.

: :

Kisame sees a sapphire.

It reminds him of his homeland, where the sea met the land and great waves crashed against towering cliffsides, carving back the rock and stone as it tried to reclaim what had once been under its care. Ocean spray and salt on his tongue, weathering his skin well before calluses and scars from training and combat. His gaze reading the horizon and tides and stars and the grand forests to the West only a legend for the children of seafarers and fishermen.

He'd always wanted to see those green, green woods and trees as tall as cliffs, even though his heart sang for the water and seafoam.

Kisame trained and worked and eventually found his place in the castle guard for the royal palace itself, his ocean home and those rocky shoals seen now only in his dreams. His heart yearned for both the sea and the woods he'd yet to witness, caught between both and unable to choose whether to return or venture onwards.

Now head of the King's personal guard, he dreams of both the past and the future - of before and more.

The Lady of the Woods, he'd heard whispered.

First as a story-creature when he was a child - a magical woman who'd never seen the ocean or horizon or sky, only trees and their reaching arms that hid away the stars and clouds with their canopies of leaves and vines. A being that spoke to the forest and bade the plants to follow her commands. Both a prisoner and a warden, where life was so unlike that of the coast and the inhabitants sounded alien and strange.

And now again, as he stands at his post to the right of the dais, armor glinting under the flames and his hand resting at his side, always just a moment away from reaching for his sword.

Kisame sees her as the grand doors open and the procession of guardsmen enter and his heart stops.

He sees the sunsets over the horizon that he misses, pink and lovely and breathtaking, and the greens of the great forest he yearns to see, cloaking a body with pale skin that had never known ocean spray or the harsh coastal sun.

Her eyes are more green than any leaf and they travel over the staring faces as she passes, unreadable and intense. The sapphire in the center of her forehead seems out of place amongst the greens of her eyes and gown and fingertips and the pinks of her hair and lashes and lips and Kisame stares like everyone else, something thrumming in his chest and in his ears.

Her eyes meet his own and he takes the smallest, sharpest breath, holding her gaze for what feels like hours, but he knows is only an instant, before her attention is turned to the King. Her anger is palpable and sweat beads at the nape of his neck and he doesn't dare take his eyes off of her.

Kisame is privy to more information than most, as he is always at his King's side, and he knows this woman has been brought here for heinous crimes - murder of soldiers, destruction of royal property, defiance against the King's will - but he finds himself unable to believe it.

She seems so delicate and frail, despite the strength behind her gaze. How could one small - lovely, beautiful, otherworldly - woman destroy an entire battalion? How could this woman have possibly uprooted a small fortress and crushed stone into rubble?

And then her gaze moves away from the king and to the horn mounted overhead and Kisame feels a chill unlike anything he's experienced in years.

The bite of ice in his veins and the suffocating pressure of water and drowning, no air left in his lungs and his heart heavy in his chest.

His hand is on his sword before he even realizes it and he's stepped forward, just the same as all the guards and soldiers present. The flames behind him grow wild and unruly, but he feels no heat from their lashing tongues.

Kisame's hand is on his blade but he can find no true desire to draw it, lost as he is in the Lady's gaze.

: :

Shikamaru sees an onyx.

He'd been restless all morning, a heavy pressure at the back of his skull and an unsettling feeling under his skin. He knew what would be happening today, had known for the week leading up to it, but he had no idea what to expect. And not knowing is one of his least favorite feelings.

The Witch of the Moors.

She was a legend - an enchantress, a sorceress, a shapeshifter - who had only ever been glimpsed through trees and branches of those daring few who entered her woods. Ruby hair, onyx eyes, golden hair, topaz eyes, diamonds and sapphires and pearls and emeralds and so many conflicting stories that encompassed years and years and years. Wearing the forest like a gowns and cloaks and hallowed by starlight, the very earth listened to her command and the creatures of the forest both feared and adored her.

She wasn't supposed to be real.

If anything, it was just some reclusive witch hiding in the great forest to the West, driving away people who tried to enter.

But then the King had taken a hunting party to the forest and returned with the most glorious trophy, exposing his sins to anyone who looked upon the opalescent horn he'd mounted.

Shikamaru had been on edge ever since he'd seen the horn, still bloody and shining though slowly dimming as the King laughed and regaled his grand story. He'd wanted to leave, to lock himself away in his study and beg for forgiveness as he knew there would be dire consequences. But his teacher had a place on the King's council and, as his apprentice, Shikamaru must remain at his side. To learn and listen so that one day he'd be able to take his place as a royal advisor and mage to the King.

His fingertips were numb and his shadows restless, flickering at the edges and twisting underfoot as he stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back and his expression tired and every fibre of his being screaming for him to run.

The first omen came the next morning, a dark storm reaching across the sky like a clawed hand, the castle its final mark. Reports claimed that the storm stretched across miles and miles, no break in the black and charcoal clouds. Lightning crackled just under the surface, never striking the ground but filling the air with static and energy.

The storm originated from the great forest, with its massive trees and otherworldly legends, and reached all the way across the kingdom for the King himself.

He had the horn mounted to his throne that evening.

And during the night, he claimed someone - some thing - had slipped into his bedchamber and tried to kill him.

(Reports from the guards claimed that they had rushed to the King's chamber at the sound of his screams, to find him waking from a nightmare and a manic look in his gaze.)

The next day, he sent a small battalion of soldiers to the forest.

Only one man returned, half dead upon his horse with reports of a bloodbath and screams and a witch standing on the rubble of what had once been an ancient watchtower.

The King consulted his mages and magical advisors and they came back with a potion, iron shackles, and a plan.

And now the Witch of the Moors had been brought to the castle to answer for her crimes and, again, all Shikamaru wanted was to run away.

The air is electrifying in the hall well before the doors finally open, the hair on his arms standing on edge but no one else seeming to notice the unrest in the atmosphere. Shikamaru stands to the left of the dais, at the back of the council and behind his teacher but with a clear view of the path to the throne.

The grand doors open and his blood sings.

A powerful force rushes through his veins, both chilling and burning all at once, and he hasn't seen her yet but he k nows she is there. There are whispers and hushed voices calling feather-soft into his ears, drawing patterns against his bare skin under his clothing and making him tense. His shadows writhe and twist and it's the only movement from him as he finds himself standing frozen-still, gaze straining as he waits for her to come into view.

Shikamaru finally, finally, sees petal-pink hair, green eyes brighter than any gem, and an onyx stone in the center of her forehead and he tries and fails to breathe.

Something is so terrible wrong and he can tell that his teacher feels it now as well as he tenses and inhales sharply through his teeth, but Shikamaru doesn't dare look away from the woman - he never wants to look away.

He feels her anger under his skin and in his veins and he knows she has every right to tear the castle itself down around them and rip apart anyone who stands in her way. He knows the only crime committed has been against her and, then and there, he resigns himself to whatever destruction she desires and knows that he will be leaving the castle by daybreak.

The flames roar and scream and rage and after things are calmed to simmering rather than overboiling and the woman is led away in her iron shackles, three minds simultaneously come to the same conclusion.

Tonight is the only night she will spend as a prisoner.

: :

Kisame brings her food.

He swipes the meal meant for her from one of the prison guards to hand-deliver it himself, using his authority as the head of the King's personal guard and claiming he wants a closer look at the witch, sharp steel in his gaze and his jaw tense.

The hardness of his expression melts away as he faces the door to her cell, high up in one of the tallest towers and far away from earth and soil. He meets her with a hushed voice and light steps as he enters, finding her still shackled at the wrist and kneeling at the far edge of the dark room. There is a single hole high above her, allowing a single ray of light from the setting sun to enter the cell.

She pauses in the midst of singing in a language Kisame doesn't understand and looks up at him, those emerald eyes practically glowing in the dark.

He carefully approaches her and slowly lowers to one knee, setting the food in front of her. Though her meal had originally only consisted of stale bread and water, he'd added a few fresh pieces of fruit that he'd swiped from the kitchen to the platter.

She meets his gaze and Kisame feels as if she is staring into his very soul, reading every thread of his being and slowly taking him apart, piece by piece.

And then her stern, indecipherable expression melts away and she offers him a near-smile, reaching out to touch his arm with her cuffed hands. He's never felt such soft skin against his own and he freezes, breath caught again before he bows his head in reverence and promises his return. Kisame unwillingly backs out of the cell and and doesn't look away from her until the door is closed.

He swipes the spare ring of keys mounted at the guard station after passing the original back to the prison guard, already making plans for a pair of horses and supplies.

: :

Kakashi brings her a blanket.

It's old and from his own home, so he's inwardly apologetic for any lingering dog-smells, but he would rather she have something of his than something belonging to the castle.

It's still fairly early in the evening and he distracts the prison guards with Pakkun, the small dog grabbing their attention as he makes off with someone's coinbag and they chase after him. Kakashi slips through the shadows, unseen and unnoticed and well practiced at getting where he wants to go without being spotted.

He curses as he finds the spare ring of keys missing from its usual spot in the guard station and resigns himself to picking the lock, using skills that have gone unused for some years.

The sound of muffled singing stops just as he manages to unlock the latch and carefully push the door open.

She's kneeling in front of the far wall, hair he longs to touch and run through his fingers cascading down her shoulders as she watches him warily. Still slightly crouched, Kakashi stares at her for a long moment, forgetting why he'd come, before he's startled by a soft bark in the distance.

Pulled from his reverie, Kakashi glances over his shoulder before silently slipping into the cell. Her eyes narrow and he holds up his hands as a show of peace, smiling behind the cloth covering the lower half of his face. Green eyes stare and stare and he holds his breath for almost too long, relaxing when she finally seems to find what she's searching for in his gaze.

Kakashi speaks, softly and lightly and her tense shoulders lower, her head tilting and sending those soft tresses in further waves down her arm as he procures the blanket from under his belt. He holds it out to her and she hesitantly reaches for it, his boot brushing an apple core as he takes another crouched step forwards.

Soft, delicate hands touch his rough, weathered fingers and she gives him the smallest smile as she accepts his gift.

His heart is pounding in his chest and he nearly lets out a small laugh, but then he hears more barking in the distance, grimacing behind his mask. Kakashi promises to return and slips back out of the cell, listening to the click of the lock and casting the door one last look before disappearing into the shadows.

: :

Shikamaru brings her a candle.

He stashes it away in his pocket and heads towards the tower used as a secondary prison with a lie on his tongue and conviction in his veins. He claims that the other mages sent him to see the witch, showing off a vial filled with shimmering black liquid that, in reality, is just metal shavings and ink.

He's led to her cell and watches as the door is unlocked for him, one of his shadows slipping into that of the prison guard to inspect the key as he enters the dark room, the sound of singing suddenly stopping. The sun has set and the sky has been dark for some time now, with the only light coming from the torches lining the hall outside the cell doors. The guard places a torch temporarily in one of the wall sconces and closes the door behind him, leaving Shikamaru with the woman.

She's bundled under a blanket and watching him with curiosity, something tickling the edges of his awareness and making him shiver, a buzz of energy under his skin. He stands there for a moment, holding her gaze, before walking forward and slowly dropping to his knees in front of her. Removing the candlestick from his pocket, Shikamaru gathers some of the energy in the air into his hand and passes his fingers over the wick, a flame lighting to life and flickering between them. The light dances across her face, catching in her eyes and the onyx on her forehead, and he waits with bated breath.

Then she chuckles and Shikamaru finds himself smiling, holding reaching to her left and using some of the melted wax to anchor the candle to the stone floor. When he looks back up at her, he's caught off guard by warm lips on his forehead and a spark of energy that rushes through him and makes his hair stand on end, his blood racing and roaring.

With hushed whispers, Shimamaru promises to return, retrieves the torch from the wall of the cell, and returns to his room to pack only the most important of his possessions.

: :

The next evening, after a tense day full of anxious thoughts and restless bodies, the commander of the King's personal guard, the kennel master, and the apprentice mage return to the prison tower.

Kisame and Kakashi arrive at the same door at the same moment.

They balk at each other, both searching for their next course of action and unwilling to harm each other. Kinda-sorta-friends and all that.

"Commander Hoshigaki…" Kakashi says, shuffling awkwardly with his lockpick hidden behind his back.

"Hatake…" Kisame answers back, just as stiff and tense.

A long stretch of silence passes between the men, muffled singing heard from behind the door next to them, and Kisame just barely shifts, the ring of keys hidden under his coat jingling at the movement and slipping out of their place in the picket he'd hurriedly stuffed them into. They hit the ground with a dull thud and both men look down, sweat beading on Kisame's brow as Kakashi’s eyes widen.

The knight grimaced, wondering if it would be quieter to knock him out by punching him in the face and knocking his head against the wall.

"...So that's where the spare keys went." Kakashi mumbles after a moment and Kisame's confusion is just long enough for the silver haired kennel master to sheepishly hold up his lockpicking tool and let out a nervous laugh.

Kisame opens his mouth to speak but is too dumbfounded to find words. They both silently shuffle their feet for a moment before a tired groan from the shadows has both men suddenly turning towards the source, a sword raised and a knife in hand within seconds.

Shikamaru steps out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and holding up the copy-key he'd made with the other.

"Man, did we all have the same jailbreak idea..?"

The three would-be rescuers all stare at each other for a moment, Kisame resheathing his sword and Kakashi slipping his blade back into its spot on his belt as there's a chorus of awkward grunts and murmurs.

"One horse or two..?" Shikamaru asked after a moment, looking up at the much-taller Kisame. He'd only been able to get a single stallion, since he rarely left the castle anyways, and he doubted Commander Hoshigaki would be as unlucky.

"Two," Kisame admits, scratching at his cheek. "I've, uh, got them saddled and ready over by the West wall."

Shikamaru nods in approval but then Kakashi lets out a tired chuckle.

"Cart for me."

At their stares he sighs and shrugs.

"I've got dogs I'm taking with me, alright?"

The air is eerily quiet for a moment as the three men discuss their plans in hushed tones before Shikamaru suddenly tenses, static under his fingers as he sends the door a startled look.

All at once there's a rumble and a crash, the ground shaking and the sound of thunder filling their ears, coming from behind the cell door. The three men share startled looks before scrambling forward to unlock the door, a rush of fresh air meeting them the moment they throw it open.

The far wall of the cell has been blown apart, tree roots and branches digging into the floor and reaching into the room while the light of the moon dappled the darkness through the leaves.

Kneeling on the thick roots with one leg outside of the tower is the witch, who looks back at the men for a long moment. Then, she grins, waves, and hops off the ledge, sliding down the length of a massive tree that had reached up toward the tower, branches and leaves curling away from her as she makes her escape.

Kakashi, Kisame, and Shikamaru stare at the place she'd been for a long moment before the latter finally speaks up.

"S-so, uh… do we follow her or take the stairs..?"

#kakasaku #kisasaku #shikasaku #multisaku #sakura centric #Sakura haruno fic #Thirrinwrites #Thirrinfic #sakura haruno fanfiction #Sakura haruno discord server 6 month exchange #Shdkdjsk witchy sakura fic cause I can't help myself

110 notes · View notes