#there are one or two more suits i should draw for this but im lazy. Anyways light suit freakin rules.

[hoshizoralone]

bite sized sammies

[prolix-yuy]

I SPINNED THE WHEEL AND GOT HONEY BEAR AND I DONT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT IM EXCITED (I'm not gonna google it to keep the surprise factor lamdovdf) the position name made me instantly think of Dieter so I'll go with him <33

this is just so much fun thank you for the sleepover bby!! ILY

Sil, I would be honored to Honey Bear you! And Dieter is exactly the man I want to get down with, especially in this position!

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x F!Reader

Position: Honey Bear

Word Count: 1084

Warnings: Explicit, 18+ MINORS DNI, oral sex (m receiving), ass play, sexy wrestling, Dieter and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Notes: I wanted to do another funny-sweet one, and Dieter is just perfect for it. Plus if I was having a bad a day, I would also appreciate being pampered like this ;)

He’s been a little ball of frustration all day today, and enough is enough.

You try not to be too hard on him. His agent interrupted Saturday morning TV with news that he wasn’t getting the part he’d be practicing for. “They wanted someone younger, to appeal to the newer audiences.” He sulked through the next two episodes.

Then his sister called, and he retreated into the bedroom. His voice still carried through the closed door, switching back and forth angrily from Spanish to English. He stomped back to the couch and doomscrolled for two hours, his brows pulled together in a dark scowl. 

His final straw came when you heard him groaning, “You have GOT to be kidding me!” Venturing into the kitchen, cautious of the sourness of his day, you find him tapping his phone with increasing annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, moving to lean beside him. His whole frame is tight, frustration directed at the world around him wafting off in heady waves. 

“If I’m too fucking old and too fucking lazy to get anything I want, then fuck it, I’m going to order a pizza and not give a shit about the diet. But the fucking delivery app keeps crashing and I just would like one goddamn thing to work today!” He shoves his phone across the counter, your hand stopping it from skittering off the edge to add to his annoyance. 

“How about you go take a shower and we lay down for a little while?” you ask, lightly stroking Dieter’s back. He takes in a deep breath and whooshes it out, scrubbing at his face. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just been a shitty day,” he says, letting you tug him towards the master suite. 

“Everything gets better once you’re in bed,” you say, leading him to the shower. He groans quietly.

“Baby, I’m not really in the right headspace for that.” You cup his cheeks and rest his forehead against yours, tapping the tips of your noses together. 

“That’s not what I mean. We’ll cuddle up and put on a movie and when we get hungry I’ll make something. But right now, you’re gonna try and relax.” Switching on the shower, you usher him in and close the door behind him. He looks through the glass at you in the perfect imitation of a Sarah McLachlan dog shelter commercial, and you draw a little heart in the steam.

Giving him a few minutes to decompress, you turn down the fluffy bedspread and change out of your day clothes. Shuffling around in your drawers, you find the perfect outfit to don before Dieter steps out damp and loose. The towel wrapped around his waist lets you admire his soft broad body, dimples and divots you love mapping with your mouth. He’s slicked his hair back but a few errant curls poke out. 

“That was needed, thank you,” he says, pulling out some neon green boxer briefs and tugging them on. They make his butt look absolutely adorable, and his bulge sizeable. You really should get him more of those. As he approaches, a smile begins working its way across his face.

“What are you wearing?” he asks, kneeling on the edge of the bed as you pose dramatically in the pillows.

“Why Mr Bravo, don’t you recognize the white elephant gift of last Christmas Eve?” Draped over your body is a white T-shirt with a badly rendered line drawing of sexy lingerie where it would fall on your silhouette. You’d won it at a party, and the terrible quality matched with the hilarious design made you keep it in the back of your drawer. 

“I thought we ruined that,” he says, crawling up the bed to hover over you. The weight of the day is smoothing from his face, fingers curling around the hem of the shirt. “You’ve got much better underwear than this.” 

“Dieter, don’t you dare take off the Seduction Shirt!” you crow, squirming below him as he redoubles his efforts to get the hideous shirt off. You nip at his biceps, digging your fingers into his sides to tickle yourself free. He tries to keep up, chasing after your crawling form and yanking you back into his embrace. 

He gets it halfway up your stomach when you manage to roll you both, pinning him on his back with his knees folded over your shoulders. He’s full on laughing now, cheeks a ruddy red and coughing with exertion. You let him catch his breath until he looks down up at you, a warm smile across his face. Pushing his thighs up to his chest, he takes in a small gasp, pupils blow out and hands clenching. Gaze drifting down, you find him hard and twitching in his boxers, your tits pressing softly. Cautiously, you stroke your palm up his length. He throws his head back, stomach tensing.

“Do you want…”

“Please.”

You’re stripping his boxers off in record time, sliding down so you can take him into your mouth in one quick slide. He chokes, hips bucking as your practiced touch massages behind his balls. Keening and hissing, you set a fast pace to topple him into pleasure quickly, adding two fingers pressing firmly at his hole. He’s babbling as your lips slide up and down his shaft, sucking hard and swallowing around the thick intrusion. 

“Oh fuck, baby, I’m…” he begs, and pride swells when he cums down your throat not two minutes after you began. You love knowing exactly what makes Dieter explode, and how quickly you can achieve it. Easing him down, you climb up to snuggle into his open arms. 

“Don’t know why I said I wasn’t in the headspace, I’m always in the right mind for you,” Dieter says softly, lips dragging over your temple. You smirk into his chest.

“It’s the Seduction Shirt, works every time.”

Quicker than you expect he rolls you, pinning your hips and ripping the shirt over your head to discard in a corner of the room. 

“There, no advantage now,” he snarks, rubbing his scruffy face into your neck. Fighting against the ticklish touch, you koala bear around him and pull him down to entwine.

“So if anything happens now, it’s all thanks to my own sex appeal?” you ask with faux curiosity. Dieter pops his head out to bathe you in warmth you’ll never get enough of.

“Damn right.”

END

LJ’s Bangathon 2023

[churbo]

considering i draw fugo so much and have so many little hcs about his appearance i went ahead and drew a baby ref for him ft. his anime colors that i will most likely Never Use but theyre there in case. I somehow do my ramblings about his appearance are underneath the thingy ^_^;

Firstly to start off I kept his skin the same cause... yeah... it's redder to fit in w/ his manga colors cause that's what I prefer (even if I am anime-only atm for p5) but anyways not the point.

With his skin, there are a few things I did. First, I gave him subtle freckles and dark circles underneath his eyes, darkening/making them bigger post PHF cause you know he does Not Sleep Well after GW, though I don't think he honestly did even before. Freckles are just bc I felt like it cause I think they're cute. Scar wise, there's not too much as a majority of the scars on him with the exception of a few will be randomized essentially. One of the nonrandomized ones is obviously his face scar after PHF due to him biting the capsule. I personally like to think when he did this, he had it in the left side of his mouth so there are more scars on that side (also helps balance out his hair but that's another thing) It flakes out a bit and continues on his cheeks but's that really it. There is a rounded scar right around his jaw (it's on both sides) where Giorno had to do some... ah, let's say "reattachment" for Fugo afterward. The scarring continues down his neck where the virus started to eat at his throat and such and it's on both sides as well. Finally, there's the scar on his lower right abdomen. That's from the knife that got he stabbed with during Angelina's attack and just... essentially kept there. All the other scars are Pre PHF, the scars post-PHF he intentionally kept (for what reason I'm not entirely sure but my go-to is usually to remind him of what he went through and to sort of ground him) Onto his hair, I gave him two different styles; Pre PHF and Post PHF. Pre PHF follows his more canon hairstyle, dividing into 3 parts. I don't like how they look stiff so I made them look much softer (though I sorta do that to everyone like Abbacchio for example) in both versions. Pre PHF is just... yeah sorta that there isn't much to explain honestly. Post PHF though his hair is more grown out and longer- instead of reaching just above his shoulders it now reaches just below them. His bangs are now also side-swept to fit more of the PHF style and because I saw this wonderful Fugo fanart and got obsessed with it and it actually gave me a good way to stylize Fugo's hair to make him easier to draw for me at the time. Colors are colors, though I did just sorta free hand the anime colors cause I was lazy so his hair is a pit too pale and his suit is the wrong color but I honestly don't really mind; i sorta like the paler hair anyways LOL might work around that and fit the suit to match it better so we'll see... Everything else is just sorta basic stuff so I'll leave it at that !! I plan to do everyone in the bucci gang at some point, Fugo just happened to be the first cause I draw him so much and wanted an easy ref for myself lol. If you read all this uhmmm thank chew!!! Here's a little prize of what Im working on rn that should be done soon :3 If I missed anything in his ref to talk abt here I'll add it later or smth idk

[chimura-arts]

I REDESIGNED LIO!!!!! i’ll do a proper full body of him someday but for now have this mediocre half body. im putting his past iterations under the cut because im honestly just VERY proud of my progress as a digital artist in the past couple of years since getting my tablet :]

also, lots of rambling about the development of his design underneath the cut as well! 

^ 2021 ^

^ 2020 ^

okay, i had my tablet for longer than just 2 years but 2020 was the year i really began to use it, so i was very inexperienced. even without the digital art factor, im just very proud of my progress as an artist. things feel marginally less stiff, but most of all im proud of how i’ve improved with drawing hair and faces!

by the way, lio still has his extra, ghostly arms!! the ends of his normal arms are supposed to be more beast-like, but i don’t know how to portray those properly yet. 

the changes i made to his design should be obvious when compared to his 2020 iteration! 

- got rid of the eyes on his face. now they’re part of his “primary” halo that looks like a crown

- his facial markings are really fucking vague references to the fur patterns of a cat 

 - his multiple eyes are now part of his primary halo 

 - he has a vest now :] and the markings on it are supposed to look like rib bones (because it's a design that carries on in ceru's design) 

 - mostly i tried making his design a bit more detailed than it used to be

i kinda.......dont know what to do but i really want to add a fur element somewhere to his suit. but i dont know how. i want to add fur because he's a chimera and one of the components of a chimera is a lion. also one eye is normal, the other is a snake eye. he's got.............horns. of something. 

 the wings (obviously he has two but i was too lazy to draw the other one yknow) are obviously.....a bird. 

 i have specific animals associated with each of his split forms, with ver being the lion and goat, reo being a snake, and ceru being a raven. regular chimeras don't have a bird aspect to them but I Do What I Want

[almondmilks-posts]

Schlatt- executed pt2

*I am so proud of part 1

pls go show some love

Maybe a SERIES?? Maybe pt3??? Maybe some more angst?? Maybe some cute fluff with glatt?? Maybe idk if you would like to see more uwu

This took so long omg... I'm sorry

Context: in part 1 you became ghost!y/n much like Ghostbur  you forgot most of your memories including your death...

Life after death was weird. You had very vague memories of each member of the sever but other than that you completely forgot about your past life including how you died. You never expected that you would become a sentiant ghost on the server after death you also never expected Wilbur to become one either so here we are. You took a great liking to Ghostbur as he did to you, you both hanging out became a regular occurrence on the SMP you mainly liked hanging around quackity he had these homely vibes to him that made you want to be around him but you were not quite sure why although he had been seeing you less and less and when you did meet he seemed on edge always looking behind him, shaking his head off to the distance when you turn around, nothing.

You didn't know why Ghostbusr was obsessed with the colour blue, always handing out lapis lazuli to saddened goes by with a "here have some blue" but he always did. You guys can't mine down in the caves something about bedrock pressure?  but he always had stacks of blue on him at all times.

You- hey bur where do you get the blue from?

Ghostbur- oh uhhh umm I just have it sometimes I get it from Phill

You- oh cool. I want something I'm not sure I've decided on what...

Ghostbur- hmmmmm y/n how about

You- I know red mushrooms because they look so cool like lil toadstools.

Ghostbur- yes that's such a good idea

You- I need to ask Phil to see if he has any spare mushrooms adiós bur I'll see you later.

You began to float your way over the the snowy tundra that Phil resides in. You passed many different landmarks on your way only knowing by the names you and ghostbur had given them. Home home also known as the community House although in ruins after it was exploded by puffy. You did try to stop her however your attempts were unsuccessful. 

You- omg I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going here look I have some seeds take this as a sorry

You were in your thoughts so much that you had phased into a body. As a ghost you are able to phase through people However you phased into the body meaning whoever you walked into was not alive. You reached your arms into your pockets to see what you have as a sorry before the mushrooms which you still haven't been managed to find any. Thecno needing them for potions ofc knowing the butcher army was coming for him he planicked stealing so many resources including some of blue from Wilbur accidentally. You found three seeds in your pockets your had picked up from when you were hanging around Callahan (he's my fav on the SMP omg) and punz this one time just giving while punz went on a nether mission for ghast tears. You extended your arm out to the person, lifting your head up to look the person in the eyes.

Glatt- y/n?

He had Horns. Deep black horns protruding out the side of his head. His skin a pale grey ash colour, contrasting his flaming red eyeballs which looked down upon you due to the height difference. His suit a very dark grey almost black but not quite,  You looked at him than back at the seeds. He seemed like he didn't take any interest in taking the seeds from you as a sorry, you furrowed your eye brows at his sort of question? You really didn't remember your past life, thecno told you that most ghosts don't when they die the ones that do are 'poor damned souls of wrong doers' comforting you that you did some good when you were living.

You- uhh sorry I don't know a y/n?? Im ghosty/n! Well it would make sense that I'm y/n well was y/n hahahaha I don't remember much from my past life unfortunately

Glatt- you don't- you don't remember how you died do you?

You- uhhh no? Should I? I ask quackity you know quackity right? Small guy, blue beanie anyway he wouldn't tell me how I died he said it was a too long to explain anyway I gotta go bye uhhhh...

Glatt- oh it's glatt

You- well nice to meet you glatt if you see Phill tell him I need some red mushrooms

And with that you floated off on your mission to find some red mushrooms. Glatt stood there face slashed red. He felt embarrassed? Sick to his stomach? He wasn't quite sure what he felt, quackity had told him of your ghost life when he was pestering quackity this one time however he was scared. He was once a ruthless tryrant president drinking all day and all night because he couldn't handle the power and disappointment of his peers knowing he was struggling being president so he turned to alcohol. He was so plastered when he stabbed you he didn't even know what he did until quackity and Niki Walked out on him with some fruitful words.

Schlatt thought back to when quackity had confronted him, carrying your enchanted diamond boots Phil brought on your wedding day and never took them off since. Quackity looked so hopeless his eyes filled with tears, trembling hands as he screamed at schlatt so hard his vocal cords never recovered even after all this time and everything he's been through. Despite this he carried on trying to ruin quackity's life. Even after death the fucker never lost his need for power and bullying quackity is all he knew how. The issue was he could not find the small mexican, he floated all through what manburg was, he floated past the church, the target, the community house but no sign of quackity. He was searching through the community house for anything he could steal just because 'he was glatt he could do what he wants'; as a ghost he really didn't change. A fit of giggles rung through his ears, he hadn't heard that noise in years. Glatt knew that it was you of course you were married for several years before the incident. He caught himself smiling as he once did to see your face (which could easily fit between his larger hands.) He floated across towards where the noise would come from. To see you, a blue sheep with a wonkey eye and Wilbur? He felt anxious, his ghost heart started beating faster, if he wasn't dead he would be having another heart attack right now that would actually kill him. He wasn't sure of it was because you look so happy contracting the last time him saw your glum face as the XP dropped or knowing Wilbur might still be bitter about the election or what happened as a result of it.

You toyed with the blue sheep known as friend. Friend was the first thing ghostbur saw when he woke up as a ghost so there was a major bond between the two,.you would argue it was a closer bond than what tied you with Wilbur but nothing could compare to that. You both had years and years of history some even before Tommy was born but you both just didn't know that. (maybe pt3 y/n becomes human??) Friend was very entertaining for a blue sheep fried could make you and ghostbur cry with laughter but just standing there. ( Ok this is my HC so it's not cannon but I think it should be) The blue sheep had a lazy eye, so for long enough if the sheep did nothing the eyes would travel opposite directions as per usual you and ghostbur were dying over this. You bent down to pick at a blade if grass to feed to friend when a glum feeling came over you. Were you being watched? You wanted to cry, so you turned your head to Look at the assailant to see glatt standing there just looking at you or through you it was unclear.

You-oh hey uhhh glatt? Ah yes I'm right would you like to come hang out with friend, ghostbur and I would love it if you joined us and I'm sure friend doesn't mind you do you? No you don't because you are a cute sheep boopboop

Glatt- I'm not so sure

You- oh come on don't be such a killer it would be fun friend is very well friendly haha come on.

You grasped his cold wrist with your much warmer hands. The size difference between the two contrasted immensely. You blushed, a warm feeling coming over you almost as if you had known him for years. Which y/n did but you didn't know that.  Schlatt frowned at you calling him a killer, did you know? Did Wilbur tell you? A lot happened to manburg after you had died, stuff you missed that you could and would have stopped. You dragged schlatt closer to where friend was excited Wilbur could meet your 'new' friend glatt.

You- hahah bur meet glatt

Ghostbur- oh uh hey glatt nice to meet you, your a friend of n/n's huh?

Glatt- uhh yea something like that

Ghostbur- oh crap! I have to meet with Callahan (he's my fave member) I'm helping him build a forest, well you guys have fun with friend. And glatt? Its nice to see you again.

And with that he floated away from the pair riend looked at schlatt than back at you, than back at schlatt. Its pink tounge slipping out of its mouth. Glatt looked down at you sitting cross legged on the grass petting friend. He thought you looked beautiful with the sun on your ghostlike form, he felt shame wash over him he really ruined you.

You- sit next to me glatt, the sun isn't that bright down here

Glatt- no I don't want to get my suit dirty!

You sighed, why was he so cold? Was it that he didn't like you, was it the fact that he didn't like friend no that's not true everyone loves friend. You frowned over thinking lots of things glatt noticed your frown after he yelled at you; he felt worse that he yelled. Many nights after your death did he think about you and his actions. He numbed the feeling penultimately resulting in further alcoholism and finally his death. He kept your diamond boots in his desk draw so they could be next to him at all times he even picked up some of your XP but that stuff didn't matter to him. Nothing mattered to him. Expect you. He never was good at expressing his feelings to you, and you never pushed him to do that.

Glatt- do you seriously not remember your past life?

You- hmmmm not much

Glatt- what do you know tell me?

You- well, I don't really remember memories it's more feelings and smells towards something? Like Niki I feel very calm and peaceful around her she smells like bread, Wilbur it's like he feels like a brother to me and he smells like gunpowder almost, ummmm who else? Oh Tecno smells like potatoes I'll tell you about that some other time

Glatt- what about me? What do I smell like ( Father Fragrance??)

You- ummmmm it's a weird metallic smell? At first I was like iron smell but I'm not so sure. I was super anxious when I first saw you almost hmmm anger? Fear? But I also wanted to give you a hug it's weird what about me... Your a ghost I'm sure it's the same for you it is for wilbur... What do I smell like glatt?

Glatt- uhh well, it's metallic aswell

You-oh heyy look it's ranboo, Ran heyy look down here? Ranboo? Oh no he's enderwalking again ok well this conversation isn't over glatt

You followed the half enderman who appears to be on his enderwalking state. You don't say much to him as you know he won't hear or respond to you. You follow him past twitch prime, past the portal near to the prison? Confused you stood behind him a little, why was he going to the prison? To see Sam you hope...

But no. He didn't.

[sneakydraws]

Well, here it is - a lengthy explanation of each card in my mdzs major arcana deck and what I meant to convey/what i would have changed in retrospect/what alternatives i considered! It’s a bit messy and my typing style is lazy but hopefully it will be an interesting read to some of you :)

And so you don’t say I didn’t warn you - jiang cheng’s section (11 justice) is absurdly long lmao

0 the fool  I elaborated on this in the post itself but yeah basically jin ling is kind of representative of all the damage and trauma caused by the past, and there’s a kind of danger there of him falling victim to the same vices as the older characters and repeating the same mistakes and perpetuating the cycle of war and misery (the cycle that we already see with how the jin sect became the new wen sect, and later with how jgy became the new wwx) and he has a lot of room to grow! He grows so much over the course of the novel, comes to realise the complexities of the past and gets a harsh life lesson in how nothing is as black and white as it seems. But ill save talking about his progress for the end, for now whats important is that he has room to grow and also a dog. I don’t really have a justification for the sun, i mostly just thought it looked sick? It made its way to the next card as well, where it makes a bit more sense, but then i realised it was a dumb motif to include 1 the magician I still very much like wwx for the role, and that illustration would have probably had him raising a corpse on his left and pointing threateningly to the sun on his right. I considered including the table as well, with some mdzs relevant items replacing the card suits. Anyway, like i said wwx got a few cards to himself already so i went with the alternative wq design, since i think she fits the card as well. Both she and wwx are highly skilled people, extremely driven once they set their mind to something. The card to me symbolises the creative mind as well as a general drive for action, which fits them both - wwx was famously a prolific inventor, and wq came up with a previously unheard of surgery, after all. This card strays pretty far from the rider-waite deck design, largely because i was still figuring out how i wanted to approach this series, but you can still see the influence. 2 the high priestess I was actually going to skip this card at first because I couldn’t think of a fitting character, but once i considered a qings character post death, it all fit pretty well. She was already a highly intuitive person in life, and in sharing her memories with wwx she is, in a way, relaying a kind of secret knowledge. Anyway she’s one of my fav characters so im glad i got a chance to include her. The coffins could be interpreted to be xxc and sl or xxc and xy 3 the empress Theres other mother figures in mdzs who got to be mothers for a longer time, but jyl definitely embodies the positive aspects of this card the best. She’s nurturing, kind, emotionally supportive, she already mothered wwx and jc quite a bit when she was young. Plus i liked that the rw card had both water and flowers, making an easy lotus connection. In retrospect the stars look kind of out of place and i should have replaced them with something more relevant... Also, i should have had her hold a lotus seed pod instead of a flower, haha 4 the emperor Like i said I considered jc for the role but hoching bullied me into admitting that nmj was better… they’re both more of an inverted emperor than an upright one but then again theres hardly any character in mdzs who would fit upright emperor so. Jgs was also considered but he’s even uglier than nmj so i couldn’t bear to draw him 5 the hierophant It was pointed out to me that lqr would have fit this card better and the truth if that statement haunts me to this day. Unfortunately I have no space in my brain for lqr so lxc got the role instead. My main reason was his role during the wen destruction of gusu lan, when he ran away with the contents of the library - this is why there’s bookshelves behind him. The keys, take, from the rider-waite deck, are meant to represent the gusu pendants that allow you to enter 6 the lovers Im sure many people would have chosen wangxian here but I uhh don’t really care abt wangxian personally? And also their love story is so convoluted that jyl and jzx seem idyllic by comparison lol. Also i didnt really have an idea for who to put in the angel’s place for wangxian… mme jin certainly did not get these two together in the end but undeniably she and mme yu did initially give them a chance to fall for each other so. Thats something i guess. Anyway the trees became their sects’ flowers and the mountain became the burial grounds - an omen of their tragic fate, basically 7 the chariot There might have been other characters who fit this card better but i couldn’t really think of another card for lwj and i thought it would be weird to not include him… anyway i don’t really care for current timeline lwj BUT i do like that he was clearly influenced by wwx to walk his own path in life based on his moral convictions rather than follow his sect’s rules blindly. The chariot is to me a card of self control, self determination and focused action, so it seemed fitting. The composition felt kind of empty without the actual chariot so i padded it out with the guqin, the cloud recess in the bg (it doesn’t look great but i tried to replicate the drama design….) and the bunnies which conveniently fit the colour scheme of the sphinxes in the rider-waite design 8 strength Like i said before, my interpretation of this card is more… morally ambiguous than the quote unquote official meaning, so i thought about manipulative or duplicitous characters more than kind characters whose strength is expressed through gentleness (though i did consider jyl briefly for the latter interpretation). As such, i considered both jgy and nhs, but ended up going with jgy largely because i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put the nie sect’s beast as the lion. 9 the hermit My thoughts immediately went to bssr lol. It may be an overly literal interpretation but whatever, i like it just fine. And i like that i managed to echo the rider-waite silhouette in the mountain and the tree (and even in bssr herself) 10 wheel of fortune God i love the parallels between these 2… this card to me is about how you cant trust your current situation, good or bad, to last forever, and these 2 embody that perfectly imo. Wwx went from son of a well off servant and a powerful cultivator, to street rat orphan, to adopted son of sect leader jiang, to double orphan, to MIA, to terrifying but admired warrior, to terrifying and despised traitor, to dead, to, at the very end, suddenly respected and trusted again. The dishonesty and cheapness of whatever the public’s current opinion of him is is portrayed beautifully as far as im concerned. And jgy of course claws his way up to power only to instantaneously become public enemy number one, to the point that he’s probably blamed for stuff there’s no reason to believe he had a hand in. Wei wuxian’s silent astonishment at how quickly the cultivation world turns against jgy and towards him again is a delicious moment of thematic resonance.  11 justice I settled on this card for jc after he got booted from the emperor seat but i do think it fits, in a somewhat convoluted way. I turned both the sword and the scales into visual representations of the golden core transfer (can you tell im obsessed with it). According to biddy tarot, the justice card is partly about searching for the truth, and the scene where jc finds out about the transfer is of course a big deal. I was also very influenced by the reversed meaning again - which is about being reluctant or unwilling to face or accept the consequences of your actions. I feel on an intuitive level that this fits jc but I’m not sure how well i can explain it - it’s something about how he’s a little too comfortable scapegoating wwx for things that were also, if much less so, influenced by his actions, and also something about the way he keeps wwx at an arm’s length emotionally but still leans on him and accepts his support when he really needs it, and somewhat hypocritically expects wwx to put the needs of him and the jiang sect before the needs of others. And also something about the core exchange is the consequence and proof of wwx’s deep - terrifyingly deep, even - love and care for him, which is something jc doesn’t seem to let himself acknowledge. Maybe even something about how you could argue that the way all of the jiangs acted around wwx - jfm’s favouritism that left him with the feeling of a debt he needs to repay, mme yus insistence that he be a servant more than a brother to jc, prepared to give his life for jc, and jc’s own unwillingness - or inability, he was a child after all - to clearly acknowledge wwx as an equal to himself, enabling wwx’s self sacrificial and protective tendencies - that all of this was what caused wwx’s complete and unquestioning willingness to do whatever it took to protect jc, and therefore paved the way to the golden core transfer. And i don’t mean this to be scapegoating jc - especially considering how young he was when this all went down, it wouldn’t be fair to expect this level of emotional perceptiveness, awareness and maturity of him - but i think adult jc has to grapple with the fact that the chain of cause and effect was not as simple as wwx fucking everyone’s lives up to be a martyr, and that both jc and his parents had a role in that story as well. I don’t even necessarily think this is something that jc only realised in the current timeline - i think it’s something he felt on some level this whole time, and it probably led to a lot of feelings of guilt - but the suibian reveal definitely puts it in sharp focus, and i think he’s now better equipped to handle this introspection than he was as a recently orphaned, traumatised teenager, lol. ANYWAY the window with the fabric is both a nod to the rider-waite design and a reference to the destruction of lanling - i actually did some basic ass research for this, and it seems that in ancient china fabric would indeed be hanged in a window if the normally used paper was damaged. The design of the window, as well as the very idea to use it to imply the reconstruction of lanling, was taken from this great piece of jc angst by my pal moroll1! Oh yeah also the covered window kind of works as a denial of forgiveness for jc because it’s like a halo but covered up... Also I completely forgot to put a blindfold over his eyes which would be perfectttt because blind justice and the core exchange......... ok moving on 12 the hanged man I always have issues with this card because i cant find a satisfactory summary of what it’s really about. Best i can tell it symbolises a need to hit pause, surrender or let go of something… ive also seen it tied to sacrifice? So mo xuanyu doesn’t fit perfectly, but sacrifice is definitely there in a surface level reading kind of way, and the idea that you have to surrender or let go in order to achieve your goal does fit the whole deal of getting revenge but giving up your life in exchange and not being there to see it 13 death This is probably one of my favourite cards, definitely not because I have huge issues with change or anything…. I see this card as signalling the necessity of change or putting an end to something / leaving something in the past in order to start anew? At first i considered putting past wwx, mxy and current wwx here as a kind of transformation and one cycle flowing into the next... But firstly, I’d already used mxy in the very previous card, so putting him in again would feel like overkill, and secondly, the longer I thought about it the less convinced I was that this would even fit with the card’s meaning? Because coming back from the dead doesn’t like... trigger an internal transformation within wwx or anything? Anyway, fun fact: the design I ended up going with was actually originally intended for judgement! I thought I was being very clever with the whole “figure plays an instrument and the dead rise” parallel, but apparently I’d just completely forgotten that the judgement card had a completely different composition... Truly I was boo boo the fool... But yeah anyway at the end of the day I figured the design would kind of work for death as well, with Wen Ning and the theme of transformation, (since in his case coming back as a fierce corpse does actually mark a certain transformation in behaviour) and Wei Wuxian’s protection of the Wen people essentially signifying an attempt to break the cycle of oppression if that makes any sense? Like, wwx is trying to revolutionise the way the world works a bit, if you catch my drift 14 temperance  The centrist card! Again this is probably going off track from the “official” interpretation, but to me this card has a certain “don’t commit fully; do everything in moderation; don’t take either side” flavour to it that i personally find infuriating irl and that i very much assign to lxc. It’s entirely possible that I’m misinterpreting his character because i didn’t really pay him (and the 3zun in general) much mind while reading, but hell, I’m allowed to pick favourites and choose who i want to interpret deeply vs shallowly. Again, i wish id chosen lqr for hierophant because its so annoying for a character i don’t care about to get two cards…. But oh well 15 the devil My alternative idea for this was jgy as the devil and lxc plus nmj as the figures, but since all three had been featured already (multiple times, even!) i figured I’d go with xy instead, especially since he’s among my faves lol. I think the devil signifies something along the lines of unhealthy attachment, obsession or addiction, which isn’t 100% accurate in the case of xxc and a-qing, but if i stretch it a bit to cover toxic relationships in general, and especially manipulation or negative influence, i don’t think it’s half bad. My main struggle here was to choose who amongst the xxc/sl/aq trio to choose for the human figures. 16 the tower Arguably jin zixuans death and the following massacre of nightless city were the final and most direct reason for the siege of burial mounds, and the tiger seal is good shorthand for wwx’s loss of control over his powers, which led to the deaths of jzx and jyl. When reimagining major arcana i like to feature some kind of building in this card (spoilers for a possible future project but in my rose of versailles major arcana set the tower is bastille) and even if it’s not a tower, the image of wwx looming over the gathered crowd from atop a rooftop is so good i couldn’t resist 17 the star Struggled with this one - considered both jin ling and lsz for it, as symbolising a hope for the future, but that was kind of covered by the world so it wouldn’t make sense to include here as well... As usual when I struggle with interpreting a card (as opposed to understanding it but struggling with matching a character to it, like with death or moon) I went to biddy tarot and read all the details about its meaning. What i got was that this card signifies an incoming period of introspection and inner peace following a time of turmoil, as well as a general moving on into a new, better phase of one’s life or finding new meaning and purpose. The figure also suggests someone vulnerable, but possessing a keen sense of intuition as well as a good degree of practicality and common sense. Given all those, I settled for mianmian because IM LOVE HER..... I also kind of see her as a prelude to the “just one person is enough” theme present in tgcf!! And i think her decision to abandon her sect because she saw the toxicity and corruption in it is a very inspiring action - even if it didn’t make a large visible impact, i think the appearance of her and her idyllic family at the very end of the novel - paralleling and mirroring wangxian - implies that at the end of the day, it was a meaningful one 18 the moon Another card i ALWAYS fuxking struggle with - this time less because i can’t grasp its meaning and more because I can never find a character that fits it well. I usually get fixated on the “dreams and subconscious” part, but if i lean more on the “disguise, deceit, anxiety and fear” part, i eventually figured the whole yi city arc wouldn’t be a bad fit. I say the entire arc because it really does encompass all those themes if you include both the past and the present - xue yang’s disguise, his tricks with the villagers, a-qing’s lies and even xxc’s reluctance to talk about his past as well as xue yang pretending to be xxc all fit the disguise and deceit angle, and the general mystery and creepiness of the current timeline yi city work well with the anxiety and fear - the mist, the slow uncovering of the past, even a-qing being revealed to be an ally after scaring the shit out of the protags. I definitely struggled with including all the elements and characters, and even moreso with making them vaguely fit the rider-waite composition, but i think it ended up okay ish. OH and i completely forgot to draw mist swirling around them :( 19 the sun I was considering mianmian’s family for this one, but since I used her for star, I ended up with wwx and his parents instead. Once again I’m reinterpreting the card a bit - normally I think it symbolises incoming times of pure happiness and abundance, as well as a connection with the inner child, but I gave it more of a nostalgic or sentimental twist - wwx looking back at the brief glimpse of his happy childhood. 20 judgement another card that i struggle to interpret a bit... Here i actually used the tgcf tarot zine as a reference! In it judgement is summarised as “rebirth, following duty, absolution” SO i figured that nhs, mxy and wwx all together would fit pretty neatly... wwx achieving (public) absolution through clearing his own name after being reborn, and nhs sort of calling on wwx to expose jgy’s crimes... It’s a bit messy but not bad I think! 21 the world This ties very closely to my read on mdzs as a story - which is that it’s, at the end of the day, largely about cycles, and about how hard it is to break them, but how we gotta keep trying and have hope anyway. Or maybe more precisely, that the people directly involved with and influenced by the trauma of the past might not be able to get over said trauma and that the hope for healing from it will be shouldered by the new generation. Or something like that… Basically what i mean is that jc and wwx and lwj and lxc and nhs and jgy and all these people who were in the thick of the sunshot campaign and the siege are so profoundly affected by it that it genuinely feels by the end of the story like there is little hope for them to ever truly overcome that trauma and build a better future without repeating the same old mistakes - but there is a glimmer of hope in the new generation, specifically in jl and lsz. And it’s a bit paradoxical, because they have also been directly impacted by the past tragedies - lsz having his entire clan wiped out after wwx failed to protect them, jl losing both his parents to wwx’s mistakes - but despite that loss, and despite coming from arguably the two opposing sides of the past conflicts, they are both, in the end, capable of moving past that tragedy, of recognising the complicated nature of those conflicts (jl’s moment of clarity at the end is both heartbreaking and hopeful) and forging friendships between clans in the process. I honestly think that the extra where jl is struggling to assert his authority as sect leader, to treat his subjects well and to cooperate with other sects in a truly amicable way is the single hopeful ending note for the larger themes of the novel - it allows us to imagine that maybe these kids can learn from the mistakes of their elders rather than getting sucked in by resentment at those mistakes, and actually build a brighter future for the cultivation world. And sidenote, this is also why i have a soft spot for jin ling and lan sizhui as a ship... speaking of which their poses were directly referenced from the lovers card ehehe

Looking back, I’d like to add some symbol of jin ling’s trauma so that it mirrors baby wen yuan in the tree stump... maybe his father’s sword? 

[salvejoon]

No King Rules Forever | myg - M

I am the fire I am burning brighter Roaring like a storm And I am the one I've been waiting for Screaming like a siren Alive and burning brighter I am the fire

⇒ Summary: Escaping the Imperial City 4 years ago, leaving behind painful, bloody memories, your body scarred and your soul bruised, you went into hiding, swearing to never fall into the Emperor’s hands again but when his twin brother and the rightful heir to the Imperial Throne finds you, asking you to return to that God-forsaken city you had left behind, to re-open old wounds and place yourself directly in the Emperor’s gaze, to help him take the city and overthrow his brother, you find yourself at odds: do you stay hidden or do you step into the light and sink your fangs into the man who ruined you?

⇒ Or: Emperor Min needs to die cuz he’s a psycho and while you and Yoongi agree on that part, you don’t really agree on anything else. 

⇒ Pairing: Dragon Aspect!Yoongi x Snake Aspect!Reader 

⇒ Genre: Angst, action, a dash of crack, a tiny bit of fluff and smut.

⇒ Rating: 18+

⇒ Word count: 17k

⇒ Warnings: whoo boy, here we go, unedited cuz im a lazy fuck, mentions of torture and sexual assault (nothing too descriptive),  gory fighting as in there will be blood, poison, people melting, arrows in kneecaps, character death, cursing, smutty goodness, soft smut uwu, Yoongi is a soft boi and reader needs to be held, cunnilingus, unprotected sex (Wrap it up, my dudes), creampie.

Spying eyes watched carefully from the shadows of the tall trees around him, moving as the cloaked figure before him picked up herbs and put them in a basket. Careful not to stand in the direction of the wind, he moved silently, stealthily through the bushes, cautious not to make any noise and draw the attention from the clothed figure.

It could mean his end if noticed but he had his orders and had to make sure it was whom they believed it was. 

So far, he had nothing to go on. He could neither see shape or a face on the figure, a smart move for someone not wanting to be discovered. 

But a gust of wind blew harshly between the trees and the hooded figure was suddenly without a hood, revealing long hair that glinted in the sun and his eyes widened slightly as the figure turned to the side, showing him the feminine features of their face.

It was her. 

They’d finally found her.

But his ogling was soon interrupted as she whipped around and he felt her eyes on him, seeing him even under the cover of the shadows. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

He had to leave.

Now. 

Namjoon stared at the corpse at the ground, scratching his neck as he felt a sigh build up, “He was my best tracker…” He stated and let out a heavy sigh, “This is unexpected.”

“Y’know, as the smartest aspect, you really are dumb.” Jin commented and prodded the corpse’s knee with his shoe.

“How was I supposed to predict that poor Sijun would lose his life? Maybe he was ambushed-” 

“He wasn’t ambushed. Look at the wound. It’s too clean, too precise to have been made by a soldier or an assassin who suddenly jumped at him.”

“Yoongi…” Namjoon looked at his oldest friend as he bowed down and examined the many cuts across Sijun’s body, “Sijun was the best damn spy we had! There’s no way that she did this.”

Yoongi scoffed and rose, “She is capable. It’s most likely that Sijun wasn’t hiding well enough and she discovered him.” 

“She was the one who gave your brother the scar, right?” Jin asked as they walked out of the forest and into the clearing, the flow of the water strong in the creek as it had been raining.

“My brother didn’t see her coming either.” Yoongi stated as he looked around, spotting the basket near the water, tumbled over, no doubt having been left behind by the woman he was currently trying to find, “She’s around here. Let’s be a little bit more wiser than Sijun and not get killed.” 

Namjoon sighed heavily as his two friend began walking east, “I should have stayed home.” 

“Mistress.” Your handmaiden, Shari, looked confused as you scurried around the cave, “What has gotten into you?” 

You shook your head, “We have to leave.” 

“Why?” 

“I was seen today.” 

Shari’s eyes widened, “That’s not possible. We have covered every track and-” You grabbed her hand, clenching it and she took a few calming breaths. 

“It was only a matter of time before…” Shari looked desperately at you as you paled visibly, “Before he would find me, Shari.” 

“Are you sure it as one of his trackers?” Your handmaiden asked as you let go of her hand and resumed with packing a small leather bag with only the bare essentials.

“I smelled Dragon on him.” You stated, your hands beginning to shake as you were reminded of the taste and scent of it, “It’s him. Which is why we have to leave.” 

“But what if he finds us again, Mistress? What happens then?” 

“We will keep on moving. He will never find us.” 

“But what if he does?”

You looked down at your hands, her shaking voice affecting you and sighed heavily, “Then you will to save yourself. Now pack your things.” Your tone was final and Shari nodded solemnly as she headed over to her own bedding to pack her belongings. 

Shari was tired of running but she could not leave your side. Not when she owed her life to you. Ever since that fateful night in the palace, she’d sworn an oath to serve you and stay by your side until death. 

But she wanted to fight.

She wanted you to fight. 

She stole a glance at you over her shoulder, knowing that underneath your hard and cold exterior was a strong and fiery soul but that soul had endured so much pain and was now afraid. She knew that underneath your robes that hid your body so well, were scars that you thought so ugly and hideous that you still avoided your mirror image to this day. 

She wished that you had never set foot in that horrible palace. 

“If we set out by sunset, we can use the cover of the dark to-” You stopped abruptly when the air shifted and carried a scent with it that you knew all too well. 

You got to your feet quickly and handed Shari your belongings, “We’re out of time. Take this and run.” You said to her, ignoring how puzzled she looked, “Run as fast as you can and don’t stop.”

“W-What’s happening?”

You simply offered her a sad smile and cupped her cheek as it dawned on her what was about to happen, “N-No, I won’t leave your side!” 

“Shari, go. There’s no time.” She shook her head wildly and your heart lurched in your chest, “Go through the cave, take a left and follow the river once you exit the cave. Just like we’ve practiced.” 

“Y/N…”

“That’s an order, Shari.” 

Tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks as she slowly nodded and you leaned over, kissing her cheek as you whispered, “Take care, child.” 

You watched as she bolted in the opposite direction, heading further into the cave. She would be safe, that was all that mattered. You took a deep breath, the scent of him nearing flooding your senses. You could almost taste him on the wind. 

You felt fear take a solid hold on you as you headed for the entrance to your hideout.

You had often imagined facing him again. 

You didn’t expect to walk away from this alive.

But you sure as hell would drag him down with you. 

Still, nothing could prepare you seeing the dark figure behind the waterfall, the water bending his body in a weird shape and acting as the only barrier between the two of you. It was terrifying and you fought hard to take another step. 

You were about to face the man that had ruined you.

It was now or never. 

Shari stood at the secret exit to the cave, a brief pause as she looked back into the darkness of what had been her home for a year. Her heart was breaking in her chest at the thought of you dying but you had given her an order. 

One that she intended to follow.

A gust of wind almost knocked her over and she felt the hairs on her arms raise in fear. 

Then she heard the sound that she had only heard once in her life, that horrifying night when you had fought the Emperor himself and given him the scar, the night the two of you had barely escaped the Imperial City alive. 

It was loud, the stone walls of the cave trembling, causing dust and debris to fall to the ground. She picked up her pace and ran as fast as she could towards the light at the end of the cave. 

Yoongi didn’t know what to expect as he had followed the trail that had led him to the waterfall. The Aspect of the Snake. Enigmatic, elegant, intelligent, wise, fearless, cunning, scheming and striking. 

Some of the wisest Emperors and Empresses had been an Aspect of the Snake.

He had never met an Aspect of the Snake.

Nothing could have prepared him for the real thing that was in front of him. It was as if the air itself dreaded what was about to happen as it died down, the forest around him grew quiet and only the sound of the waterfall filled the hilltop valley. 

Then the wind picked up, in the opposite direction, almost sucking him toward the waterfall itself and then he saw them. 

Glowing green eyes, looking directly at him and the ground trembled, the waterfall dispersed as the giant snake shot out of the cave with a roar. Yoongi had little to no choice but to change himself.

Namjoon and Jin were sent backwards from the sheer force of you and Yoongi’s forms colliding. As they scrambled back on their feet, they were almost blinded by the sun hitting the tangle of scales that was before them. Silver blended with black in a fierce battle. The ground shook beneath their feet with the giant Aspects battling. Yoongi’s growls and your loud hissing thrummed in their ears. 

“We have to stop them!” Namjoon yelled out, fearful for his friend as he saw you twirl around Yoongi’s lithe body, most likely intending to squeeze the light out of him.

“How?!” Jin yelled back, “If you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of in human form right now and could easily die if we-”

“You idiot! Change!” Namjoon yelled before he changed into his own Aspect form and Jin followed suit. 

Shari could only look on in horror as you battled the Emperor, his Dragon form even more terrifying than what she’s seen in paintings: the long slender body of his Dragonform, covered with blackened scales, his long claws digging into your pale imprenetable scales, trying to find purchase as you wrapped yourself around his body, his tail tangling with yours, his eyes glowing a bright golden color that some said was the representation of a setting sun.

His growls vibrated through his body and through hers which only gave away the magnitude of his size and power.

It seemed like you had the upper hand for a second but then she couldn’t but to cry out when he finally sank his claws into your body and you let out a wail of pain. Tears flowed freely when she saw blood stain the silver scales of your body. 

But her heart stopped when she saw the Aspect of the Ox and the Monkey join the fight. 

All of the Aspects towered above the trees and she had never felt more helpless in her life as she watched you not only battle one Aspect but three. 

As strong and mighty as you were, you were no match for three of them. She saw how you strained your long body, trying to maintain a strong hold on the Emperor and to sink your fangs into the Monkey, the acidic venom dripping from them and onto the earth beneath.

She could smell the burned soil and wood in the air.

The Monkey finally got it’s hands on you, getting ahold of your head and pulled you away from the Emperor and his mighty form fell to the ground. Your body twisted itself around the Monkey’s strong legs and you squeezed, causing it to let go of you as it toppled over and you quickly got out of it’s grasp and you slithered your way through the forest, mowing down trees on your way, trying to get some distance between you and your enemies.

But there was nowhere to go because you were trampled by the Monkey and you let out a loud hiss as you curled yourself around it’s body again, anger now flooding your veins as you squeezed the Aspect in your grasp.

The Monkey, battling your crippling tight grasp, tripped over it’s own feet and fell, rolling towards Shari. The handmaiden let out a panicked scream, getting the attention of the Ox who was busy trying to help the Emperor get back up. It’s eyes widened as it spotted the small human, two fighting Aspects getting closer and closer each second. 

It ran, leaving behind the Dragon and bypassed you and the Monkey, leaving dirt, dust and trees in it’s path.

Shari was cast in it’s large shadow. It huffed and she was knocked over by it. She covered her eyes to protect them from the dust, cowering in fear as the beast towered above her. It could easily crush her beneath it’s hoof. 

But it didn’t move. Not even when the two other Aspects crashed into it’s large body, did it move an inch. It simply huffed again and it sounded annoyed.

“Enough!” Came the booming and deep voice from the Ox, “We didn’t come here to fight you!” Then as to get the point across, the Ox changed back into it’s human form and from the dust, Jin appeared, “We’re here to talk.” 

Monkey, who was entangled in your body, stopped resisting, “It’s true.” He managed to wheeze out. Your eyes darted between Jin and the Monkey in your hold and you were at a loss of what to do. 

“I cannot trust you!” You finally spoke, your voice distorted to a deeper tone, “He has gotten into your minds and poisoned you.”

“He…” Came the voice of the Emperor, now hovering above you and the Monkey, “Is not me.” 

You lunged at him with snap of your jaws, “Liar!” 

The Dragon hummed deeply before landing onto the ground, a little away from where you currently held the Monkey pinned down and evaporated into a dust cloud. Your eyes narrowed when they saw the figure emerging. 

It was the same face that haunted you at night but yet, it was not. Instead of long, straight blonde hair like his brother had, his was jet-black and only went to his ears but the thing that caught your attention the most was his eyes. They were filled with emotion, nothing you could distinguish but there was emotion in the brown orbs.

Not the void you had so often stared into. 

And he lacked the parting gift you had given your once would-be husband: the scar across his right eye. 

The Monkey slowly felt you loosen your crushing hold on him and inhaled loudly when he felt like he could finally breathe. 

Seconds ticked by and Yoongi raised an eyebrow, “Are you going to change back so we can talk like civilized human beings?”

“Careful.” You hissed but removed yourself from the Monkey completely, allowing him to change back into human form and you decided to take a chance and change back as well, “That you do not anger me further.” 

You cautiously stepped backwards to your handmaiden and the young girl launched herself at you. 

“Mistress!” 

“It’s okay, Shari.” 

“Y-You’re hurt…” 

“It’ll heal soon. Are you hurt?” 

She shook her head, “No. The Ox saved me.” 

Jin smiled and inclined his head, “Jin is my name.” He introduced himself and continued, “I had to. My friend over there is quite clumsy and would have crushed you had I not intervened.” 

“Hey! How about a hand here?!” Namjoon called out annoyingly, “Gods have mercy, I think she’s crushed my ribs.” 

You scoffed, “You would be dead if I had.” 

Yoongi watched as Jin moved over to help Namjoon, cursing at him for being a clutz but you seemed to only have your eyes on him. It was clear that you were distrustful of them, making sure to keep your guard raised, even with your servant clinging to you, he didn’t doubt you were still able to hurt him.

You were also scared.

Of him.

He could smell it on you. 

Yoongi took a step towards you and you hissed in warning, “Calm down, girl.” He grunted and folded his arms. 

“Girl?!” You exclaimed loudly, filled with ire, “I will let that slide this once but you will tell me why you trespassed-”

“We didn’t actually trespass seeing as this mountain borders onto the Emerald forest and last time I checked, you weren’t the owner of these lands.” Yoongi interjected, looking bored.

“You have 10 seconds to tell me why you’re here.” You growled.

“Or what?” He challenged and the hilltop grew quiet as you glared at him, hands clenching. 

“If your friends hadn’t intervened, I would have killed you, Yoongi.” You spat his name and his eyes widened slightly, “Your brother found out what happens when you corner a snake and it almost cost him an eye. Don’t make the same mistake.” 

Yoongi. The twin brother of Emperor Min. The rightful heir to the throne. The first born son of the great Dragon Emperor. 

You wanted to laugh.

A lost cause. Banished from the Imperial City forever by his own brother. You had never met him, only heard hushed whispers of him from your time in the palace. The Emperor had never uttered a word of his brother either. 

But the things you had heard were more than enough. A coward was what he was, not even taking up arms against his brother when he had cut down their father in cold blood, no protesting when he had taken the throne as his own. 

You weren’t impressed to be in his presence but you would listen to what he had to say.

You stared at the three Aspects that sat on the opposite side of the campfire, the sun barely noticeable on the horizon, stars beginning to dot up the sky in all their formations. 

At this time, you and Shari would normally have been sitting alone, letting your full bellies settle after dinner and the young girl would entertain you with her hopes and dreams of a future where your lives were normal and you weren’t on the run.

Now you were joined by 3 other Aspects and the tension was palpable.

“After 10 years…” You dragged your eyes from the fire to Yoongi, “You decided to rebel against your brother?” 

You were met with silence.

“Pathetic.” 

Namjoon winced audibly and received a jab from Jin as Yoongi spoke, “I have my reasons. What is important is that it is happening.”

“And what, pray tell, are those reasons?” You asked coldly, standing up, dusting the dirt away from your dress and were again met with silence which didn’t surprise you, “Why should I help you, hm? Where were you when thousands of innocent people, children, were enslaved, killed, had their homes and livelihood destroyed?” Your tone changed as you continued, anger rising, “Where were you when he attacked the Northern Lands and slaughtered millions?” 

“Hey, there’s no need to be so-” Jin began but you cut him off quickly with hiss and your eyes flashing green. 

“Where were you when your people needed you? Hiding. Like a coward.” You finished. 

“Like you?” Yoongi asked and met your hardened gaze. 

You felt his words dig at your heart like a dagger, your lungs suddenly burning with how the air had been knocked out of them with two simple words, yet you refused to let it show, “You don’t know the hell I went through.” You spat, “I will not help you or your rebellion.” You announced, anger and hurt making your hands shake as you turned on your heel and headed for the cave. 

“W-Wait Y/N!” Namjoon called out and moved to get up but Yoongi stopped him with a hand. 

“Don’t bother. We shouldn’t have come.” He said, glaring at your retreating form. 

“Maybe I can talk to her and-” Namjoon looked at his friend with pleading eyes.

“We have wasted enough time on your ideas, Namjoon.” Yoongi snapped, finally letting the anger from your words show, “The woman doesn’t want to help. Fine. Leave her to rot here.” With that he rose and left the campsite, walking in the opposite direction, disappearing in the darkness.

Namjoon sighed loudly and Jin shook his head. 

What a mess.

“She wants to help you...” Came a shy, quiet voice and the two men looked at the young girl opposite of them, “But she’s scared.” 

“Yoongi is scared too. He just won’t admit or show it.” Jin explained with a nod, “I’m scared. Namjoon is scared.” 

“Me too.” Shari agreed and stood up, “You’re welcome to stay for the night. We have extra beddings in the cave, should you wish to sleep somewhere dry.” She bowed graciously, “Goodnight… And thank you for saving me, Jin.” 

He smiled at her as she turned and left them alone at the fire. 

“So… Jin, I think it’s your turn to talk to him.” 

“Mistress.” 

You were quick to wipe away the wetness on your cheeks as you heard Shari approach you and put a gentle hand on your shoulder. She didn’t say anything as she knelt down behind you and put her head against your back. 

You felt a comforting warmth spread in your chest at her silent support and you reached up with your left hand, putting it on top of hers. 

This girl had been your only source of companionship since you had escaped the palace. She had been there, next to you with her childish charms and naive hopes when you had been all gloom and doom. She had pulled you out of your night terrors, learned how to deal with them when all she should worry about was playing with other children and making friends.

She had to grow up too quickly but somehow she still had hope to keep her going forward. 

You wished you still had hope. 

“Shari…” Came your trembling voice and she simply squeezed your shoulder, understanding your unspoken words. 

She was the only thing that kept you going these past 4 years.

Yoongi’s words had cut you deep and while you hated to admit it, he was right. You were a coward. 

You were no different that he was. 

You had a choice: help him overthrow his brother or stay here, in hiding... Being a coward.

You could return to a normal life. You could give Shari the life she deserved. 

“You’re going to help them, aren’t you?” She asked, hopeful, and you nodded curtly. Even though you couldn’t see it, you knew she was smiling. 

Perhaps you could allow yourself to have some hope, after all.

Namjoon stood awkwardly shifting on his feet outside the cave, nervously anticipating your exit. 

After the talk he had with Yoongi which mostly consisted of his friend telling him to fuck off, shut up and take his big words somewhere else. It wasn’t the first time Namjoon had to give a little speech about what was right to Yoongi, even though he was the oldest and should be the wisest. 

Yoongi had listened to him and had seen reason.

Now he just had to convince you to do it too.

You appeared just as he blinked, like a lightning strike from a clear sky and he yelped, causing you to raise an eyebrow as he tumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. 

“Y-You startled me.”

You looked down at him with a stoic impression, “Good. I haven’t lost my touch then.” You extended a hand to help him back on his feet and he took it. Dusting himself off, he took in your attire: a burgundy robe, tied around your waist multiple times with a black piece of cloth, black pants showing underneath it, stuffed into dark boots. You shifted and he caught glimpse of a black bodice. 

Then he saw the dual kopis’ at your hip and the bag on your back.

“Are you here to try and convince me to join your little rebellion once again?” 

Namjoon snapped out of it and focused his eyes on your face where he saw a tiny smirk, “You knew?” 

You hummed and stepped out of the cave, “I had an inkling.” You said as you walked out, “But you pacing back and forth anxiously gave it away.” You stated, glancing at the tall man and his now rosy cheeks. 

“Also you talk rather loudly.” 

“S-Sorry.” 

Shari came running towards the two of you, adjusting the straps of her back onto her shoulder, “All done!” She exclaimed as she came up to you, smiling up at you. 

“You sure?” You asked, looking down at her. 

She nodded definitively, “Yes, Mistress.”

“Good. Because we won’t be coming back.” 

Namjoon stumbled after you as you continued walking, “Does that mean you’ll help us?” 

You kept walking, “No, I wish to see if my weapons can skin a Dragon.” You paused for effect, “Alive.” 

Shari chuckled beside you as Namjoon halted in his steps, looking pale and fearful. You rolled your eyes and stopped, “I am joking, Namjoon.” 

He released a breath, “Thank the Gods.” He mumbled. 

“For now.” You shrugged and continued walking down the hill.

You could already smell them as you reached the base of the hill where Jin and Yoongi awaited you. Jin smiled as he spotted you and Shari while Yoongi didn’t even spare you a glance. 

You were about to tell him how rude it was not to acknowledge a Lady when Jin opened his mouth, “Good morning, ladies. Looking battle ready and fierce as ever.” He complimented as you and Shari came up to him, “How are you this morning, little one?” He asked when she looked up at him, her big brown orbs twinkling with excitement.

“Excited!” Shari clapped her hands. 

“I expected to see you return alone.” Yoongi stated, glancing at Namjoon.

You could still give him an earful but refrained and simply resumed walking, heading into the dense forest, Shari grabbing Jin’s hand to drag him along.  

While Jin and Shari had fun playing games on the road, obviously bonding, you and Yoongi had yet to utter one word to each other. That didn’t stop the Dragon from talking about you, as if you weren’t there. He took your lack of acknowledgement as a challenge. You annoyed him. He didn’t know why but he wanted your fieryeyes  on him as you lashed out at him hence his comments got more provocative as the hours went by.

You were twitching with each comment coming from him, wanting nothing more than to teach him a lesson or ten. 

Instead, you tried to make small talk with Jin, asking him about his family. He had a wife, three sons and a daughter and he talked with such warmth and love about his family, that it made the annoyance caused by Yoongi fade into the back of your mind.

It made you a little sad too. While his tone was warm and happy, there was an underlying yearning to return to them. 

“I miss them so much.” He admitted, the smile vanishing from his face and sadness washed over his features, “I’ve been gone for too long already.” 

“How long?” You asked.

“A year, give or take. My wife sends me letters though.” He smiled but it didn’t have the same happiness as his usual ones, “The boys are getting wilder and stronger and are wreaking havoc in the house.” 

“What about your daughter?” Shari asked, “How old is she?” 

Jin looked down at his side, “She’s a little younger than you and she is amazing. Strong, beautiful, funny, smart… Takes after her father, you know.” He winked at Shari and ruffled her hair, “You remind me of her actually.” 

You smiled at the interaction. The young girl sorely lacked a father figure in her life. You were all that she had but even you couldn’t give her everything a child needed, no matter how hard you tried. Certainly not a life where she feared for her life everyday was fit for a child. 

“We’re nearing the camp.” Yoongi caused the moment to fade with his statement. 

You didn’t have to wait long until the air filled with the scents of sweat, horses, leather and smog.

“How many men?” You asked Yoongi as he walked up beside you, finally looking at him. 

“2000.” He said curtly. 

“2000? That’s not nearly enough to attack the Imperial city. Your brother has tens-of-thousands of soldiers.” You stated, eyes widening as Yoongi merely shrugged and bypassed you, picking up his pace as the camp got closer. 

Truly, he couldn’t be serious? 

Shari clung to you as you walked further and further into the large camp, soldiers all around you barely paying you any attention, the few that did curtly inclined their heads as a formal greeting. 

“I don’t like it here.” The young girl murmured and you hugged her tighter to you, knowing her fear of soldiers and wished you could whisk her away.

“I’ll protect you, Shari. Don’t worry.” 

“I know.” 

Yoongi led the way through the camp and when you came upon a larger tent, he entered it and you followed suit with Jin and Namjoon behind you. 

In the tent was two men, each dressed in their own battle attire. It was the sigils on their back that indicated their status and just how important they were.

“You’ve gathered other Aspects?” You asked, eyes slightly widening when their heads turned to look at you. 

“They’ve returned!” 

You couldn’t distinguish whose voice it was, mind still reeling from the fact that Yoongi had gotten so many Aspects to join the rebellion, especially considering that some of them present was allies with the Emperor.

“Is this who I think it is?” A voice snapped you out of it and you took a step back when the owner of the voice strolled over to you with strong steps, inhaling deeply, “It is!” 

You looked up, a very young but muscular man, with wide brown eyes stared at you with amazement and a grin that reached his ears

“Careful, Jungkook.” Yoongi warned him, “She has a bad habit of attacking first and asking questions later.” 

Your eyes narrowed as Jungkook shook his head, “She looks nice though!” 

Could they stop talking about you as if you weren’t there? 

Then Jungkook leaned in close, too close for comfort and you felt the beginnings of a hiss in your throat when he sniffed you. Loudly. 

“And she smells so good!” 

Aspect of the Dog, you guessed. 

“A true beauty.” Another voice drawled and you turned your head to see a slightly older man make his way to you, his eyes sharp and focused, his presence sending a shiver down your back. 

He was intimidating.

“Jackson…” Yoongi warned cooly, watching as his comrade drank in the sight of you. 

Jackson, as was his name, bowed graciously in front of you, “My name is Jackson and I am the Aspect of the Tiger, my fair lady.” He took your free hand and kissed it, making Shari giggle and he winked at her, “You honor us with your presence.” 

Yoongi snorted loudly and you glared at him briefly before smiling at Jackson, “Thank you. Finally someone with manners.” 

This caused Yoongi to glare at you. 

“Ah, you make me blush, my lady.”

“Please, call me Y/N.” 

“First name basis already. I like it.” 

“Are you done making the rest of us gag?” Yoongi huffed. 

“Jealousy is an ugly thing, Yoongi.” 

“I am not-” 

“Alright, everyone, settle down and let’s get back to what we’re actually here for.” Namjoon’s voiced boomed over the others, successfully silencing them. He walked over to the table and placed his hands on it, “Scout reports?” 

“None yet, Namjoon. They have yet to return and-” Jungkook was cut off as the curtain to the tent was whipped aside and in stepped another man but this one, you knew. 

Your eyes widened as you took in the huffing Jimin, his cheeks red from exertion but they were still those soft cheeks you remember cupping in your hands, the same plush lips that you remember kissing you on the cheek, the same brown eyes that had once pleadingly begged you to let him go and now they landed on you and he stopped speaking. You hadn’t even noticed that he had begun talking. 

“Y-Y/N?” His voice crumbled steadily as you let go of Shari and walked over to him, your heart leaping in your chest as he quickly crossed the distance and drew you into his arms, hugging you tightly.

“Gods, I’ve missed you.” He mumbled before burying his face in the junction of your neck and shoulder, nuzzling it with his nose. 

You felt teary-eyed as he drew you back and he beamed when he saw your face, “I missed you too.” You managed to get past the lump in your throat. 

The sweet reunion was interrupted as Namjoon cleared his throat and Jimin removed himself from your arms and walked over to the table. 

“I have a few questions for you, Jimin, but we’ll talk later. Now, what have our scouts found out?” The Aspect of the Monkey asked, his eyes flicking between you and Jimin. 

The sun was setting over the Imperial City, bathing the building in a golden hue and coupled with it’s brightly colored tiles and buildings, it would make for a breathtaking painting. 

The golden towers of the Imperial Palace glinted in the sun as they stood high above the rest of the city, like a beacon of light guiding those who needed safety from the dark. 

But all this simply covered up the grim truth of the city and it’s inhabitants. The streets were littered with sick people, the poor sitting on the corners, begging for a coin just so they could buy a loaf of bread, starving orphans that didn’t even have the strength to stand, let alone play. The streets were no longer clean or traversable as they were covered with garbage. 

What had once been a bustling city, a hub for all traders alike, a place where teaching and schooling was important, a city that felt safe with the guards patrolling the streets, was now the opposite. It was a city full of hopelessness, death and decay. 

And the one who ruled over the city and it’s people cared not about it. 

Emperor Min sat on his golden throne, staring at his sword when his spymaster entered the throne room, his eyes locked onto the Emperor, “My Lord.” 

“Ah, spymaster Lee.” Min glanced at the man, “I hope you bring good news.” 

“I-I do, my Lord. The Southern borderlands raids have been successful… Um, the new recruits have proven to be quite effective.” 

“That is good news indeed, Lee.” 

“I do have… bad news, my Lord.” 

Min sighed and reclined back in his throne, waving his hand, “Yes, out with it.” 

“M-my scouts say that the Tiger Aspect...” Lee trailed off, fear interlaced with his voice, “That he has joined your brother’s rebellion.” 

The booming laughter that followed made the spymaster take a step back as the Emperor rose from the throne, “Good, finally I have an excuse to kill him.” 

“There’s more, my Lord.”

Min looked at the trembling man and raised a brow, “What?” 

“Reports h-has come in and s-some say that they’ve seen her.” 

“WHAT?!” Min roared and Lee fell to his knees with a whimper, “That bitch is still alive?!” He growled and swiped at a decorated vase, sending it flying across the room, “Not only did my brother, now her as well! Why doesn’t people know that when killed, you stay dead!” 

Lee cowered before his Emperor as his shadow fell over him, “It’s fine. It’ll be fine.” Min sighed and placed a hand on his spymaster’s head, “You will send assassins after her.” 

“Y-Yes, my Lord!” 

“But if they fail, my dear spymaster, then you,” Min paused, grabbing Lee’s chin roughly, forcing him to look up, “You will pay for their mistakes with your life.” 

“This is your tent.” Jin drew back the curtain and you walked inside, Shari in tow, “I know it’s a little small but it will be a couple of days before we leave.” 

“To the Imperial City?” Shari asked, looking up at him.

“Yes.” 

“Will I be fighting too?” 

Jin gave her a small smile as he knelt down and ruffled her hair, “No. You will be staying where it’s safe.”

“But who will be protecting me?” 

“Some of the soldiers.” 

“Then I’d rather be out there fighting with you! I refuse to be near-”

“Shari.” You short call of her name made her mouth close quickly, “Why don’t you find Namjoon and ask for some water?” 

Hesitantly, your handmaiden nodded and left the tent, leaving you and Jin alone. When she was out of earshot, you looked at Jin, “Shari doesn’t feel safe around soldiers.” 

“I gathered as much… Why?” Jin asked and leaned against the pole that held the tent up. 

You sighed quietly and turned your back to him, “Before becoming my handmaiden, she had a family but they were poor and like so many other poor people, she had to steal food.” You began untying your belt holding your kopis’, “One day, she had snuck into the palace barracks after having followed a tradewagon of food. She was spotted and didn’t get away.” Jin nodded as you continued, “She was put in front of the Emperor as she had trespassed into the Royal Grounds and attempted to steal from the Emperor himself.” 

Jin shifted on his legs, beginning to feel unsettled, “What happened then?” 

“The Emperor told the guards to ‘punish her however they saw fit’.” You told him and he felt a shiver run down his back, “I begged him to call it off, to punish me instead and let her go. I knew what those guards intended to do, Jin, I could smell it on them. The desire.” You felt sick to the stomach as you recalled it, “She had her clothes torn off, in the middle of the throne room and all the Emperor was doing, was laughing as she cried for help.” 

“Please don’t tell me they-” He began, eyes tearing up.

“No. I stopped it before it got that far.” You cut him off and placed your belt on the table and you heard him murmur ‘how’, “I killed the one who was holding her down. Sliced his throat.” 

Jin closed his eyes and shook his head, “And the others?” 

“I killed them that same night.” 

“And you?” 

You stilled briefly, thinking it went unnoticed but Jin saw, “What did he do to you, Y/N?” 

You ignored the question and continued, “Two nights later, her family’s house was burned down. With her family inside it.” 

“Gods…” Jin exhaled, his heart breaking for the young girl, “So you took her in?” You nodded. 

“She has no else but me, Jin. Shari has been there for me when I had no one. I owe her much.” You turned to face him, “Which is why I am warning you, should any harm come to her while under your soldier’s protection-”

“I promise that she will stay safe.” He quickly cut you off, “Please. Shari will be safe when we head into battle.” You stared at him for a moment, as if trying to gauge if he was truthful but then you nodded and walked past him, just in time as Shari entered the tent. 

“Namjoon said he will have someone bring water to us, Mistress.” Shari told you and you smiled at her.

“Thank you, Shari.”

Jin pushed off from the pole and inclined his head, “I’ll be going then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he left your tent, he felt deeply troubled by the fact that you had avoided his question concerning you. Just how much had you endured at the hands of Min? 

He didn’t want to think about it. 

“Did she say anything?” Yoongi’s voice startled him out of his thoughts and Jin whirled around to see his friend approach him, “I saw her kid leave the tent.” 

“Are you stalking me?” Jin asked, crossing his arms as he raised a brow, “Or are you stalking her?” 

Yoongi snorted and brushed past him, settling against a rack of weapons, “As if.” 

“I’ve known you for over a decade, Yoongi.” Jin eyed his friend’s relaxed posture, “And I think you’re intrigued by her.” As his words settled, gone was the relaxed posture and his friend tumbled against the rack, almost causing it to fall over which resulted in Jin laughing out loud. 

“I-I am not! She’s annoying, has a stick up her ass-”

“I think you want to be said stick.” 

“Jin, I am warning you…” Yoongi trailed off, knowing by the grin Jin had, that his cheeks were tinted pink. Still, the older man held up his hands in surrender and Yoongi scoffed. 

“But to answer your question, she told me of how she and Shari ended up together.” And so, Jin proceeded to retell the story to Yoongi.

Yoongi couldn’t sleep that night, thoughts running rampant in his mind, the story Jin had told him and the fact that you had avoided Jin’s question, troubled him. He knew his brother was a sick bastard. 

But his mind ran wild with imaginations of what his brother had done to you and he felt sickened by it. It bothered him that it was all he could worry about when he was about to start a war in less than two days. 

But he had also found a new kind of respect for you. To hear that you had willingly offered yourself for punishment to save a simple girl was not matching the image that he had created of you in his mind. 

It actually proved it wrong. 

And in a way, despite how horrifying that story was, he was glad that Jin had told him. 

He wondered if there was more to you than just glares, snark comments and aloofness. 

Why are people yelling, screaming and cheering at the asscrack of dawn? Was Yoongi’s first thought as he exited his tent, grumpy and still wrecked with sleep, “What the fuck is all this commotion?!” He yelled and some soldiers jogging by, stopped.

“There’s a fight happening, my Lord.” 

“A fight? Who the fuck wants to fight each other before breakfast?” 

The two soldiers glanced at each other and one of them spoke, “Jimin and the Lady and… It’s midday, my Lord.” 

Yoongi rubbed one eye with hand, “Midday-” He looked up and squinted at the sun, “It’s midday… Shit.” 

“Was there anything else you needed, my Lord?” 

He waved his hand, “No and don’t call me that, I’m no Lord.” The soldiers saluted and ran off and Yoongi turned on his heel, heading back into his tent when he froze, “Jimin and Y/N? Fighting?” 

He ran, following the stream of soldiers and he saw the large group of people, forming an arena around the two fighters. Grunting, he pushed his way through the crowd and reached the centre. 

You grunted with effort as you pushed Jimin off you, “Gotta be faster than that, rabbit.” You goaded and took a defensive stan and Jimin attacked you again with a swift kick aimed at your stomach but you intercepted it with one hand and wrapped your other hand around his thigh and pulled. 

Yoongi watched as you hurdled Jimin down onto the ground with a cry, creating a wave of dust at impact and he shielded his eyes. 

“So far, it looks like she’s winning this round.” He heard Jin’s voice and looked around, trying to spot him and he saw him stand next to Namjoon and Jackson a few feet away. 

“Why the fuck are they fighting?” Yoongi asked when he approached them, causing all three men to whip around to face him. 

“Ah, overslept again, I see. Bad habit.” Namjoon stated with a shrug. 

“They’re sparring, my dear friend.” Jin clarified and drew Yoongi in with an arm around his shoulder, “Come! Join us!” 

“In what?” 

“Betting on who is going to win this last round. So far the score is 1-1 so this is the last round.” Jin said with a grin, “I’d bet on Y/N. She’s been throwing Jimin around this round like he’s wet paper.” 

“Jimin clearly has the upperhand and is simply dragging out the time!” Jungkook joined them, “Everyone knows that he’s the best damn close-combat fighter in these lands.” 

Namjoon looked at the youngest Aspect just as Jimin was crawling out of the hole you had put him in, “I wouldn’t quite say that, Jungkook. You see, Y/N and Jimin trained together back when they were younger.” 

Yoongi looked at him, “How do you know?” 

“He told me. I was curious as of how they knew each other.” He explained with a bored expression. 

“Yes, and apparently they were lovers at one point too.” Jackson grumbled angrily, “But I am going to make her my woman! No rabbit will stand in my way.” 

Yoongi didn’t know if he wanted to hit Jackson or not, “You can’t force her to be your anything if she doesn’t want to.” 

Jackson shifted his eyes from the fight to Yoongi, “I will not force her. I will make her fall for me with my charms. I’m sure you could learn a thing or two, young Dragon.” 

Yoongi opened his mouth but Jin was quick to place his hand over it, turning his head to you and Jimin, “Alright, that’s enough kids.” 

Jimin wiped the sweat off his brow and chuckled, “I see you haven’t gotten completely rusty on your old days, Y/N.” 

“Did you just call me old, Jimin?” You asked as you began to circle each other, “We both know I was always the better fighter.” 

“Not true. I’ve beaten you plenty of times.” 

“That was years ago.” 

You set off and Jimin jumped backwards, turning his body midair, avoiding your charge and you put one foot to the ground, whirling around, just in time to block a punch from him. 

“We can keep going like this all day, Y/N.” He noted as you huffed, straining against his fist in your hand, “Or I can at least.” 

“I am not tired, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

You headbutted him, hard, causing him to groan and stumble back but you gave him no breathing room as you charged at him again, wrapping your arms around his midsection at you collided with his body. 

Jimin grabbed your shoulders as he placed his feet solidly on the ground, halting you and then he aimed a well-placed kneecap right into your stomach, sending you flying upwards into the air. You maneuvered yourself to land safely on both feet, a distance away from him. 

The crowd began cheering but it quickly died down when your eyes began to glow green and the crowd moved outwards, creating a greater distance between you and them. 

“Oh, so you want to fight dirty now?” Jimin yelled but stomped the ground with a foot, causing it to tremble slightly, his own eyes flashing pink, “Let’s go then.”

“Now it’s getting interesting.” Jin clapped his hands and smiled excitedly.

“You enjoy violence way to much, my friend.” Namjoon noted and shook his head.

At that very second, the sparring contest jumped up to a whole new level, ditching any slow movements, doubts or hesitations to leave room for two living blurs chaining blows and blocks at astonishing speed. 

After a long moment spent out of time, you could hardly tell if it'd been one minute or one hour, you decided that you had enjoyed yourselves enough and impulsively went on the offensive. Jimin, still focused on the playful yet deadly dancing, noticed too late that the game part was over... He received a powerful blow in the ribs and growled with anger.

"Good one!” He groaned, frowning at her at the second he counterattacked.

You dodged him and resumed into a regular exchange of blocked blows, only this time much more violent... and aiming at hurting. You had struck without restraint, which meant you'd put enough strength in your fist to break his bones. Good thing he was an Aspect, because had he been human, he would have had a broken rib or three. 

He kept playing cat and mouse with you until the right opportunity: he seized your right arm as he blocked it and pulled you toward him. Thrown off balance, you reacted by sending your knee right between Jimin’s legs.

Jimin froze on place as a wave of immense pain spread from his groin, "Really?" He managed to get out.

But he didn't have time to waste as you used his temporary loss of control to grab him and send him flying across the arena. People were quick to move out of the way and he crashed heavily against a couple of tents that fell or broke upon impact. Jimin clenched his teeth to keep his pain silent and shook his head to clear his thoughts just in time to see you rush toward him to try and finish the match before he was back in the game. Jimin dodged your leg that created a small hole in the ground and got up on his feet and leaped toward you, taking advantage of your precarious balance to grip your waist with both his arms and pin you on the ground. 

You fell, entangled, and struggled on the dirt to take the upper hand. You finally got it, straddled him and threw a powerful punch toward his jaw. But your friend deflected it with his free arm and countered with a strong head butt.

Unfortunately for him, you were… pretty hard-headed.

“You can do better, Jimin.”

Then Jimin lifted his right leg in your back, placed it between your chests and gripped your neck in the bend of his knee before pushing you backwards. You saw the danger come; if you let the man block your head between his strong legs, you could very well lose the match.

You resisted the movement, all the effort concentrated in your abdominal muscles, then used your hands and arms to free yourself while sending your foot to Jimin’s jaw for good measure. You heard him growl as you rolled on the side and stood up. Jimin jumped to his feet and rubbed his jaw soothingly before joking, “You’re really trying to damage my handsome face.”

“It’ll heal.”

And you attacked, even faster, even stronger, to the crowd’s general amazement, trying more and more daring and risky moves to find a way past the each other's defenses. You both sometimes took the upper hand, but the more time passed, the more you gained the advantage over him, hurting his weak spots with the precision of a striking cobra. Jimin scored some good hits too, like the full-powered kick he'd managed to land on your shoulder and which had sent you staggering, the loud crack indicating that he had dislocated it. 

You simply but it back in place with a small hiss.

Nevertheless, Jimin started to feel the match was escaping him. While he began to tire under your constant assaults, your energy seemed endless. You really were a formidable opponent.

You exchanged a new flurry of blows until he missed a block and took an uppercut fully charged in the throat, followed by another in his chest. The first cut his breathing for a short instant, the next caused a loud crack to echo through the camp and he immediately knew – through the sound and the intolerable pain that flooded his veins – that you actually managed break a pair of his ribs. He staggered and fell on his knees, coughing and grunting in pain.

He saw you hesitate; you’d heard the terrible noise but he could tell you really wanted to win this match. He knew why it was so important to you, that the soldiers and the other Aspects needed to believe in your strength, to assert yourself in a powerful position.

In the end, it seemed your fear to have badly wounded him superseded your determination and you moved closer to check he was okay. Your softness were really your biggest weakness.

Jimin sprung like a tiger on it’s prey. He had you.

But you had anticipated the deception this time – you knew him too well – and you leaped backwards, moving out of his reach. You both landed on your feet and observed each other. 

Even with a few broken ribs, your friend would have no trouble trading blows until he saw an opportunity to immobilize you, so you had to be careful.

You could feel the audience holding their breath around you, waiting like statues for something to happen.

It seemed like you had to use the element of surprise.

Jimin was taking his sweet time to approach, knowing that rushing would only give you the chance to dodge and escape. You observed him intently, seemingly trying to figure him out. He could almost hear the wheels of your brain turning faster.

Then suddenly, he stood within striking distance, he focused and attacked, fist first so he could follow up with a kick to block your escape. You evaded the blow at the last second, but not in the way he'd anticipated.

You jumped. High.

Then you fell. On him. Legs wide open.

Jimin was so surprised he missed the only half-a-second long window that could have gotten him out of there, and suddenly his nose and mouth collided with your lower stomach while your legs closed around his neck. Your entire body suddenly weighed on his shoulders, and you used your momentum to accentuate the movement and make him topple backwards.

Almost slowly, Jimin took three steps back and, unable to keep his balance, collapsed on the ground. His back slammed against the ground, the impact only dampened by the presence of your legs crossed against his nape. You then bent forward to evade your victim's leg swings and kicks, and a large smirk appeared on your face.

“You give up?” You asked, still smirking. 

“Yes, I tap out.” He rolled his eyes and felt you dislodge yourself from him. The crowd began cheering when you helped him back on your feet, your eyes having returned to their natural color. 

“I am going to marry that woman. Gods, I am so hard right now.” Jackson mumbled, staring at you as you talked to Jimin. 

“Gross, Jackson. Really? Ugh.” Jin scowled. 

Yoongi ignored all of them but he had to agree with Jackson. He too, had never been so hard as he was at that moment.

After the fight, Jimin had invited you to a walk. You had your right hand placed on his forearm as he walked beside you, through the noisy camp, soldiers and horses running around you. The tension in the camp had heightened since you arrived, clearly anticipated for the battle. 

You didn’t want to think about that now. 

“How have you been all these years?” You asked him, looking up at him. He was just as handsome as you remembered him, even with dirt and sweat spattered across his face. 

“I’ve been good. Busy. But good.” He said with a smile and glanced down at you, “And you?” 

You slowly looked away from him and ahead, “I’ve been… Surviving.” Jimin’s smile faded, “Yeah. Surviving.” 

“Y/N… Why didn’t you come to me?” He placed his other hand upon the one that rested on his forearm, “I could have helped you.” 

“No, you couldn’t. I had just helped you escape from him and I would only have put you in danger had I sought you out. I didn’t want to endanger anyone else.” You shook your head, “I feared that he might have found you and killed you after you disappeared.” 

“I have a friend, Taehyung and he took me in, helped me heal and get back on my feet but since I had no lands left, I sort of remained with him until Yoongi arrived on his doorstep, asking us to be a part of his rebellion.” Jimin explained. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him, Jimin.” Your head hung low as he slowed down, “I tried but he wouldn’t listen.” You closed your eyes, “You lost everything.” Your voice trembled slightly as your heart constricted painfully in your chest.

“Hey.” He put a finger under your chin to make you look at him, “Not everything. I have you, don’t I?” You nodded, blinking, and Jimin was quick to wipe away the single tear that fell, “I have Tae, Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, even Jackson. I got a wife and a kid on the way.” 

“You what?” Your eyes widened, “Why didn’t you tell me?” You hit his arm and he laughed, “You tell me this now?!” 

“Sorry, I didn’t tell you sooner.” He smiled and tugged you gently along as he began walking, “What about you, Y/N? Any bachelors?” 

You snorted, loudly, “I haven’t really been lucky in that aspect, Jimin, and after the last one, it has sort of been the last thing on my mind.” 

“Really? Hm, we should change that. What about Jackson?” 

“As handsome as he might be, he’s a little too aggressive for my tastes.” 

“Jungkook?” 

“Too young.” 

“My friend, Taehyung is still unmarried but I don’t think the two of you will get along very well.”

“Why?”

“He’s the Goat Aspect.” 

You chuckled softly, “You’re right about that one.” 

“Hm. What about Yoongi?” 

You almost tripped over your own feet at the mention of his name, “The brother of the man who ruined my life? What a good idea, Jimin.” 

Jimin frowned and stopped walking, “Yoongi is not like his brother, Y/N. He is a good man, albeit a little…”

“Cold? Rude? Pig-headed?” 

“Yeah, that but he’s kind, compassionate and strong-willed. He actually reminds me of you.” 

You threw your head back and laughed, “Please. He and I are not alike. He could have stopped his brother from killing their father but he didn’t. Instead, he let it happen and got banished from the palace. He could have stopped Min from doing all of the terrible things he’s done but no, he didn’t even try. It’s a miracle he’s mustered up the balls to finally do something.” 

Jimin looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke, “Yoongi actually tried to kill his brother that day he killed their father.” Your eyes widened and all humour left your face, “But Min… Killed him.” 

“B-But how? He’s alive-”

“Magic.” He simply stated.

You reeled back, “Magic like that is forbidden and for good reason…” 

“A life for a life.” 

“Who…?” 

“His mother.” Jimin sighed and it felt like all the air had been punched out of your lungs, “After Min killed Yoongi, he threw him into the river. Jin found him a couple of days later, floating in the river. He pulled him from the river and brought him into his house. At first he contemplated of burning him but… He was contacted by the Empress.” 

“How? She remained in the palace-”

“She was a witch.” Your eyes widened at the revelation, “Yeah. There weren’t many magic users left back then but she was one of the few.” Jimin continued, “She made Jin take an oath to keep Yoongi safe until the time was right.” Jimin paused and looked at you, “So don’t say that Yoongi didn’t try.”

“But why now?”

“He was scared. Like you. He still is. So… Cut him slack.”

“We haven’t really… talked that much. Mostly fought, actually.” You snickered but it was hollow, “I may have treated him with contempt. Because he looks like him…” 

“And you know that’s wrong.”

“Yes.” 

“You know, maybe you should reach out to him, try to make him understand you a little better. Try to be friends. History tells us that the Snake and Dragon were always good friends.” 

“That’s putting the bar a little high, Jimin. I’ll just begin with being a little nicer to him.” 

“That’s my girl.”

Yoongi was, mildly speaking, having an existential crisis. Okay, maybe not that extreme but he was certainly having a crisis. 

About you.

Okay, so maybe Jin was right. He was intrigued by you. He could even admit that he was attracted to you, as was proven by his earlier predicament. He had never seen such elegance and strength before, certainly not in a fight. Sure, you and Jimin were both excellent fighters but you… You had truly stolen his focus.

He still found you annoying and uptight but perhaps that would change with time as he got to know you.

He wanted to know more about you. 

“Fancy meeting you here.” Your voice startled him and he visibly flinched, “Did I startle you? Good.” You snickered.

He expected you to walk away but instead, you approached him and sat down next to him in the soft grass.

“You are really annoying.” Yoongi said, sparing you a glance. You had changed your outfit. You were no longer clad in a bodytight suit that accentuated your curves, breast or ass. 

Frankly spoken, he was glad that you had changed. He didn’t want a raging boner again. 

Now you were dressed in a simple, long dress and your hair cascaded down your shoulders. You looked relaxed. 

“So are you.” You retorted and shot him a glare, “Did you see the fight earlier?”

“I did.”

“I didn’t see you.” 

“Oh, so you were looking for me?” Yoongi smirked and turned his head to look at you, taking much pleasure in how you sputtered and shook your head wildly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Hm.” 

A moment of silence passed and you felt uneasy under his sharp eyes, shifting in the grass. 

“Are you scared of me, Y/N?” 

You froze at the question and opened your mouth to answer but decided to close it again. Yoongi took your silence as his answer and moved to get up when your hand grabbed his wrist. 

“I am not scared of you… As per say.” You began, looking at him with pleading eyes, asking him silently to stay, “But you look exactly like him and… sometimes my mind thinks you are him.” 

“I am not him.” Yoongi said but sat back down next to you.

“I know that! But that still doesn’t change the fact that you look exactly like the man that....” You trailed off, not wanting to venture out where you couldn’t go back. 

“The man that what?” He pushed and he saw you pale, “Y/N, what did my brother do to you?” 

You whispered something and at first he didn’t hear it but he heard it the second time.

“He ruined me.” You murmured weakly and gone was the strong, pig-headed woman he had only seen up till now. You were shaking, pale and afraid.

“He… ruined you?” 

You rubbed your arms, suddenly feeling cold to the bones, “Your brother was once my betrothed but you already know that, I’m sure. My family thought that it would be a good match and an honor to have their daughter marry the Emperor and thus I was sent to the palace 3 months before the wedding would take place, to prepare me for the grandiose honor of becoming Empress.” You let out a short, emotionless laugh, “Empress. I was supposed to be nothing more but a trophy. He treated me as such as well. A thing... A plaything that he could burn, flog, cut and beat until I was drowning in a sea of my own blood. To torture endlessly until he grew bored of it. But none of that broke me… It wasn’t until he forced himself upon me that my spirit broke.” 

Your eyes teared up but you continued, “It happened once and it was after I had betrayed him by helping Jimin escape from the palace. He thought giving me 12 lashes wasn’t enough. I had to be taught a lesson.” 

Yoongi closed his eyes, wishing and regretting he asked, “And that was when I began to fear him.” 

“Y/N…” 

“Your brother not only scarred my body to the point where I can’t even stand to look at it, he also-”

“Y/N, stop!” Yoongi raised his voice, “That’s enough.” His voice trembled, wrought with emotion, “Stop. Please.” 

You turned your head to look at him as he took your hand in his, his thumb gliding over your palm in an effort to comfort you. It didn’t comfort you and when you saw the emotions swirling in his eyes; the sorrow, the sympathy, you broke down. 

Yoongi didn’t know what to do when you leaned into his side, crying softly, your hand clenching his strongly as if you needed him to keep you anchored, so your emotions didn’t get the better of you. 

He hushed you gently as you wept and he stayed with you until the last of your tears had dried up. 

You sat in comfortable silence, your head placed on his shoulder and you breathed in deeply, feeling slightly light-headed. 

“I was wrong about you and for that, I apologize.” He said softly, clenching your hand within his. 

You simply hummed in response and closed your eyes, silently wishing the moment to last a little bit longer.

Jin noticed a change between you and Yoongi. It all began when he saw you smiling a tiny smile in Yoongi’s direction that morning and the Dragon’s own lips tugged upwards. Then his friend had walked over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder and Jin expected you to send Yoongi flying, but you didn’t. Instead you let it linger there as the two of you talked. 

Then Yoongi leaned in closer and whispered something in your ear that made you flustered and now you actually hit him. 

Just not with full force. Which Jin had expected. No, you simply swiped your arm leisurely at his shoulder while Yoongi was smiling at you. 

What was this? 

The Ox kept a close eye on you throughout the day as it passed by. The two of you would walk, side by side, through the camp while Yoongi talked to you about his journey that led him here. He told you of how he had gathered the other Aspects and of how the rest would meet them at the city. Jin also noticed how your hand lingered on Yoongi’s arm, as you listened intently to what he was saying. 

“Is it just me or are those two actually being… Friendly?” Jackson asked, eyes locked on you and Yoongi walking amongst the tents, “That’s quite a change over the span of a few days…” 

“Are you scared he might steal her from you?” Jungkook smiled at Jackson, “I think he might.” That earned him a hard hit on the shoulder, “Ow.” 

“Shut up, mutt. I refuse to believe that Y/N would fall for someone like him.” 

“And what if she does? What then?” Jin levelled a hard stare at Jackson, “I actually think they make quite the pair.” 

“His brother-”

“His brother is his own person, Jackson. You know this. Now Y/N does too. Let them be.”

“You know, you actually surprise me, Yoongi.” 

“How so?” 

“I didn’t expect you to be this smart. I actually kind of expected you to be quite… Dumb.” 

“You surprise me as well.” 

“Do tell.” 

“You’re even more annoying once one get to know you.” 

You slapped his arm but there was a smile on your lips, “It’s a part of my charm, thank you very much.” 

“You are actually, quite charming.” His compliment made your cheeks heat up. He’s been doing that a lot lately. Complimenting you, that is. 

And it made butterflies erupt in your stomach. 

You didn’t know what to make of it. 

“I have a question, Y/N.” 

You looked at him with a tilt of your head, “Ask away.” 

“What will you do after?” Yoongi glanced at you, “If we win.” 

You hardly doubted that it would be a hard-earned victory. You had no doubt that people would die. 

But somewhere, something told you that you would win. 

“I… Don’t know. I mean, Shari and I have been on the run for so long, that I can’t imagine us doing anything else but…” You paused and looked off, into the distance, watching the setting sun, “I could see myself in a house, with Shari, tending to our garden.”

“No husband?” He asked.

You chewed your lip, “Maybe. If the right one comes along.” You felt him shift beside you, “What about you? What are your plans once you become Emperor?”

“I don’t plan to become Emperor.” 

Your head whipped towards him, eyes wide, “W-What? Surely you must be jesting, Yoongi. Who else is there but you?” 

“I can make a whole list of people who would be a better Emperor than I.” He declared and shrugged, “I don’t want to be Emperor. I never wanted that.” 

“There are many that would disagree with you. Myself, included.” You stated, placing a hand on top of his, “But that is up to you. No one can or will force you.” 

Yoongi smiled slowly, “Thank you.” 

“What do you want then?” 

He hummed and leaned back, resting against the tree that towered over you, “I want many things. To travel the world. Learn new languages. Meet new people. I want to settle down, own a farm or something like that.” 

“You really want it all?” 

“I want it all.” He parroted you, his brown eyes shifting from you to the sun, “Nothing less.” 

“Then you shall have it all, Yoongi.”

Later that evening, a couple of hours after sunset, Shari pounced you the minute you entered your tent and you yelped, “Ah! Hello.” 

“Miffed u, istres.” She mumbled into your cloak and you chuckled when she drew her head back and looked up at you, “You’ve been gone for almost the whole day.” She pouted as you patted her head.

“Namjoon hasn’t been entertaining you enough?” You asked as she let go of you, shaking your head at her small ‘no’, “You know it’s not very polite to be ungrateful, Shari. Namjoon offered to teach you to read and write all by himself.”

“I know, Mistress but it’s more fun when it’s you.” 

You huffed out a laugh and took off your cloak, putting it on your bed, “I’ll teach you once this war is over with, I promise.” 

“Yay!” Shari clapped her hands and you smiled at her excitement but then it died down and she looked solemn, “We’re leaving tomorrow…” She murmured and you walked over to her and knelt down, “I-I’m nervous.” 

“I know. Me too.” 

“What if you die?” 

You cupped her cheek, “I won’t.”

“Promise?”

You kissed her cheek, “Promise.” and Shari graced you with a small smile, “Now, how about a bath? You stink.” 

“That was rude, Mistress. You could use a bath yourself.” She scowled at you but her eyes lit up at the mention of a bath, “But I forgot my soap.” 

“You can borrow mine.” You winked at her as she cheered, “It’ll be just a minute.” 

“Ugh.” 

“You can ahead and head towards the stream. Don’t leave the camp though. Stay within the light of the torches.” You told her and she was almost halfway out the entrance when you called to her, “And take my cloak. It’s a little cold outside.”

“What about you then?”

You snickered, “I’m going to be fine.”

Shari grabbed your cloak and ran outside as she struggled to put it on. She breathed in deeply, the scent of your vanilla soap and lotus perfume lingering on the cloak and hugged it tightly to her body. She pulled the hood over her head and headed towards the edge of the camp. 

Sharp eyes landed on the hooded figure and grinned as he recognized the cloak. He dipped the arrow head in the bottle of acid and notched it, taking aim.

“This is almost too easy.”

You exited your tent, a cloth bag in your hand containing your soaps as you headed towards the edge of camp, looking forward to a nice bath and some time alone with Shari. 

But then you heard someone yell and saw soldiers run by you. You picked up your pace but that was when you smelled it. 

Blood. 

You dropped the bag onto the ground and bolted, not giving a single care to the gathered people as you shoved them away, your heart beating wildly in your chest as you prayed to the Gods that what you feared was not-

You stopped. Stopped breathing. Stopped moving. Stopped thinking. 

There, on the ground, lay a small body, wearing your cloak, in a pool of her own blood. You saw the arrow in her back, smelled the acid that had burned a hole into her chest. 

You screamed. Loudly. You fell to your knees next to Shari’s body and turned her around, weeping loudly as you saw her lifeless eyes stare up at you, “No… No… Please… No.” 

You pulled her to your chest, hugging her tightly, “Shari, wake up.” You whispered brokenly, shaking her gently but the only thing that moved was a single trail of blood from her mouth.

You cupped the back of her head, pulling it to you and buried your face in her hair as the hood fell from her head and wept. 

Jin and Yoongi pushed their way through the crowd but halted the second they saw you cradling Shari’s body, weeping loudly, whimpering, begging her to wake up. 

Jin’s eyes teared up and he took a deep breath, his eyelids closing as a stray tear ran down his cheek. 

Yoongi slowly walked over to you and knelt down, his knees sinking into blood-soaked dirt and he slowly put a hand on your shoulder. You didn’t move as you kept looking at Shari’s face, “Please don’t leave me.” You sobbed. 

“Y/N.” He said but you shook your head. 

Yoongi looked down at the young girl, taking in her pained expression that was etched onto her face, her last moment. He took a deep breath before glancing at Jin over his shoulder, “Find the one who did this and bring them to me.” 

Jin nodded and left. 

Dawn came and you stood atop a hill, holding a torch and looked up, seeing the funeral pyre for the first time. You slowly walked over to it and looked down at the body that lay atop of it. 

You heard Jin behind you, beginning his parting words. You tuned them out and took one last longing look at Shari’s face. She looked peaceful, with her eyes closed, her face clean, her hair done neatly in a braid. You could hear her bubbling laughter on the wind as it blew and you let your eyes close as you put the torch to the pyre and let it drop to the ground, stepping away. 

Yoongi walked up to you, standing beside you, his head bowed. He could hear your shuddering breaths and he let his hand brush yours gently, offering his support in silence. 

You took his hand interlaced your fingers as you silently let tears roll down your cheeks, watching the pyre carry the ashes of her to somewhere far away and you prayed, silently, that wherever it was, Shari had everything that she dreamed of.

Jungkook held the curtain to the tent aside and you walked in, accompanied by Yoongi, Jin, Namjoon, Jimin and Jackson. 

“I chased him down after… what happened.” The young man said softly, You said nothing but simply walked over to the bound man and looked down at him. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw you stand in front of him. 

“He’s yours to do with as you please.” Yoongi stated. 

You nodded and they took this as the cue to leave the tent. You sat down graciously in front of the man and removed the cloth from his mouth. 

“How is this possible? I killed you.” His voice was dry and trembling as you calmly stared at him. 

“You failed.” You explained, your voice cold as ice.

“I-I…” 

“And now you will die.” 

“You don’t scare me, snake,” He spat the word but there was still a sliver of fear in his tone, “The Emperor would have killed me anyway for failing him.” 

You nodded slowly and pulled out a small vial, filled with a green substance, “Yes. He would probably beheaded you or have you hanged.” You removed the lid from the bottle and raised it up between your faces, “What I intend to do is much worse.” Your eyes flashed green as they met his, “Do you know what my poison does to a human body? It’s much like the concoction you used but much more potent. It will melt your insides, organ by organ, muscles by muscle, bone by bone until there is nothing of you.” You scoffed, “To think that he believed it would be strong enough to kill me is pathetic.” 

The man opened his mouth, “Long live the Emper-” You grabbed his jaw roughly, forcing his mouth wide open with ease and he whimpered pathetically.  

“Your Emperor won’t live for long. Neither will you.” You said slowly and moved the tiny bottle to his mouth, “Now drink up.”

You emptied the vial into his mouth and made sure that he swallowed it all. 

You heard the rustling of the curtain to your tent, feet stepping onto the carpet, making the dirt beneath it crunch. You didn’t move when he placed a small plate of gravy in front of you, on the table you sat by. 

“You need to eat.” Yoongi said softly, “You need the strength.” 

“I’m not hungry.” 

He sighed, “Y/N.” But you didn’t say another word, simply staring at the wall of the tent. Then he saw your hands move in your lap and he spotted one of Shari’s blouses in your hands. 

You flinched when you felt him put a hand on top of yours, his face entering your vision as he gently turned your head with a finger under your chin. You looked at him, taking in how the light from the torch in the middle of the tent casted his soft, feline like features in a golden light. You saw how his eyes portrayed emotions so easily and just how easy it was to read them: his own heart filled with sorrow and regret.

Yoongi saw your lower lip beginning to tremble as tears gathered in your eyes, “She’s gone.” You began, voice a mere whisper, “I promised her that she would stay safe and I failed. I promised to protect her and I failed.” The more you spoke, the more tears flowed freely, “And it’s my fault. It’s my fault, Yoongi. I let her go. I made her put on my cloak… It’s my fault.” 

“No, hey, no.” He cupped your face, kneeling down beside you, thumbs gently wiping away your tears, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” 

“I should have known that he would-”

“No. None of that. It is not your fault.” 

“You don’t understand… Shari was the only thing that I had left.” You inhaled, soft noises escaping from you as you broke down, “I have nothing.” 

“You have me, Y/N.” Yoongi pulled you to him and you desperately swung your arms around his neck, burying your face in his shoulder, “You have me.” He repeated as you wailed loudly, “You have me.” He felt your hands grip onto his shirt tightly, your wails muffled by the cloth. 

To have him there, next to you, his presence and warm body, coupled with his words, it all washed over you like a warm blanket, shielding you from the hurt, the pain, the ache. It all seemed to lessen with each second.

You sniffled and drew back. Your arms shifted, moving your hands to his chest and you crossed the small space between you, placing a kiss to his lips. 

Yoongi’s eyes widened but he didn’t move, seemingly frozen in your hold. Your lips, wet and tasting like salt, glided from his lips to his jaw, to his temple, to his ear and you whispered, “Make me forget. Please.” 

He exhaled a shaky breath, “Are you sure?” 

You nodded. 

He pushed you back gently, his eyes searching yours for any uncertainty and when he found none, he pulled you to him, his lips collided with yours and a spark lit in his abdomen. 

You whimpered softly into the kiss, feeling his tongue grace your lower lip, begging, pleading for entrance and when you granted it, you tasted him and a whole slew of colors exploded behind your lids. He pulled you up with him, his hands finding purchase on your hips as he guided you backwards, mouths still connected, to the bed and he broke the kiss to lay you down gently on the the soft mattress and he crawled over you.

You reached out for him, hands desperately trying to remove the shirt from his body and he let pull it over his head. He hissed when your hands glided up his stomach, over his dusky nipples and dipped his head, capturing your lips once more but this time with more ferocity. 

Your skin tingled with excitement as Yoongi began to untie your robe but you froze when you felt his cool hands on your stomach. 

He pulled away from your lips, “What’s wrong?” 

You looked down and he followed your gaze, eyes widening slightly when he saw the many scars across your stomach and chest. 

His heart twisted painfully when you began to close your robe, “No. Don’t.” 

“I shouldn’t have asked you. I’m sorry.” You turned your head away as you couldn’t bare to meet his eyes, “It’s hideous.”

“No, it’s not.” He leaned forward and nuzzled the valley between your breasts, “You’re beautiful.” He kissed the skin there and ventured further down, planting soft butterfly kisses on each scar , pushing your hands away and let your robe fall open. He placed a kiss above your navel and gazed up at you. The intensity in his eyes and how they darkened with desire made your breath hitch.

You sat up and let the robe fall from your shoulders, laying back down you watched as he untied the ribbon that held your trousers up, slowly pulling them down, placing a kiss to each expanse of skin that was being revealed to him. 

“Beautiful.” He murmured against your thigh, moving back so he could remove your trousers and he threw them to the ground and returned to you, pushing your legs apart. 

Your hands shot down to hide yourself from his gaze, embarrassed at how he eyed your center with such hunger but he growled and slapped them away. 

He placed himself between your fleshy thighs, taking in how your folds already glistened in the torch light, “I want to taste you.” He said, his voice deep and rough and it sent a shiver through you, “Can I?” 

You nodded slowly and almost choked on a breath when you felt a finger run down your center, avoiding the aching bud, “Y-Yoongi…”

Yoongi didn’t waste more time as he dove in, his tongue circling around your clit and you let out a groan. He then slid one finger into your weeping cunt, moaning loudly when your hips bucked against his face and when he added another, you let out a mewl. 

“Please.” You begged. Yoongi continued to lick your clit and pushing his fingers in and out of you, feeling you grow more wet under his onslaught. 

Then he removed his mouth from your clit and his fingers from your cunt and you almost cried out when you felt his tongue push inside you, lapping up your juices, “Ah!” 

Yoongi gazed up at you and almost came in his pants then and there; to see your face, contorted in pleasure, pleasure that he was giving you, your hands fisting your robe in desperation and the sounds that erupted from your mouth as he continued to eat you out. 

You felt something building in your abdomen. It felt hot, tightening and you feared it would snap. He felt it too when your walls clenched around his tongue and he placed a thumb on your clit, rubbing in circles. 

“Hngh - I’m going to cum.” You warned him, voice raspy and throat dry.

“Then cum.” He commanded. 

He continued to lap at your center as your back arched off the bed, mouth open in a silent scream. He drinks every drop that gushed out of you and only removed himself when you whimpered pathetically. 

Yoongi crawled up your body, placing a kisses on his way and you put your hands around his neck when he kissed your jaw. You could feel his hard cock against your stomach, straining against the fabric of his pants and you sighed blissfully. 

He kissed you then, mouth open, tongue invading yours, letting out a grunt when he felt your hands touch his cock over his pants. 

“I - Hmp.” He silenced you quickly with his mouth but you pushed against his chest with your hand, “I want to-”

“Later. I need to be inside you.” He grumbled and removed himself from you and you had never seen a man shed his pants so fast in your life, eyes widening as you saw the size of him but you quickly found yourself caged under him again, his mouth on yours, arms resting beside your head. You felt the tip prod your entrance and whimpered. 

“Yoongi, hurry up.” You huffed when his lips dislodged from yours and he grinned cheekily as one of his hands went down to grab his cock and line it up with your entrance. Your mouth dropped open when you felt him breach you, slowly, your walls clamping down on him tightly. 

“Gods...” He hissed as he pushed deeper into you until his hips were flush against yours and he stilled, letting you get accustomed to him. 

You put your legs around his narrow hips, hands venturing up his arms to his shoulders, “Move.” 

He pulled out and thrust back in and all the air left your lungs. He set a slow and languid pace, head bending down to nibble at your collarbones while you gasped with each thrust, your cunt weeping onto the mattress. The blazing fire began to build in your lower stomach again but you needed more. 

“Faster.” You huffed out, licking your dry lips. Yoongi looked at you and you saw uncertainty flash in his eyes, “I can take it.” 

“As you wish.” He nodded and leaned back on his heels, removing your legs around him, moaning loudly as he looked down to where you were joined as he drew back, his cock glistening with your arousal, “Fuck.” He gritted out as he slammed back in. 

You keened as his pace increased, your back arching, legs trembling as he held them spread for him, his cock leaving no crevice untouched as he fucked you. 

You let out a cry when he shifted his angle and his cock hit a spot that made you see stars, “Don’t stop!” 

He chuckled but that quickly changed into a groan when your walls clamped down around him, “Are you close, my sweet snake?” 

You nodded wildly, your hands trying to find something to hold onto as you felt like floating. He put one of your legs on his shoulder and held onto it, nails digging deep into your thigh and fucked you harder. His balls tightened and he knew he didn’t have long but he needed you to give him one last orgasm. 

So he moved his other hand and started playing with your clit and you let out a wail as you came, the blazing fire finally erupting and setting all of your nerves on fire. Yoongi cursed as your walls clamped down on him like a vice and he thrust a couple of times before he let out a groan, spilling his cum inside you, filling you up. 

He fell forward, your chests rubbing against it each as you both breathed heavily, coming down from your highs. 

He kissed you and rolled to the side, his softening cock leaving your cunt and you let out a tiny whimper. 

“Thank you.” You whispered and turned over to face him, offering a tired but satisfied smile. He smiled back and let you scoot closer, resting your head on his chest. 

“Stay.” You murmured. 

Yoongi kissed your forehead, “Gladly.” 

You stared at the closed gates of the Imperial City, seeing the soldiers running on the high walls, preparing for a siege as ballistas and archers lined up along the walls. 

You felt anticipation for the upcoming battle. It wasn’t going to be easy. 

“What about the people?” You asked as Jin appeared next to you, “Thousands of innocents will die.” 

Jin hummed, “I have men in the city that are taking the civilians underground, to the catacombs.” 

“You really have thought of everything.” You noted and Jin grinned. 

“Actually, that was Namjoon. Gotta use his big brain for something.” He turned and walked back to the tent where the rest of the Aspects stood along with some new additions: Taehyung, the Goat Aspect, Hoseok, the Horse Aspect, Anduin, the Pig Aspect, Wrynn, the Sheep Aspect and Dina, the Rooster Aspect. 

“The trebuchets are ready.” Dina said as it was her that had brought the majority of the weapons, “As is the ram.” 

“Good.” Jackson nodded, “Then I’d say let’s get started.” 

It was chaos. The ram had been a failure and countless of soldiers had already lost their lives and the gate was still standing as was the walls. You were growing frustrated and knew that something had to be done.

Something drastic.

“Jin!” You called out across the battlefield, eyes quickly finding the man amidst the soldiers, “We need to open that gate!” 

“If you haven’t noticed, the ram was a failure!” He yelled back. 

“I know but how about you use your thick skull and big brain for once and bash it open?!” 

Jin’s eyes widened and he mulled over the idea, “Yeah… That could work but what about the soldiers?! I don’t want to tramble them.” 

You rolled your eyes, “Everyone! Draw back! Fall back from the walls!” Your command echoed with the other Aspects as they commanded their soldiers and Jin nodded and ran towards the gate whereas others ran away from it. 

You watched as he got closer and closer, dodging arrows with relative ease but when they began firing the ballistas at him, you grew fearful. He had to change. 

Then he vanished in a dust cloud and you heard a loud, booming bellow and saw his Aspect form charge right into the gates, bursting them open. 

“Everyone! Charge!” You heard the command and bolted towards the open gates, watching as Jin trampled down one of the walls, creating more entrance points for the soldiers. 

The General of the Emperor’s army was quickly remobilizing his soldiers and they charged towards you, storming out of the gate in waves. 

You drew your kopis’ and vaulted over debris, diving down with a cry, sinking your weapons into an enemy soldier, his blood spattering on your face. 

Then you heard a horn sound behind you and you looked back to see the cavalry beginning to charge with Hoseok at the front, his spear glinting in the sun. 

You smirked and yanked your kopis’ out of the body, letting it fall to the ground and proceeded to run further into the city. 

Gritting your teeth, you fought your way through the enemy soldiers, never losing sight of where you had to go. 

The Imperial Palace.

“My Lord, they have breached the city.” 

“I can see that, you idiot!” 

Emperor Min was pacing back and forth, perching high above the city, in the throne room, where he could see the battle unfold below. 

He couldn’t lose the city. He wouldn’t lose to his brother. 

He had the advantage of a bigger army but Yoongi had the other Aspects at his side and Min roared in frustration, “Damn it!” 

But then he saw you run up the many stairs leading to the palace and he grinned, “It seems like she wants to greet me in person.” 

Yoongi had lost sight of you on the battlefield and were growing anxious. He cut down another soldier with his sword and continued further into the city, Jin beside him. 

“Where is she?!” 

“I don’t know. She bolted right after entering the city!” Jin answered, grunting as he parried an incoming blow from a soldier. 

“Damn it, woman!”

You reached the courtyard, breathing heavily and looked around. The place was vacant of soldiers. 

What was Min planning?

“Min!” You yelled at the top of your lungs, “Come out, you coward!” 

You heard laughter but couldn’t pinpoint where, so you whirled around yourself. 

“Did you miss me that much, Y/N? That you had to see me before my brother comes to kill me?” 

“I will be the one to kill you, you bastard!” You growled, your only answer was more laughter, “I intend to finish what I began those years ago!” 

“Ah, yes. The parting gift you so lovingly bestowed upon me.” The hairs on your back stood as you felt his presence behind you and you whirled around to see him step out from the shadows of the tall pillars, “As you can see,” He paused when your eyes met, “It’s healed quite nicely but has left such an ugly scar.” 

“That’s nothing compared to what you did to me.” You tensed up as he stepped towards you slowly, his sword still sheathed. 

“Aww, come on now. You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy some of it. For example that one night we made love.” 

You hissed, your eyes flashing green as you felt nothing but anger, “Am I digging up some bad memories, my love? I’m sorry. How is your little handmaiden? I heard that she sadly lost her life. You have my condolences.” Min bowed mockingly and you had to restrain yourself from charging at him.

“Fuck you!” 

“Is that all you can come up with? Where is that sharp tongue of yours?” Min began to pace around you, closing in on you slowly, “You know, I am a little disappointed in you, Y/N. To think that you joined my pathetic brother’s little rebellion… I had thought better of you.” 

You didn’t answer and he continued, “Cat got your tongue? I saw the mighty Tiger down there. Are you warming his bed at night? He is tall and handsome, after all.” 

You knew what he was trying to do: to goat you into attacking him. Too bad for him, you already knew his tricks. 

“Answer when spoken to, dove.” 

“No, actually…” You paused and relaxed your stance, “I’m fucking your brother.” 

This got a reaction out of the Emperor as he stopped, his eyes turned hard and he scowled, so you continued, “What? Didn’t want to share with your brother?” You mocked.

“Shut up.” 

“You know, I’ve always wondered what you lacked as a child to have grown into the sadistic asshole you are today but all I could come up with was that you are simply jealous of Yoongi.” You saw how he tensed up, his hand touching the hilt of his sword, “I can’t imagine how it must feel to always have been the second son…”

“I said shut up.” 

“I pity you, Min.” 

“SHUT UP!” He roared as he changed into Dragon form and lunged at you, a move that you had seen coming. It seemed like he had forgotten how cunning you were. You dodged his attack and ran into a nearby building.

Yoongi heard the roar his brother let out and he looked towards the palace where he saw his brother’s golden Dragon form and he could only think of one person who could have provoked his brother to change directly into that.

You. 

He left the battle and ran towards the stairs leading to the courtyard. 

You ran through the collapsing building as Min tore it asunder. You leapt out a window and fell to the ground but a huff. 

You barely had time to get up on your legs when Min bashed his tail at you, creating a huge crater. 

“You whore!” He roared loudly as you ran across the courtyard, “I am going to kill you!” 

“You failed once and you will fail again, Min!” You yelled as you headed towards another building but Min had already seen where you were headed, so he moved his massive tail skywards and slammed it into the building, sending you flying backwards across the courtyard. 

You groaned, head reeling from the hard landing when you felt something heavy land on top of you, pinning you down and you knew it was his claw. Min opened his mouth wide and you saw how he took a deep breath. 

You had to change. Now. 

Min let out a roar as he blasted you with fire, burning everything to ash but when he felt something snake around his body, he knew he’d failed. 

Your silver scales glinted in the sun as you rose above him, the lower part of your body wrapping itself around his hind legs, your hood unfolding itself to cast a shadow over the Dragon in your hold and you hissed loudly, fangs out and ready.

Min didn’t waste a second to try and untangle you from him but you simply clenched around him and he tried to take move, his tail moving wildly behind him, destroying everything in it’s path. He roared when you lunged at his head, only to miss it as he moved and breathed fire on you again. 

You could easily withstand his flames for a short period of time but he continued and youfelt the burning flames begin to dance across your scales, bringing pain with it, you hissed loudly before bending your body and sink your fangs into his right leg. Min reeled from the bite but before you could release poison into his system, he took off into the air, dragging you with him upwards. 

He could fly. 

You could not.

You removed your fangs from him and began to untangle yourself from his body but he used his claws to grab ahold of you. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He growled, “I just want to show you the view from up here.” He sped up and you looked down, the ground getting further and further away from you. 

You felt panic overcome you as he only soared higher and higher and then he let you go. 

You plummeted towards the earth, bracing yourself for impact as you could do little else when you saw a black Dragon fly towards you.

“Change back!” Yoongi yelled out and you did so, vanishing in a puff of smoke and you were back to human form. Yoongi opened up his claw and felt relief washing over him as you landed in his palm. 

“Thank you.” You said as he closed his claws around you to keep you from falling. 

“What the fuck were you thinking?!” He yelled as he made a u-turn, his long black body quickly heading back towards the ground, “You could have been killed!” 

“We don’t have time to argue, Yoongi, as your brother is coming back! You yelled, seeing Min flying fast towards Yoongi and you. 

Yoongi had barely time to turn his head when his brother collided with him, sending you flying out of his grasp and you could only look on as Min sank his claws into Yoongi’s body, forcing a pained whine from him as they hurtled towards the ground. 

You fell through the roof of the palace and landed in the throne room and you whirled your head around to see the two dragons crash into the courtyard, a tangle of black and gold. They rolled across the courtyard and down the stairs and you jumped down onto the next roof, following them. 

“I’ll kill you again and this time I’ll make sure you stay dead!” Min roared as he lunged at Yoongi’s neck, drawing blood. Yoongi twisted his body and sank both of his front claws into his brother’s body.

“Not if I kill you first!” Yoongi bellowed as he bit into Min’s leg. 

You ran as fast as you could, seeing as the dragons finally came to a stop halfway down the stairs. You watched as they each took a lunge at one another, pained roars and whines coming from both of them. 

At this point, they would kill each other. You changed into your Snake form again and slithered your way down the stairs. Min saw you out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to breath fire at you but Yoongi snapped his jaws shut around his snout, forcing his mouth shut. 

You sped up and opened your mouth wide, fangs emerging from your gums and you launched yourself at Min, sinking your fangs into his neck. Yoongi struggled to maintain his hold on his brother when he felt you wrap yourself around Min’s body as you continued to pump your venom into him but he didn’t dare letting go. 

It took minutes before your venom began to work but soon enough Min began to go slack and Yoongi removed himself from his brother watching as you wrapped your body tighter around his brother’s body, venom starting to dribble from the puncture wounds and onto the ground. 

He watched his brother struggle weakly in your grasp but you responded by tightening ever further and Yoongi were sure that if Min didn’t die by your poison, then he would die from your body crushing his. 

Then he looked into the panicked eyes of his brother and he felt a small pang of pain at seeing his brother suffer like this. Yoongi wished it could have been different, he truly did but his brother deserved everything he got and more. 

Finally, Min sagged in your hold, his Dragon form going completely slack and you slowly untangled yourself from him and let go of his neck. 

Yoongi stared at the lifeless form of his brother before he slowly began to disperse into ash. 

“I hope you find redemption, brother.” He said as the ashes carried his brother away, “I truly do.”

You stood in the throne room, bruised, sweaty and dirty but you didn’t care. As you heard the people and soldiers cheering in the city below, you were filled with relief.

It was done. 

Yoongi appeared next to you with a sombre expression and you turned your head towards him, “Why the dark expression?” 

“I don’t know… I guess I feel a little sad about my brother.” 

You nodded in understanding. As vile as Min had been, he had still been Yoongi’s brother, “I know.” 

“Yeah.” Yoongi said nothing else but he felt a smile tug on his lips when he felt your hand graze his and he grabbed it, “So...Princess.” 

You snorted, loudly, the sound taken Yoongi aback and he stared at you with wide eyes, “Princess? Don’t call me that.” 

“What was that sound? Did you make that?” 

“What?” You raised a brow at his dumbfounded expression, “Oh fuck off. Aren’t a lady allowed to snort?” 

“That was a very manly sound, Y/N.” 

You shrugged and squeezed his hand, “So what are your plans now, Dragon Lord?” 

“Well, I was hoping that you would perhaps join me in celebrating the victory.” 

“Hm.” 

“Privately, of course.” 

Jin groaned as he stretched his back, leaning against the pitchfork in his hand and he looked over the field of corn and sank his head, “Why is there so much left?” 

Then he heard horses and he looked to the road, a smile creeping up on him as he spotted two familiar figures. 

“Honey! They’re here!” He called out to his wife and let the pitchfork fall to the ground as he walked to the gate of his house, waiting to greet his friends. 

“Why are you mad?! I didn’t do anything!” He heard Yoongi yell and he didn’t have to wait long to hear your response, “And that is exactly my problem! I needed help to get up on the horse and you just stood there and did nothing!” 

“You usually don’t have a problem getting up on a horse, woman!” 

“I am pregnant, you bastard. With your child!” 

Jin simply smiled as your horses came to a halt outside of his gate. He was snickering when Yoongi came up to him, annoyed, asking him what was so funny and the Ox simply patted his friend on the back before offering you a hand to get down from your horse. 

[luffysbasement]

heyy messy, I decided to be lazy for one day, and then I remembered my fucking exams jdjsjsjwj

ANYWAYS, I wanna talk about the new one first. I love the change in art style, everything is so much more vibrant. (I love the other/past styles as well, it's my comfort style)

I always see the joke about taking everything that's yours and leave, and sometimes they're cringe, but I can just SEE Dream doing that, so there's that I guess. Also the way you made sure that Dream is looking down Down at George while they were arguing is so funny to me.

And the way I just Knew you were gonna pull that joke about being in his arse(who am I kidding, my head's always in the gutter)

Last thing, I fully support the Sapnap merch, it's on point, 100%

[1/2 I. Broke it in two because I rant too much]

oh god dont go failing classes now, well unless you dont mind then 🥴 but otherwise, i tell you its always option b. /hj

ngl i thought tumblr glitched for either of us and i lost your ask LMAO but turns out its just tommy lol

with the art style thingy, ive been having a dilemma over that but i think at this point i just have to accept that it changes so much and i should just use whatever suits the prompt im drawing 🥱 btw im glad to hear the other art style gives comfort! thats a nice way to describe it and i think im gonna be looking at it that way now :]

talking about dnf height difference i twted this already but i wanna put it here. dnf. perfect height for forehead kisses.... yes this is another tease for a wip.

im glad to hear you liked the cuddling one!! ive been having so much fun recently bc ive always wanted to draw more couples poses and that combined with the insatiable urge to keep drawing dnf lol it all works out uwu

[kalypsichor]

fools on a hill [ george harrison x reader ]

summary: From childhood friends to fellow Beatles, George and you seem to have lived your whole lives under this tree. You wouldn’t have it any other way.

Request: hii could u do like, a mini beatle!reader x geo imagine where theyre best friends since they were kids idkk i trust u warnings: time skips

i’m posting this in celebration of our beautiful George’s birthday part one! i suppose tomorrow is part two. we’ll never know. and i am so sorry dear anon, you asked for a mini imagine and my brain just ran with it.

masterlist

There’s a boy sitting under your tree.

Well, it doesn’t belong to you, exactly. But you’ve been eating lunch under it every day since the start of primary school— a big old sycamore tree atop a small hill, the perfect hideaway from your annoying classmates— for a whole week! So you definitely have some claim to it. Yes, you’re going to give him a piece of your mind. And that’s the plan you have in your head as you march up to him, tiny fist clenched around your lunchbox. That is, until he looks up and you see that he’s got something cupped in his hands.

“What's that?” you ask, your curiosity overtaking any anger you might have previously held towards the boy. He looks startled at the fact that you’ve just gone and plopped yourself right next to him with a complete disregard for personal space. His answer is hesitant and quiet, and you lean even closer to hear.

“Some kinda cricket. I think.”

He relaxes his grip just a smidge and sure enough, you can see something small and legged moving around. You nod your head, satisfied, and open your lunch. The two of you sit in silence, comfortable in the way that children are when they owe nothing to each other, you chomping down on the sandwich your mum packed and the boy just staring down at the bug. Sometime after you open your juice box, he opens his hands and lets the cricket hop away.

“What’d you do that for?” you startle. “You’re letting it get away!”

He looks at you from beneath his messy fringe and shrugs. “It doesn’t belong to me,” he says.

You both watch as it pauses some distance away, antenna quivering as though searching for something, before disappearing into the boundless sea of grass.

---

The familiar sight of George leaning against the tree quells your feelings somewhat, but your lip is still trembling by the time you’ve thrown yourself onto the grass next to him. He closes his book and sets it to the side, waiting for you to speak first. You stew in your anger for a little while before it spills out.

“Why are boys so stupid?”

“We’re not stupid,” George says defensively, but you plow on.

“I was trying to draw a picture in class and Tommy Wood kept on pulling on my hair and telling me it looked ugly and I told him to stop but he wouldn’t! and every time Miss Gordie would come around he sat very still and pretended to be working but the moment she left he’d just he’d start pulling on my braids again! He’s so stupid and I hate him.” You punctuate the last sentence with a particularly harsh yank at some blades of grass.

“My mum says boys tease girls if they like them.”

“But you don't tease me, Geo, and we like each other the most.”

He contemplates this for a while, brows furrowed. “I suppose you're right. He’s just an arse then.”

You giggle and sit up, leaning a head on his shoulder “You can't call him that! My mum says it’s a naughty word.”

“Well maybe I'm just a naughty boy,” he says, grinning wickedly. Before you can anticipate whatever evil deed he's planning, he’s already got his hands tickling your sides.

“No, stop it, noooo! Geo— you can’t— stOP!!!”

Your laughter rings across the open field and soon Tommy is all but forgotten, carried away on the summer breeze.

--

“D’you remember when we first met here?”

The tree looks so small. As kids, it seemed like the biggest thing, an enormous leafy umbrella that protected you and George against the world. Now, you have to duck to stand underneath its branches.

“No, actually, you’ll have to remind me,” you tease. He nudges you in the ribs and you dance away, laughing. “‘course I do, Geo. It was the best thing that ever happened to me!”

As you walk around the trunk, trailing your fingers across its familiar notches and grooves, George flops down. When you’ve come full circle, he’s already got his head tilted back against the tree and his eyes closed, basking in the sun. It’s a peaceful scene. He looks like he belongs there, like he hasn’t moved since that day in primary school.

You must’ve stood there for a long time watching him because George slowly opens an eye and smirks up at you all cat-like. Uncrossing his arms, he pats his legs.

“Why don’t you come down here, love? The view is better.”

You snort at his terrible flirting but oblige and settle into his lap, hands coming up naturally to link behind his neck. Your head finds his chest and for a while you allow yourself to relax there. Ear pressed against argyle sweater, the steady beat of his heart lulls you almost to sleep.

“You know, I thought you were a weirdo.”

The moment is shattered and you look up, bewildered. “What?”

“That first day! There I was, sitting by myself at recess and some girl comes along and starts botherin’ me!”

You smack his chest lightly in mock-anger. “I’m the weirdo? You’re the one that sat under my tree-- not to mention you were catching bugs while everyone else was playing on the swings and the like!”

George’s eyes narrow with a playfulness and he catches your wrists before they can thump him again. “Your tree? It didn’t have your name on it.”

“‘S not like you could fucking read.”

“Hm, well, maybe not. But it’s our tree now, isn’t it?”

You don’t know whether you want to smack him or snog him senseless. “You’re so cheesy,” you grumble, and when you close the distance between your lips he’s still smiling. It’s a kiss you’ve had a thousand times, but George still feels the thrill of it spark in his chest.

“Hey hey! Lovebirds goin’ at it, huh? Oh, Paul, hold me. Their love is too much!”

It’s John with his smirky meerkat face trotting up the hill to where the two of you are sat, Paul and Ringo trailing behind at a much more leisurely pace. George sighs and pulls away.

“Can I kill ‘im?”

A tempting thought. “No, we don’t need the fans thinking that two of the Beatles are dead. It’s bad press.”

You two are giggling before you know it, shaking in each other’s arms. John’s standing in front of the tree now, bent down awkwardly to fit under.

“What are you two laughin’ about?” he demands.

“Your nose,” George says. You laugh even harder.

“You’ve got some nerve—”

“Well, now you know what it’s like.”

That’s Ringo, who’s grinning good-naturedly with a hand to his face to block the sun. Paul comes up a few steps behind and restrains John before he can throw a fit. The familiar back and forth of the group fills you with a funny sort of warmth that buzzes ever so slightly in your chest. You turn and slide off of George’s lap to cuddle into his side.

“Should we get back soon?” Paul asks this with an air that suggests he doesn’t really want to. “Eppy will be havin’ an aneurysm when he finds out we’ve ditched another meeting.”

The air is warm and sweet with the smell of summer. It’s lethargic, sinking into everyone’s bones like molasses. No one wants to do anything and you can see it in your bandmates-- how John allows his glasses to almost slide off the slope of his nose before pushing them back up, the way Ringo fidgets restlessly with his rings. George traces lazy, looping patterns into your arm and you shuffle even closer into his embrace.

“I think we deserve a little break,” he says. His voice rumbles in his chest and you can feel the vibration through your spine.

“A few minutes can’t hurt.” And with that, Ringo throws himself onto the grass spread eagle, smiling adorably at his newfound plan. The others follow suit without complaint. What a funny sight you must have been to any passerby— the famous Beatles all sprawled out under a little sycamore tree.

Well, it wasn’t just any tree. It was the tree that had grown up with you, had watched as you ate lunches and told jokes and fell in love under its very branches. It didn’t belong to you or George or anyone else but itself. And for this brief moment on a lazy summer’s day, you two belonged to it.

[popatochisssp]

So your recent chapter in snips and snails has had me thinking. How would other skellies react if their bro started falling for their SO? Would they all be up for polyamory or would some tell their bro to get over it, or they break up with SO as to push them toward their brother. This information is important for my daydreaming

Anonymous: Heyo! Are you doing hc’s right now? If so, what are your ideas for a polyamorous relationship with sans/so/papyrus? I know you mentioned it with FGTC, but how would the other boys do? Thank you and ilysm!!             

Well, the short version of these questions seems to be– “Can I make it work if I want to smooch both brothers?”

And the answer to that question as far as I’m concerned is yes! Ultimately, all skeles would be down for this kind of relationship!

…But some of them are going to have an easier road than others.

Yes, it’s the ‘fells that are on the Struggle Bus, of course it is, those boys have issues.

Undertale:

They’re a great combo!

They already know each other so well and love/respect one another that looping you into their relationship as a romantic branch is the easiest thing in the world.

They both balance the other out really well, to the point that dating them both might even make for a more harmonious relationship than choosing just one: Papyrus won’t shy away from lecturing Sans when his laziness may be letting you down, and Sans knows how to gently point out when Papyrus might be unintentionally talking over you or pushing too hard at something.

There’s no jealousy between them and you’re all grown, mature adults more than capable of navigating a three-person relationship.

Underswap:

Another great choice!

Much like the classic Sans-Papyrus pair, the Sky-Paps match-up isn’t just functional, it’s hyper-functional.

Their brotherly relationship is strong and they’re great at meeting and handling situations as a team, and you’re no different. Most of your time with them will be spent as a trio rather than duos with an odd man out since that’s what they do anyway– you’re just along for the ride! When one-on-one time does come around, they’ll pass you off to the other without hesitation, no jealousy to be found and just a nuzzle on your cheek and an encouragement to have fun.

Even the usually clingy Sky doesn’t mind giving you and Paps space when you want it since there’s no one he trusts and loves more than his (big) little brother, and Paps might actually feel a little more driven to impress and woo you when he sees the lengths Sky regularly goes to. Maybe he can’t one-up his big brother’s efforts, but it reminds him that you’re special and deserving of the attention and he’ll show you so in his own, more understated way.

They balance each other out in so many ways that it won’t ever feel like you’re trying to juggle them to make things work. As long as you love them, they’ll love you right back and your relationship is practically self-sustaining!

Underfell:

You must not be shy of challenges, because you’ve gotten yourself into some rocky waters with this one.

They’ll both agree to this pretty quickly without much fuss– sharing a datemate with their brother, the only person who always had their back underground and would die for them, and vice versa? Of course, there’s no one they’d rather trust you with than their own brother!

They say that, and for the most part they do mean it, but… there are some very well-buried landmines here and you will find at least one of them in the course of this relationship.

For Jasper, it’s bitterness: here’s yet another thing in his life that he’s giving up for his brother’s sake. It’s not Pyre he resents but the situation and how exceedingly unfair the circumstances of his life have been so far. He lost his childhood to raising and protecting Pyre while he was young, and then he had to play his toady and listen to barked orders and snapped insults so Pyre could maintain a fearsome reputation and neither of them would get too severely messed with. And then now here’s this, a datemate he can’t even keep all to himself because you love his baby brother, too. It stings, but he’ll try to quash it down since he loves you and Pyre too deeply to ever want to cause problems for you.

Meanwhile Pyre is masking his own issues, namely jealous insecurity. He loves Jasper, too, and he deeply respects the sacrifices his big brother made for him Underground both in adolescence and adulthood, but…well, it’s not as if he had it easy! Jasper’s initially low HP meant that no matter how strong a fighter he was, there’d always be somebody who saw him as easy EXP, somebody trying to kill them both because they could– that was why he worked his way up to Captain of the Royal Guard and trained so hard to become an efficient, deadly soldier, so that he could be intimidating enough that most monsters wouldn’t even want to try attacking him or somebody under his command. That’s why he had to distance himself from everyone else, even the brother he was trying to protect, just in case someone tried to take advantage of a social connection. He was completely emotionally isolated for a long time, with a lot weighing on his shoulders: his duties, his brother’s safety, his own safety, and Jasper…

Jasper didn’t have to shoulder any of that once Pyre took responsibility.

Pyre knows, intellectually, that Jasper suffered at least as bad for a long time, but emotionally it hurt and made Pyre a little angry to see him socializing freely with the lowlifes at Grillby’s and sleeping openly at his illegal hot-dog stands. Jasper couldn’t have been totally carefree, no one could be underground, but he had the luxury of being very close to it thanks to Pyre’s status, which Pyre maintained at his own expense. And now, it feels like Jasper is taking advantage of him again, casually charming his way into your good graces and seducing you away from him.

He’s fairly certain he’s going to lose you, actually, since he knows that his older brother is the more personable of the two of them and he hates the waiting, he kinda wants to just end it himself and let Jasper have you…

But, same as Jasper, Pyre loves both of you dearly and he knows that abruptly breaking up with you would hurt you, and that Jasper would figure out why he did it and be even more hurt plus guilty over it, so he bites his tongue.

They’re both going to stew in silence over it and are fully committed to doing so for the rest of your natural lives– you’re going to have to mediate this if you want to have any hope of a healthy relationship.

It won’t be too hard to figure out what’s going on with them individually, they’re both very salty skeletons that can mostly keep quiet about the things bugging them, but there’s a lot of snide and bitter quips muttered under their breath that you’re usually close enough to hear and draw conclusions from. At that point, you need to sit down with them and force a discussion; play whatever hard-ball you must to get them to talk, this is too important to sweep under the rug just because it’s awkward and painful.

They’ll be stilted at first and need a lot of prodding to keep going, embarrassed that their datemate is playing counselor for them, but soon enough they’ll start talking on their own. Yelling on their own. Screaming at each other and breaking shit on their own.

They’ve been repressing a lot of emotions for a long time and now that they’re flowing it’s like a tsunami, one you should probably get out of the splash zone of while they get it all out.

You don’t have to worry about them actually hurting each other, there’s far too much love between them for that and once the anger and bitterness is out there in the open, they realize that, too. There’s gonna be tears and broken sobs and fierce hugging and that’s your cue to get back on in there and take care of your boys– they love each other, they love you, and you love them right back, it doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.

Once the dust is settled, you’re theirs for life, no take-backs. You came into their home, showed them love and affection, and helped them get their brother back after years of tension and walking on eggshells: if you think they’re ever going to let you go now, you’re dead-wrong.

There’s going to be days when you almost regret emotionally reconciling them because when they’re not bickering over petty nonsense or competing with each other, they are the most terrifyingly efficient team you’ve ever seen. They’ll casually join forces against you whenever it suits them and you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. They love and respect you of course, they’d never hurt or take advantage of you, but the combined force of Jasper’s rough charm and Pyre’s slick cunning means that you’re not often going to find yourself ‘winning’ in your relationship.

On the bright side, your romantic life is positively scorching between these two fiery personalities and the loving passion they have for you is more than enough of a balm on any wounds you might take to your pride. ;3

Swapfell:

Deceptively easy.

At first, they’re both very excited and on-board for this. As far as they’re concerned, there’s no one better in the world to share their datemate with than their own brother, someone trustworthy that they love unconditionally and don’t have to worry about losing you to, since they obviously wouldn’t try to steal you from each other.

And that’s true, because if there’s a problem it won’t be something they did, it’ll be what you did. Or maybe more accurately, what you didn’t do.

There’s really only one way to screw this up, but it’s a hard and fast death sentence for the relationship if you start neglecting Rus or playing favorites with Mal instead.

Rus is a needy guy, not too prone to jealousy but very prone to insecurity when the conditions are right, and Mal is one of the hardest (albeit unintentional) hitter of those buttons. His big brother, the one who’s taken care of him his whole life, protected him and sacrificed for him, Rus thinks Mal is a really cool guy. He’s not surprised at all that you want to date him, but he is surprised that you want to date Mal’s living disaster of a brother, too.

If you’re not careful and spend too much time with Mal or side with him all the time or do anything that could indicate you have a significant preference for one brother over the other, Rus is probably gonna jump to some conclusions and now it makes sense to him why you’re not just dating his brother– it’s ‘cause it’s a pity thing…isn’t it?

Mal is the one you really want  but you or Mal or maybe both of you noticed his pathetic interest in you and decided to toss him a bone. To make him feel better. Yaaaay.

His aversion to conflict means that he’s definitely never going to say anything to either of you, ever, but his 'realization’ (whether it’s true or not, almost certainly not) is painful and he won’t be able to help sulking and shying away from your affection for awhile.

That, for Mal, is as good as an actual, physical red flag. He’s sharp and knows his brother well enough to piece together everything that’s happened in Rus’ self-deprecating skull and as far as he’s concerned, there’s only one course of action from here: he’s gonna try to wriggle himself out of the relationship entirely and push you towards Rus.

Mal loves his baby brother fiercely and since he already blames his failings as a pseudo-parent for the anxiety and insecurity he struggles with, the absolute last thing he wants to do is hurt him by taking his datemate away. It’s a no-brainer to remove himself from the situation if he’s distracting you from Rus, but once it’s progressed to this point, there’s no positive outcome for anyone.

Rus is now convinced he’s the pity-boyfriend and feels awful that you don’t get to be with Mal anymore because he couldn’t hide his dumb feelings better. Mal is upset that he can’t be with you, and a little upset with you for not loving his little brother enough to begin with and making this choice necessary. And of course, you’re gonna be hurting, too, because one of your boyfriends thinks he’s your consolation prize and the other isn’t even your boyfriend anymore.

But of course, that’s the Worst Case Scenario.

To make this work, you just need to be fair about sharing your time and affection, which in healthy polyamory, you should probably already be doing! But if for some reason, you can’t do that, skew slightly in Rus’ favor. Mal can be jealous and selfish but he’s more than willing to make room for his brother’s happiness, and he knows that he’s welcome to edge into yours and Rus’ time together if he really wants– Rus has no problems sharing, he just gets a little upset if he thinks he’s the second choice.

If you put in the time and effort to assure Rus that you’re dating him because you care about him, this actually becomes one of the easiest bro-combos possible. Mal and Rus have a less contentious relationship than the other ‘fell brothers and with less buried anger and bitterness between them their bond is already strong and relatively healthy when you enter the mix.

Your integration is like finding the perfect centerpiece to tie an already-stylish room together. Mal plans all the dates and budgets your time between them in the most efficient way possible, while Rus makes sure you and him still get some time to relax and screw around at home. They work very well together as brothers and as your co-boyfriends with about equal importance placed on each role, so you’ll feel nothing but cherished and wanted between the two of them. Make sure to return the favor!

Horrortale:

Yes, a fantastic idea!

They’re both delighted that you asked and agree to share you pretty much immediately, without even a little fuss.

Slate and Papy are arguably the most codependent of the brothers (understandably, considering their shared trauma of the famine) and they’re also probably the most emotionally open with one another as a result, so if a poly relationship seems like it’s becoming a possibility with you, they’re going to get everything talked out and openly agreed upon for a very smooth transition.

It’s actually…kind of an ideal situation for both of them, in a way? Their issues and insecurities are…well, there’s a good deal of them and they’re both a tad concerned that the weight of it might be too much for you alone. They don’t want to overwhelm you or put too much pressure on you just because they’re a little… ‘broken’ is the wrong word for it, but they’re far from undamaged, either!

But with the other brother in the mix, the same one who’s always been there to support his sibling even before you came along, so much of that pressure is taken off.

Slate doesn’t worry that you’re going to suffer from his dissociation and memory problems because he knows Papy is there with his sharp mind and attention to detail to pick up the slack. Likewise, Papy doesn’t worry quite so much on his bad days that you’re secretly unhappy or would be better off without him because Slate is around, who even with a hole in his skull is naturally charming and very skilled at reading people– if you had any complaints, Slate would know and pass them along so they could make you as content as possible!

The end result is that they both relax and don’t psych themselves out quite as much as they might without their brother, and you get to see them as close to their old, pre-horror selves as they can get. Papy is a little more confident and Slate jokes around more and they both treat you like you make the sun rise every morning because you’re the one that loves them both enough to let this relationship be a thing they can have and that’s so cool.

There’s not a drop of jealousy over you from either of them, especially when they can see first-hand that you’re making their brother as happy as you make them, so this is a pretty harmonious and loving match-up, with a lot of potential for success!

[whatdoyouexpectthistime]

If you read If you read IM, could you write me a Shun smut? o3o if not that’s fine too!

Sure! I haven’t written him but he is sexy as hell to be sure.

NSFW Carry Me Anywhere - Shunichiro Tachibana

When I told Shunichiro he could have anything for his birthday, I expected something pretty saucy – let’s face it, he may be a creative genius at Addison & Rhodes, but in the bedroom his genius is on a whole other level.

For this reason, I was surprised when he suggested we both get pampered at a health retreat just outside the city. I’d have just as happily pampered him myself, but it seems this time he prefers the hands of a professional masseur.

To say that I’m a little disappointed is a pretty epic understatement, but it’s his birthday, so who am I to complain?

As gentlemanly as ever, Shun opens my door when we arrive at the exclusive spa, helping me out before leaving the bellhop to retrieve our overnight luggage.

“Have you been here before?” I inquire, smiling at the warmth of his hand still coiled around mine.

“Once or twice,” he answers casually, guiding me through the doors into the tranquil foyer. “I’ve recommended it to many clients as the perfect place to escape and indulge.”

I can see why – it’s all timber and glass and greenery, the trickle of water and soft piano music a constant in the background.

We don’t spend long in our suite; we’ve barely changed into the provided robes before a woman arrives to guide us to our designated treatment rooms.

“I’ll see you soon,” he smiles, before engaging me in a lingering kiss that leaves my body singing and screaming at the same time.

“Uuuuugh,” I grumble internally as he steps away and disappears, while I’m show to my own space and instructed to disrobe and lie face down on the heavily cushioned massage table.

A few moments later, a male voice asks if I’m ready.

“Sure, come on in,” I call, adjusting my face in the padded cut out, staring down at the wooden frame and inhaling the scent of sandalwood and the faint aroma of grapeseed oil.

A moment later, soft music begins to chime, a gentle, wordless rhythm designed to prepare people for relaxation, and so I concentrate on it, exhaling and trying to visualise the unwinding of my tensed muscles.

Though the towel I’d covered myself with is soon drawn away, leaving me in my panties only, the room wraps a placid warmth around me.

The first few drops of oil that fall against the sweep of my back are a little cool, but the following smoothing press of broad palms from the base of my spine up to my neck, before spreading out across both shoulders.

There is no way for me to stop a soft sigh of pleasure as his fingers dig firm furrows into muscles knotted by work pressure, but I bite my tongue before the sigh turns into a more vocal moan.

In the serenity I let my mind wander to Shun. I imagine they’re his hands gliding across my skin, along my sides, down each leg and up the backs of my thighs, and for a few seconds I actually get a little carried away – so much so it’s Shunichiro’s voice I hear close to my ear.

“These rooms are soundproof,” he whispers, and a pleasant shiver ripples through me, “so don’t hold back.”

“I… I’m sorry,” I blurt, for if he’s saying that I must have made some weird noise.

“I’d be sorrier if you remained quiet,” he says – god it sounds like him – but I flinch when fingertips cross the waistline of my panties and trace a feathery line over one butt-cheek.

“Hey, that’s!” I exclaim, attempting to roll over at the far too intimate touch of this stranger, but two hands firmly against my spine hold me flat.

“I’m glad you wouldn’t let just anyone touch you like that,” Shunichiro declares, lips this time brushing the shell of my ear as he speaks.

“Shunichiro?” I gasp.

The hand between my shoulder blades remains, but his other wanders south once more, skating through the oily slick until I feel his long middle finger tease into the back of my underwear and slithers into the ravine between my cheeks.

“What are you doing in here?” I exhale sharply as his fingertip passes over the soft flesh of my pucker, stroking lightly. “Or just, what are you doing?”

“Enjoying my birthday,” he grins, even though I can’t see it, I can hear it. “You did say I could have anything I wanted. This is what I want. You. On this massage table. At my mercy.”

It’s damn near impossible to keep all the trembling from my response. I was only just fantasising this very thing, and the realisation he actually means to take me right here, accelerates the pounding of my heart and the desire to squirm.

“Here?” I ask in a small voice.

As much as I’m excited in all ways by his boldness, the fear someone could just walk in on us is also present.

“And here,” he adds, breathing the word against my right shoulder before kissing it. “And here,” he continues, kissing on the other side. “And here…”

When the swirling of his middle finger moves further between my legs, I’m unable to hold still.

Desperately, I want to kiss him, but still he holds me down.

“Shunichiro,” I whine. “It’s your birthday. I should be the one…”

“Doing what she’s told,” he fills in, his tongue slithering up my neck and in behind my ear until he pinches it lightly between his teeth. “You are all I need for my birthday. Please let me.”

It’s a special kind of magnificent torture, the anticipation he builds with the tease of just his fingertip as it makes painfully lazy passes across my opening before digging down hard against the throb of my clit.

“Oh, God this is unfair,” I shudder out, trying to untuck my arms and reach for him, but the click of his tongue warns me not to. “Come on, just hng…”

My sentence breaks off as he pushes inside, curling his digit perfectly to caress the depths of my moistness, smearing it outward before pursuing his mission more rigorously.

Despite telling me the room was soundproof, I’m trying to trap the violent expressions of my pleasure in my chest, but I’m howling internally as he mercilessly pushes me to climax – and it’s easy for him, because just the thought of him is enough to make me tingle.

“I love the sound of your heavy breathing,” he tells me, desire dripping from his tone.

I’m still quivering in the afterglow, my head all fuzzy, but I hear him licking his fingers.

“Tell me what you want, Shunichiro,” I hiss.

I’m greedy, I know, but it’s not enough.

“I want you to tell me what you want,” he rumbles into my hair.

My composure is fraying and I stumble over my assertions – I want to feel his weight against me; I want him to stretch me and dive deep, and to make me fear my cries will be heard well and truly beyond the room – all the way back at the office.

Waiting for him to remove his pants seems like a hellish eternity, but when I hear him climb up on the table at my feet and shuffle forward, the wait is worth it.

With delicious tenderness he kisses across my back once more, while carefully sliding his arm beneath my belly. With barely any encouragement I lift myself a little, and wriggle my legs a little more apart; and my reward is evidence he’s been waiting for this, is yearning for this as much as my twisted little brain has.

A foil sachet hits the floor.

Mischievously, he rubs the ready length of his erection through my folds, teasing his pick of tight caverns like he cannot decide which way to have me.

“Please,” I rasp, pushing back against him.

“Your voice undoes me,” he growls, taking my shoulder with his free hand and pulling back a little.

But I’m the one undone.

With deliberate measure he makes breach, inching into me until there is nowhere left to go, and there, with his whole body hanging over me, he presses his face to the side of mine.

“I love the way you hold me,” he whispers.

“God, I love the way you feel inside me,” I moan as he begins to move with greater purpose.

The entire massage table moves as Shunichiro rocks himself into me, and my fingers dig into the white cushioning for stability. He’s rougher than usual, maybe it’s something he’s always wanted but never really knew how to ask until I offered anything.

Oh I’m not complaining.

My insides are a tightly wound coil of firing nerves, each one of them white hot and cutting through my self-control. I’m trying to articulate how amazing he is, how he makes me feel, but the moment those thoughts appear in my mind they’re crushed by the press of his body, smothered by the snap of his teeth at my shoulder, and carried away by the ardent rhythm of his determined thrusts.

When his fingers tangle in my hair and give a light tug, I somehow take the hint. My body curls up and back against him, so far my head rests back against his shoulder. Hungrily I bounce in his lap as he fills my mouth with his tongue, so determined by his need for possession of even my breath, that I start to feel light headed.

But it’s when he drops one hand into my lap, palming against the raging inflammation of my clit, that I truly sing, crying out the intensity of overflowing sensation. And if I had any air left in me, I’d be shrieking as Shunichiro does not pause, but drives into me with relentless abandon until he reaches his peak.

There on the massage table in that prestigious retreat, Shunichiro lies half draped over me, petting my moist hair, drawing circles on my flushed skin while we try to catch our breaths.

“I hope I didn’t hurt you,” he exhales, concerned. “I think I allowed myself to get too carried away.”

“No,” I smile, turning my head around to kiss him lightly. “Believe me, you are welcome to carry me anywhere you like.”

[nibscribs]

So uhhhh I drew a lot of RWBY this year... only two of these are non RWBY and tbh I could have just as easily put something RWBY for June Template

Retrospective under the cut bc it’s LONG 

RETROSPECTIVE January: First piece of the year! I still like this piece and I think it shows how much I improved from the original version of it. Also I just like looking at it bc it's soft content of my rare pair. I do think I made the rose look photorealistic which looks... bad esp with all the other more stylized flowers, and I got lazy with the bleeding hearts by just drawing one set and flipping them. Emerald's hair also could look better. February:  I made this around GNG week, which was a fun, good time, long before the server imploded on itself. I got really lazy with the backgrounds, obviously, but I do like the poses in this one, tho it helped that I based it off of screenshots from Young Justice. I also just really like how Merc looks in this one. March: March wasn't a very prolific month for art, I don't think I produced much besides this and one comic piece for GNG week. I'm not sure why exactly, I can't find any specific reason why I would be unproductive that month. I'm gonna just assume I was drained from work all the time and didn't have the energy to put out good art, and also I was getting into a slump bc all my art was starting to look same-y. This piece isn't very good, but I chose it because I did it without a reference, and at this point that was going out of my comfort zone. It's obviously not super dynamic, but at the very least you can tell I intended there to be motion to it. April: This also wasn't a very prolific month for art, not as bad as March, but for the same reasons. I was also really starting to feel burnout from the RWBY fandom, specifically wasps and conflict within the GNG server. This was also when the Art vs the Artist meme was popular, and I realized I didn't want to do that meme because my art was too similar and boring, which also brought me down a peg. Though I put out a few good chibis in April, I chose my Mercury redesign bc I was really proud of it. I could never get the Emerald redesign to mesh quite right, but I can say I'm really proud of how Mercury's came out. May: May had me bounce out of my art slump and in full force trying to expand my skills! Specifically exploring painting. Although May was about as prolific as April, what I did create I put a lot into. It was difficult to pick between this and my app of Edison, because I'm really proud of both, but in the end I went with this commission of Mercury because I pushed myself to try and use an interesting perspective for the piece instead of my usual stand still and face the camera pose. Because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, this was one of the best things I made all year, and may be my favorite piece of the year. June: TIME TO STRESS OUT ABOUT CONNECTICON! So if you follow me on twitter, you might have noticed I made a lot of posts at the beginning of the year low key throwing shade at myself for drawing my oc's instead of more "important" art. Well, that important art that I was procrastinating was con merch, and con was the second week of July, so I really had to get my ass in gear to finish merch on time (spoiler, I didn't finish a lot of it on time). This piece and July's piece are both posters I made for Connecticon, and while I like July's much better, that doesn't mean I find this piece bad. I really should have known that no one at con would realize it was a goonies reference tho -_-; I also lost a lot of love for this piece after season 6 of Voltron, which I watched while I was about 60% of the way through this piece, so I had to force myself to finish it. July: I love this piece!!!! Don't get me wrong, I know it has flaws, but look at it! The lines are so crisp, the colors look good, Roman and Merc's expressions are mwuah chefs kiss, and I just love all of them!!! ... except for Neo. I really didn't do her justice in this piece, her hair is too fluffy, her head is way to oversized to the point that she looks like a bobblehead, and her eyes are too close together. Really if you take out Neo's head that whole problem goes away. I also love all the tiny details I put in this one, from emerald's chaps to roman's rose to Neo's lace parasol. You can tell I was way more passionate about this piece than I was about the Voltron piece.  August:  pretty sure this is when I quit my job cashiering, and thank god bc customers suck. If I was going off of sheer popularity, Chibi Pyrrha would have taken this slot no contest, and while I love chibi Pyrrha, I don't think it was the best of the month. I chose this little princess and the pauper au doodle because I tried a year ago to draw these two dancing, and it looked like dog shit. It was flat and ugly. But this has motion to it, and even looking at it now makes me feel warm and happy inside. It's just a good cute drawing of my otp. September: My piece for the RWBY tarot project! I have a lot of mixed emotions about this one. on the one hand, I love how mercury looks, his expression, the lighting, the visceral gore from his legs (ESPECIALLY THE VISCERAL GORE ON HIS LEGS) and the hands of the undead, all look stunning and I don't think I could be more happy with how they turned out. And then we get to the background. The caduceus isn't the worst thing ever, but it's severely lacking in quality compared to the rendering on mercury in front of it, and a lot of it is clearly pixellated from me trying to stretch and squash it just right. And the fire is a hot (no pun intended) mess. It's flat, incoherent, and doesn't lead the eye anywhere. It's a shame too because I wanted to do more with it, but I a) didn't have enough time or patience to figure out what I needed to do to fix it and b) didn't want to go outside of my comfort level, so I gave up and decided to be satisfied with what I had. October: October was another good month for art, I made a turnaround sheet for Moss, painted a full body (and slightly lewd) Rudy, and made a decent attempt at inktober. Ok, so I got like 2 days in, but I improved a lot on inking from last year! Fun fact! this piece was originally going to be fan art of Lindsay Jones, but after I did some thumbnails to figure out a pose, I thought it would suit White Diamond better, and I could also sell it as merch. I love this piece. I think I captured the sinister mood well, and conveyed the story I wanted to without any dialogue (at least the notes on Tumblr make me assume I did a decent job, lotta people really wigged out lol) I really worked hard to get the lighting right on this one, and I think it shows. My absolutely favorite thing about this piece funnily enough, is Amethyst. I think I just did a great job drawing her and I'm proud of myself ok. Stevens bubble and my trouble figuring out how to get WD's leg just right are the only things that I dislike about this piece, but I might go back and fix those. November: IM SO PROUD OF THIS COMMISSION!!!!!! I worked so god damn hard on this chef's kiss poifect,  and it really shows. I started using a new brush at this point, the Ojing series on Clip Studio Paint, which I recommend and have been using a lot since. I've also been using this shading technique since drawing this. I love how it sort of fades out but it's still really crisp. I also love all the little details that give this piece character, like her shoes and the stripes on her jacket. This piece really takes a lot of the stuff I learned over the year and combines it into one piece, and I could not be prouder of it. I have absolutely no problems with this one, though I do find the weapon a bit plain, but it's what the client described. December: AND NOW IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!! I had been working on this piece since August, going back to it every now and then and getting frustrated. I'm really glad I came back to it and finally finished it, since I love this pair and I put a lot of effort into it back in August. However, I'm also really glad I completely overhauled a lot of it, specifically the flowers. Though I'm not 100% happy with the mums in this one, they look a thousand times better than the mums I had originally sketched back in August, and were part of the reason I had such a hard time finishing this for months. I also thought it would be nice to end the year on the same note it started; with a flower couple. I've definitely learned a lot since January, and I hope to continue growing in 2019! 2019 GOALS!

Work on backgrounds for the love of god

Draw more stuff that isn't RWBY

Perspective

Make more speed paints and post more to youtube in general

[jae-daddy]

Holic (14) (M)

Jaebum AU

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine /  ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen /  fifteen / sixteen / to be continued

pairing: im jaebum x reader genre: drama, romance, mature plot: your sister left the wedding, now it's up to Jaebum and you to make this marriage work. but, when everything seems fake and broken, can there be a happily ever after? a/n: this is slight smut. i was going update earlier but hit this while i was writing this last night, and i wasn’t sure if i should let’em fuck or nah. I have decided this and i am happy with it. sorry, i’ve started to write too much, but i hope y’all like it!

You stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing the little sleep that remained in your eyes.

You knew it wouldn’t be that difficult to knock on Jaebum’s door again. It wouldn’t cost much him to wrap his arms around you and lull you into another undisturbed dreamless sleep of peace, but it would cost you too much.

Your pride wouldn’t allow you to be dependent on someone for something as innate one’s sleep. Also, it didn’t help that you had been ignoring Jaebum since that night at the hospital.

It wasn’t that difficult to do, over the two hospitalised days work had piled over for you, and it was simple for you to drown yourself in it.

Every night you returned home, you pretended like Jaebum wasn’t there; that he and his lips weren’t on the other side of the door. Every night you woke up from another haunting dream and paused outside his door, you pretended like he wasn’t there.

You believed that if you said it enough it will finally be true. Jaebum’s rose lips, and taste of him would no longer be as addictive. His arms wouldn’t have the power to take you into the safest dreams. If you said it enough, Jaebum would no longer be taking over your life.

However, that was harder said than done.

Everything around you reminded you of Jaebum, and that kiss.

The softness of his lips as he pressed it against yours, kissing you softly. HIs warm hands gently caressing your body making you feel hot and calm at once. The feeling of his body against yours, his breath falling on you, and his arms holding your close as he ran his finger through your hair, sending you off to a peaceful sleep.

Whenever you think back to the look in his eyes when he leaned back to look at you, as your breath raced, crashing into each other; your heart would begin to fail you as your cheeks got rosy.

Im Jaebum was beginning to make you crazy without even physically being there. This was all either his fault for using his magic on you or it was your foolishness that mooned over every memory with Jaebum, making you believe in a pointless fairytale.

You opened the fridge, your reaching for the milk when a sound behind you made you shoot straight up and turn on your heels.

At that point, you wished it was burglar here to rob Jaebum. This house wasn’t yours, it was Jaebum and you were simply living here thanks to a marriage. So, technically, it wouldn’t have been you getting robbed.

Alas, it was a robber, it was the devil himself.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Jaebum affirmed, as he leaned against the counter. His arms folding in front of him, as his muscles strained through his dark suit.

The ticker inside you began, slow and steady, when you took him in.

Im Jaebum in a dark suit, with his forehead exposed, looked like a sin so late at night. With only the dim light of the hallway and fridge illuminating his sharp features, he looked even more gorgeous.

“I’ve not,” you replied, gulping, as you turned back to the fridge and returned the milk. You kept your voice steady, despite the jittering of your body, that seemed to become nervous in his heavenly presence.

You turned around to find Jaebum looming over you. His body so close to you, you could feel his heat seep through your nightdress.

You refused to look up and meet his eyes. Instead, you stared at his wide chest and felt your breath slow down when you noticed how dependable and sexy his shoulders make him look.

You wanted to rip his suit off and run your nails down his back, leaving traces of red-- You snapped yourself out of it before you could properly dive into it.  

“Damn, I forgot the milk,” you whispered, as you turned around to open the fridge, but before you could, Jaebum stopped you.

Your fingers froze on the metal handle, as his finger brushed your hair to the side. His fingertips grazing your skin, burning you with its scorching touch. His hot breath fell over the back of your neck, as he took a step closer.

You felt him lower, his breath hitting your hair lower and lower before its warmth rushed over your skin.

“Jaebum,” you breathed, turning around to face him before his lips could move any closer.

Jaebum’s hands found their way to your waist, resting on the curve of your hips as he stared into your eyes.

“How have you been sleeping?” He asked, teasing you slightly, but the concern was evident in his voice.

“Pretty well, actually,” you answered, your words strong, but the shakiness of your voice made the lazy smile on his lips lift higher.

“Oh, is that so?” He smiled, as you cheekily met his playful eyes. His gaze light, yet it carried such an intensity it unsettled you the same it always did.  

You nodded at him before nervously swallowing once you realised how close you two were.

“Why,” Jaebum’s low voice spoke, as his eyes traced your features. “haven’t you been coming to my room?”

When you didn’t answer, his hand rose up. It gently trailed along your bare arms, before his velvety touch caressed your bare neck. You watched as his eyes gaze darkened at your neck and licked his lips deliciously.

“Why are you avoiding me, y/n?” Jaebum asked, his eyes meeting yours again.  

“Isn’t it obvious?” You breathed in reply, your gaze dropped to the plumpness of his lips. “You scare me.”

“I thought I made you fearless?”Jaebum smirked at your words, before letting out a deep sigh and resting his forehead on yours.

“You make me feel a lot of things, Jaebum,” you breathed, quietly, holding his gaze as the smile dropped from your face.

“God, y/n,” his minty breath fell on your lips. “if only you knew all the things I want to do you.”

Your heart picked up its pace, painfully beating against your ribcage, as your tummy flipped and a jolt flicked your core.

“Why don’t you do it?” you smiled with mischief, as you peered up into his passion-filled darkening eyes.

“What’s stopping you?” You leaned in closer, hovering over his lips.

Something animalistic flashed over Jaebum’s face before he hungrily captured your lips with his. His lips moving feverishly against yours, his tongue darting inside, making you moan with pleasure.

Your arms were instantly locked behind his head, as a hand ran through his soft dark locks. You moved off the refrigerator, pressing your breasts up against him, as your chest expanded with the lack of oxygen.

Jaebum’s hands furiously travelled over your body. They were one your hips for a second drawing you in closer, then running up and down your back, before getting lost in your hair and caressing your cheeks. Finally, they settled on your thighs, as Jaebum moved away for a second.

“Jump,” his hoarse voice ordered and you obliged instantly, wrapping your legs around his hips.

You moaned as you pushed your core roughly against Jaebum’s hardening length.

You felt him step away from the freezer, and walk towards the counter. He placed you on the counter, the cold granite pressing against your exposed skin, as Jaebum settled between your thighs.

Your hands moved from his hair to underneath his jacket. Your fingers running along the bumps of muscle that had you haunted for the past two days, before you pushed the dark coat over his shoulder, letting it fall to the floor.

Your fingers fumbled with the buttons of his white shirt, undoing them, leaving his chest bare for you. You ran your nails down his toned torso, making Jaebum groan in return.

HIs lips moved from yours, trailing down to your neck in a feverish race of passion and consuming desire.

You threw your bed back, biting your lip to hold in a moan, as he sucked on your sweet spot.

“Jae,” you gasped, as his teeth lightly nipped at your skin.

HIs warm hands ran along your thighs, moving closer to your core. You felt your head spin as his fingers lightly brushed against your panties.

“You’re already so wet, y/n,” Jaebum chuckled, lustfully into your ear.

You flushed red with embarrassment but felt yourself get wetter as his words struck a cord in your core.

His hands travelled up your nightdress, his scorching touch dancing up your stomach before he grazed your bare breasts. His fingers lightly brushing your hardening nipples, his thumb rolling them gently, making you moan lowly.

Jaebum’s kissed the top of your breasts exposed by your nightdress, his hot lips moving up with each kiss; leaving a trail up your throat, before capturing your lips into another passionate kiss.

His tongue plunged into our mouth, massaging yours, making you moan into his mouth. Jaebum’s hands tightened on your body as another moan left your lips.

As Jaebum moved back down to attack your neck with painfully sweet kisses, your hand sank into his dark hair, while the other ran along his back underneath his shirt. You easily pushed it off his arms, your nails digging into his biceps as he nibbled on your sweet spot.

“Jaebum,” you gasped, your eyes closing involuntarily.

Jaebum’s hands gently ran over your body, your dress lifting up to your waist, scrunching on his forearms. Your panties touching Jaebum’s hot torso; as your bare breasts being caressed by him, drove you insane.

You moved back for a moment, regaining your sanity, as you gently pulled up Jaebum’s face to make him meet your sultry eyes.

You smiled wickedly when you saw the darkness in his eyes; the empowering lust and desire in them, making your head spin. You planted a lingering kiss on his lips, as you held him back, shooting him a smirk.

“Do you really plan on fucking me in the kitchen?” You asked him, quirking an eyebrow. The look on Jaebum’s face lightened up, telling you that he absolutely did not mind.

Truth be told, so didn’t you. However, you knew that Mr Kim and the kitchen staff may be a little disturbed.

“The kitchen staff will be coming back at five,” you told him, your voice low.

Jaebum captured your lips once more, his hands fisting your hair, the pull deliciously burning at your scalp.

“I’m going to fuck you until you’re begging me to stop, princess.” Jaebum stared into your eyes, his dark eyes hypnotising you as he pressed his forehead against you. His raggedy breath falling on yours, driving you crazy.

His words made you wetter as your throbbing core jolted, as his hips grinded painfully against you.

“I’m sorry, Jaebum,” you winked at him, your low voice, raspy, as you pushed him away, before walking to his room. “But I don’t beg.”

Jaebum closed the door as he entered after you, the definitive click of the door locking making your body shiver with excitement. You heard Jaebum’s step make their way towards you; slow and careful. You could hear his nervousness, and his heat getting more intense until he stood behind you.

You stared ahead, his king bed looking welcoming. You felt Jaebum take a step closer, his bare chest against your silk nightdress; the ghost of his skin teasing you.

Jaebum’s hands touched yours, gently moving up your arms; his fingertips rising a fiery trail of goosebumps in its wake. Your lungs expanded in your chest, as you leaned closer against him, while his fingers pushed your hair to the side.

He placed a soft kiss on the back of your neck; your eyes closing as you felt its heat rush to your core.

Jaebum’s lips moved forward, kissing the side of your neck, following the slope of your shoulder. HIs finger tangling itself with the thin strap of your nightdress, dropping it off your shoulder, allowing him more skin to cover with his soft lips.

Jaebum’s fervent breath fell against your skin, spreading over the smooth surface. It sweetly seeped into your veins, painting your body pink and hot, making your core throb harder in anticipation.

His fingertips lightly ran down your arm, while the other discarded the other strap off your shoulder; the pink silk falling down a few inches.

Your chest heaved, and your body began getting sweaty as Jaebum and your heat mixed into one. His body standing closer to you, his breath rushing down the side of your neck, as the dress slipped down another inch.

You didn’t stop the dress, neither did Jaebum.

You both held your breaths, your hearts racing faster as your minds became dizzy and hazy.

Jaebum’s hands gently landed on your shoulder blades; slowly, his fingertips travelled down your back. His skin following the dress that descended down your body, touching your incandescent skin, as it revealed itself bit by bit.

You bit your lip as the dress fell over the curve of your hips; Jaebum’s hands following, caressing your lower back. He didn’t move any further down. He remained on the arch off your back, his fingers burning you with its touch.

His hands flattened on your skin, before tracing around the bend of your waist. A hand remaining on the curve, while the other trailed up, stopping just below your breasts.

Jaebum’s tender touch fell down the middle of your stomach, his fingertips igniting a line of tingles and a fiery heat at the pit of your stomach. His fingers gently ran over your skin, until it grazed your bellybutton, before moving up again; torturously slow, his skin never leaving yours.

Jaebum pressed his chest against your bare back, making you press your knees together tightly. His ragged breath falling into your ear, before his teeth bit it lightly.

“What do you want to do, princess?” He asked, his feverish breath echoing on your scorching skin, painting it with lust and desire to match him.

You wanted to lean back against him until there was no space between you; skin pressed against skin. Until you become sweaty and sticky, but still continue to hold on to each other tightly.

You wanted to turn around and kiss the softness of his lips with the intensity of a thousand storms. You wanted him to feel pure lust and desire rage through his body as you wrapped your legs around him, and kissed every inch of his skin.

You wanted to make him beg for you. You wanted to make him your good boy, but you also wanted him to fuck you, like his little whore, until you had cum dripping down your legs, as your pussy clenched tight around him.

But you didn’t do it.

Instead, you leaned away from him. His searing touch leaving your skin, the sudden coldness making your body shiver.

You stepped out of the pile of pink silk on the floor, as you walked towards the king size bed. You swayed your hips painfully sexy, just to hear Jaebum groan, as his breath hitched.

You looked over your shoulder to see him standing there. His shirt off and left in the kitchen, his black pants hanging low on his hip. HIs chest heaving and glowing, deliciously, his hair a mess and hands clenched into fists by his side.

A smirk of pure wickedness fell on your lips, and Jaebum knew what was coming.

You reached for the blanket, lifting it up as you slowly turned around to face him. You saw Jaebum hold his breath, his darkening eyes lowering from your messy hair and beautiful face to your body.

Your breasts on display for him to see, and you saw his jaw lock as he saw your hardened buds. He knew you wanted this as much as him, but he also knew you loved being a teasing little bitch.

As soon as your eyes met Jaebum’s, the blanket covered your body as you slipped into his bed.

You took a deep breath, welcoming the calming charm of Jaebum’s smell fill your veins, making you relax. You smiled, feeling safe, comfortable and relieved knowing you’ll sleep well for the rest of the night.

However, your core continued to throb painfully, your hard nipples brushing against the soft sheets making you close your eyes tightly.

God, you wanted to run into Jaebum’s arms and have him fuck you till you couldn’t breathe. Yet, something was stopping you, something made you unsure.

Something told you, this wasn’t real.

There was nothing in between Jaebum and you except lust, and you couldn’t give into it. Not when you were married to Im Jaebum and had to see him for the rest of your life.

You couldn’t afford to play this game, without falling in too deep.

You felt Jaebum stand in front of you, and you smiled before cracking your eyes open.

Jaebum looked at you with a stern look of pure curiosity before failing to hold back a smirk of adoration. You snuggled his blankets all the way up to your ear, before peeking your face underneath.

“I’m sleepy, Jaebum,” you told him, pouting.

Jaebum rolled his eyes, the lazy smile returning on his lips, as he took the blanket and threw it over your head.

“Go to sleep then,” he told you, his voice light, despite the bulge he failed to hide. “I’ll join you in a minute, let me shower first.”

You hummed in reply, giving yourself over to sleep before you even knew it.

It seemed like a minute after, before you felt the bed dip behind you.

Jaebum pulled your close, his arms wrapping around your body. Your back pressed against him bare front, and you snuggled closer into his heat. Jaebum hid his face into your hair, breathing in the smell of your perfume and you.

He let out a sigh before he joined you into an enchanting land of dreams, where maybe you could be together.

Where you didn’t wake up before Jaebum, and let out a heavy sigh as you brushed the dark locks from his face. Where you studied his face, tracing every feature with your finger and not fearing for your heart when he pulls you in closer, as his lips brushed the top of your head.

There in the land of fantasy, you didn’t wait for two minutes to make sure Jaebum was asleep before you untangling yourself from him, and tiptoeing your way out of his room.

In that land, that you had wished for as a younger girl, you would’ve stayed in his arms till the sun forced you both out of bed. You would’ve woke up him with a kiss on his lips; then kiss him a million times throughout the day.

In that land where your heart wasn’t terrified, and your kingdom wasn’t burnt to ashes, you would’ve been able to live happily with Im Jaebum. You’d be able to make him laugh, and love; and most importantly, you’d be able to love Im Jaebum.

But this was reality, and reality is always worse than the fires of hell.

not edited

[simpleyetsassy]

My Makeup Diary

A sophisticated yet sassy make-up look not just makes you look beautiful but also boosts your confidence ,it surely helps to make a good impression on others. And if you are a person like me who hate’s to step out without any make-up on ; these tips might work for you. 

Today I’ll share my getting-ready photo diary and I’ll talk you through my typical make-up routine.I’ll also share some tips to get a ‘No make-up’ make-up look easily within a few minutes. 

The products that you will need are mentioned below, you can use any brand that suits you the best. All you need is :  

A moisturizer or serum

Sunscreen

BB /CC cream (I prefer cc cream more because I personally feel BB creams tends to get more oily throughout the day)

Primer

Concealer

Foundation

Powder

Bronzer

Blush

Highlighter

Brow pencil/ powder/gel

Mascara

Eye shadow ( preferably neutral shades )

Eye pencil (nude/white)

Eyelash curler

Lipstick

Setting spray

Brushes and a beauty sponge.  

I’m pretty basic when it comes to an everyday make-up look.For me, it’s all about the skin looking radiant and flawless. 

So, I start off with a clean ,dry face.I apply tea tree oil every time, after washing my face. Then put a moisturizer and a little sunscreen before applying primer.Primers help to smooth out the skin and make the pore appear less. But I don’t use primer on a daily basis because I don’t want clogged pores. So I jump to cc cream.Here’s the thing, if you have a clear skin then you don’t have to apply foundation but, as I have blemishes on my face , I go with a layer of foundation as well.

I apply the foundation using a brush with downwards motion this helps to make it look more natural. You should keep in mind that with make-up it’s always better to start with less product and then build it accordingly. If the blemishes still peek through, I apply a little bit of concealer just on the blemishes. I like to go over with a damp beauty sponge and blend it all well with dabbing motion.

I use a little concealer underneath the eyes in a ‘V’ shape, to cover the dark circle or any other discoloration.It also helps to brighten the face .To avoid creasing under the eye,I apply powder, right after applying the concealer. If you have oily skin like me then just use powder to set the whole face.

I like to finish my face before I move to eyes or lips , for an every day make-up look.

Now , it’s time to bring back some color on my face as I look dead,LOL!

As I have a round face, I like using powder contour to give my face more dimension. I apply bronzer using an angled brush, underneath my cheekbones, across my hair line and on my nose and chin. I think it makes my face look a lot slimmer.

Moving on to blush and highlight. I usually use a coral color for blush and go with a very light hand while applying. But , when it comes to highlighter I go crazy! I love blinding people with my highlight. Although for an everyday make-up look ,I apply soft highlight on top of my cheekbone, down the bridge of my nose and on the cupid’s bow.

Next the Eyes. Before I start on my eyes, I like to fill in my eye brows with a brow pencil and set it with a brow gel. I keep my brows as natural as possible.

Mostly,for an everyday make-up I don’t do much with my eyes. I just define them using my bronzer powder on the crease. Then I use a slight darker color on the outer corner of my eyes. With the help of a fluffy brush I blend them in.One step that makes a big difference is to add a little highlight on the inner corner and on the brow bone. Then apply an eye pencil which is nude in color, to the waterlines.This makes my eyes look bigger and more awake.

The Eyeliner application depends on the time and mood. If I have enough time and not feeling lazy to struggle for a perfect wing, only then I apply my eyeliner. But , if I’m running late or feeling lazy , I leave it as it is. It is never a must have thing for me. One thing that I never skip during getting ready is, applying mascara. I always apply two coat of my favorite mascara and curl my lashes beforehand with an eyelash curler,so that my lashes look bigger and it also gives volume to my lashes. In that way I don’t need to put fake lashes on. ‘ The Golden Rose Cat Walk ’, is the best mascara I’ve ever used, hands down. It does every thing that a good mascara is suppose to do and it’s budget friendly as well.

Last but not the least, lipstick. I don’t know why but nude lipsticks always draws my attention.I have a bunch of nude lipsticks and they are my go-to lipsticks of all time. I apply any nude lipstick from my collection, preferably matte. To finish it off, I set my face with a good amount of setting spray and I’m good to go.

Hope you like this everyday ‘No make-up’ make-up look and give it a try.

[linaisbluepancake]

do you have outfits ref for halla or you just go with the flow, when you have to draw her clothes?

For now I have like two main outfits, the red one u always see her wearing JEJE and then same red one except the top is more like a bathing suit top part lmao, there are other ones but usually those I come up with ath the moment and im too lazy to do a outfit line up :( i should, also ive been wanting to design her like some elegant dress ya know???

[kiyoitsukikage]

First Databook Character Sheets

Yoshi! @silalcarin asked me to do Hinata's concept art + Masashi-sensei's inteview (which, I discovered, is not really an interview, but a description of the pictures).

To be honest, I might have misinterpreted your request (maybe you just wanted the part regarding Hinata), but the interview was very interesting and I got carried away (especially after I saw that there was also something about Jiraiya). So...

Some terms you’ll meet in this interview:

- 設定 settei. I translated it with “setting”, “creation”, “design”, “character sheet” and so forth. Basically, it’s a character’s or a place’s concept art, to be used as a reference (it can be both for the artist’s staff, for the animators or for the artist himself, for later uses).

- 先生 sensei. It obviously means ‘teacher’, but it’s also the form you use when you speak to artists who became famous in their field: when they say sensei here, they mean Masashi Kishimoto.

- イメージ ime-ji. I often translated it with ‘mental image’. It’s a loanword from the English ‘image’, sometimes used as a verb meaning ‘visualise’. It has mostly to do with the author’s imagery of the world.

- 世界観 sekaikan. Literally, the ‘vision of the world’ (I translated it with various words). It’s the outlook of the fictional world, how the world of Naruto looks like. In this interview, it’s mostly used with the expression ‘slightly off’ (when Masashi-sensei decided to discard an idea because it would sound inconsistent/weird in the Narutoverse).

- 読切 yomikiri. ‘Non-serialised story’ (though I should have translated it as ‘one-shot’ or ‘pilot’ probably), as opposed to the Naruto serialisation. I guess they’re referring to this one. I think that’s something a newbie artist draws for manga editors, a sort of let’s-try-and-see-if-the-readers-like-the-story.

- 打合わせ uchiawase. I translated it as “preparatory meeting”, I guess that’s something the artist and the producers do before publishing stuff. It can also mean “previous arrangement”.

- 担当 tantou. Translated it with “the ones in charge”, maybe I should have gone with “supervisor” or something. But, ah, you get the idea.

There. The numbers correspond to the pictures. Anything between square brackets is something I added up to clarify my translation.

[Sideband:] Character sheets

The Nine-Tailed Mythological Fox Spirit

1

“This is the non-serialised Naruto”

The non-serialised Naruto had the appearance of a human, but he was a fox inside.

Though in the present setting the mythological fox spirit is sealed inside Naruto…

Before the serialisation was decided, I changed it in a preparatory meeting with the ones in charge of it.

The demon fox is intense, they said.

No matter if he takes a human shape, he’s a fox really, then the readers won’t be able to sympathise with Naruto… they said.

And I also ended up thinking something like… “that’s pretty true” (laugh).

2

“This is the Nine-Tails drawn for the first time”

This is the Nine-Tailed Mythological Fox Spirit I drew in the spur of the moment as the image expanded [in my mind].

And then, since I was pleased with it, I used it as it is also in the main event [as opposed to preparatory sketch].

I traced it with a lightbox (laugh).

For this reason, I drew nothing but that after all, the Nine-Tails (laugh).

However, also the appearance of the present world of “Naruto” spread from it in some respects. Of course, also things like the creation of the characters and the development of the story expanded.

So it’s like the concept art drawn in order to transmit the story and the setting to the staff, when you make a movie.

 [I always rejoice internally when I see an awesome artist being a lazy bum. Because retracing a previous painting is something I’d totally do.]

The faces on the Hokage Rock [lit: the Hokage Face Rock, though I couldn’t find a corresponding term in English – it’s only called the ‘Hokage Rock’]

1

“There was a dog”

That’s the only thing that could upset the present appearance of the “Naruto” world from the root (laugh).

As a matter of fact, the Third Hokage was a dog, at the beginning.

He was the dog the Second Hokage had, an exceptionally awesome dog, so I tried to make him elected as Hokage in the setting.

Though I thought “It’d be interesting if a dog stood at the summit of the village, what would happen…”

However, in the end I thought that it would be slightly off with the appearance of the world, and I gave it up.

That’s why the present Third was supposed to be a dog.

So I changed it right before the serialisation, erased only the face of the dog in a hurry and it disappeared in the trash (laugh). I used the other parts as they were though.

Hokage

[Actually I’ve read a post long ago in Tumblr where they answered exactly that question, and my greatest regret is that I haven’t saved it and now I can’t add a link here, because it was freaking hilarious]

2

“There’s a heinous face (laugh)”

My mental image of the Hokage wasn’t quite settled at first. The first and the Second… I had put an x-mark on the First, but they haven’t changed much from now since the mental image in relation to these two was good enough; however, the Third and the Fourth Hokage are impressively different.

The Fourth had a rather heinous face (laugh).

Well, I had various things going on in my mind.

Design sketches 

1

“The Grass Nin looked like a troop”

The Grass Nin looked like a troop but they couldn’t convince me and I changed them. So, I drew them again, but… this guy (on the bottom right) suddenly turned into Orochimaru, so… finally I was pleased with it and made up my mind about various things (laugh).

2

“Lovable pugs”

They are the ninja dogs I thought about when Kakashi uses the Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique. There’s also Pakkun. I like pugs, because they’re cute (laugh). When I drew him, while I made them chat about various things in my imagination I expanded the character’s personality.

3

“The mental image had almost settled”

The jōnin I thought about before the serialisation began… I mean, the design sketch of the sensei and others. If you look at them, it’s already clear who was going to become which character. Well, if the mental image came clearly, I kinda made up my mind in one shot (laugh).

4

“I just drew it out of fun”

That’s just what I drew out of fun, right (laugh). This was what I drew once to convey my mental image of Hinata to my assistant though. I intended to draw it being aware of the appearance of the world, but… it turned into a more modern-style girl (laugh).

Discard

1

“The huge guy was deleted…”

He reached the level of rough sketch, but the just huge and unattractive guy was likely to be deleted from the moment he appeared already. In the preparatory meeting with the people in charge, we ended up saying “he doesn’t make your heart throb from a reader’s point of view, right?”.

Moreover, it was the scene that shows Gaara’s first battle, so I resolutely drew it again.

[In the first caption, it says 金太郎とペットのポチ Kintarou to petto no Pochi. I’m unsure about the meaning, I guess it’s the ‘pet called Kintarou’. Apparently, petto no Pochi is  something like ‘Spotty the pet’ (pet with a ridiculously common name).]

2

“I planned to use it in the Land of Waves volume”

Originally, there wasn’t Zabuza and I had planned to use this character. But I gave it up for the same reason of the discarded character of the page before. (Ah! It’s the character I had made earlier, haha…) I think just about the fact of making the enemy characters entry on stage, that is, how they’re likely to hurt the protagonists. [Twisted sentence here: I guess he means that when he creates villains, he also need to think how they’ll look appearing on the scene and the impact on the protagonists.]

3

“Serious taste…”

Naruto had just graduated from school so I thought it was okay even if I made him act in a funny way. However, it had turned completely like a story set in a school [学園もの gakuenmono I think it’s intended as a manga genre]… I had forgot about the whole “ninja” thing.

Sound effects lettering

Appearance pattern

1

“That’s incredibly unskilful”

That’s sound effects lettering practice. They’ve been incredibly poor from the time of the non-serialised story (laugh). I often practiced using various comic strips as a reference. Well, even now they’re not my strong suit really (laugh).

2

“Having a mental image of moving pictures”

It’s the thing in which I drew some pattern of the production of the scene where a ninja appears, or the scene where they disappear, having a mental image of moving pictures. Once inside your head, the action turns into a moving picture. Then, you draw thinking about the composition you cut out from there.

Signature

[The pictures in which he practiced his signature say (in this order): Masashi (with the ma and sa character written as one), Masashi (all linked together), Kishimoto Masashi (stand-alone characters), Kishimoto (above) Masashi (below, ma and sa together), Kishimoto Masashi (current signature).]

3

“That’s Naruto’s face together with the signature”

When I write my signature, I put the face of the protagonists. Well, that looks like the practice of that. The Naruto I drew here are all smiling, but I often thought what kind of expression I should do.

4

“I decided on the spot”

When the serialisation was decided, some friends came and saw me. So, make us an autograph, they said. That time, I ended up saying “Crap… I haven’t thought about my signature!” (laugh). I decided on the spot. Saying “Which should I choose, let’s do this” with my friends.

Jiraiya

1

“At the beginning, [I decided to] make a fatty middle-aged man”

I had decided from before the serialisation that Jiraiya would certainly appear even in “Naruto”, because of his fame in various ninja legends. At the beginning, I decided that I’d make him a fatty middle-aged man… that he’d transform in an unattractive-faced middle-aged man (like the picture at the very top) when he got angry or excited seeing pretty girls. That that’s why he got stronger when he transformed, but not good-looking. However, I thought that drawing him differently would have been troublesome (laugh). Though he was also supposed to use frogs that are carried on both his shoulders, in the same illustration.

Once, I made them do a two-man comedy act in the character sheet called “Husband and Wife Frog” (laugh).

However, it was difficult from the prospective of the design, so I also give it up…

  [I love how he dug out his old ideas, years later, to create Fukasaku and Shima and Jiraiya’s Sage Mode.]

Summoning Animals

2

“The oriental dragons and western dragons are different” [Actually, it’s “dragons and dragons are different”, with the first being ドラゴン doragon, the transliterated English word dragon, and the second being 竜 tatsu, the Chinese dragon]

This is the dragon I drew thinking that I’d make it Naruto’s summoning. In my mental image, Chinese dragons have a thin body. And western dragons are chubby and have big feet. So, that is an overly fat Chinese dragon (laugh). It became fat and looks like a western dragon…

3

“Speaking of ninjas, there’s the mental image of frogs”

That’s Gamabunta’s first design. But in the preparatory meeting, since he’s a toad I added warts and made him a toad. Then, I also decided to make him express himself in the Hiroshima dialect. So, I said “I come from the Okayama prefecture, near Hiroshima, so leave it to me” (laugh).

Frontispiece

1

“It’s a compilation of ideas”

Before the serialization, I drew some reasonable ideas for the frontispiece. I’ve almost never used them though (laugh). However, the picture in which [Naruto] is gardening appears (JC vol.3 pag.86).

2

“Imagining Naruto that makes graffiti”

That’s what I drew while thinking in what way I could make Naruto paint graffiti on the Hokage Rock.

It’s also the picture I thought I’d use in the first chapter, yes.

3

“I discarded it myself”

I drew it to use as the first chapter’s frontispiece, but when I thought that to point Naruto’s gaze towards the readers it became unnatural, so I discarded it. It was also slightly off with the appearance of the world (laugh).

Clouds

“Anyway, I love clouds”

That’s the thing in which I just drew Naruto and clouds imagining a moving picture, not to use or not use it.

I’ve liked clouds since I was a child, and also the sky (laugh). That’s why I love things like comics where there are clouds and the sky, and fantasy in which the clouds are whirly like the “Neverending Story” (laugh). I think I want to draw something like that once, too, though. It’d be nice one more whole chapter, a story in which they fly among the clouds (laugh).

...phew, that was long. But very interesting (artistically speaking)~

EDIT (CLARIFYING TRANSLATION)

So, @silalcarin asked me to include in this post something we've discussed about.

Her question was: Were Ibiki, Iruka, Kakashi, Hinata, Anko, etc., were all of these character sketches the earliest concept art? Were these characters the earliest characters Kishimoto created after Naruto himself?

(Apparently, there's a dispute about whether Sakura was created before Hinata or not. Silalcarin also provided me with a translation, made by Koshej back in 2013, which you can read here)

My answer: First of all: yes, they are early sketches. The first line of the paragraph says 連載が始まる前に, which is literally “before the serialization began”. I don’t know where that “I have designed the characters at a very early stage." comes from, to be honest: the Japanese raw of the title says イメージはほぼ決まってました, “the mental image had almost settled/I had almost made up my mind”. So, the other translation is not *wrong*, content-wise, but it’s not what the text says (more like a free interpretation of it). As for the order of creation, I admit I have no idea. The text doesn’t clearly say if they’re the very first characters, or if they’ve been created early in general. I think it’s difficult to say which characters he created first… because I remember I’ve seen other character sketches, which Kishimoto provided at the end of some Naruto chapters (I remember there were Iruka, Konohamaru, Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke as well), together with some other he discarded in the end. Long story short: 1) yes, Anko and co. are pre-serialized sketches, 2) Koshej’s translation is not wrong in general, but mine is closer to the original one (that’s why I had a hard time explaining the terms, and sometimes my translation is almost unreadable), 3) there’s no way to tell which character was created first after Naruto, unless you’re Kishimoto himself I guess (or at least, this databook doesn’t clarify it here).

So, uhmm, that's what I have to say on the matter. Silalcarin also gave me this link (in which you can read further thoughts on the matter)

Last but not least, I feel like to add a link to another interview I translated, from the fourth databook, in which they talk about character creation and such (unfortunately, the part about Sasuke's creation was too difficult for me to translate, so once again I can't give an answer to the question "were Hinata and company created before Sasuke and Sakura")