A while ago, I found an old sketch of a Fakemon I made, and I figured I'd try to redesign and reinterpret it to fit in with other monster-taming games! Some of the iterations have different names either to fit in with the game's naming scheme or because the design changed significantly. Redesigns and their respective games are listed below!

Pokémon:

I'm mostly happy with how this came out. That said, I probably didn't need a second set of highlights for most of the drawing, and I'd like to find a brush that looks more pencil-like for the line art. When I originally drew this guy, I wanted to put a twist on the more typical mimic-mon design by having it striking from boxes and crates instead of the now-expected Pokéballs.

Temtem:

This is probably one of the furthest abstractions from the original I've drawn so far. There don't seem to be any creatures in Temtem that are especially inorganic looking (even the Cyber types are cyborg-like), so I figured I'd model it after a garden eel since they basically behave like an organic jack-in-the-box.

Nexomon:

This was the first time I decided to change the name. To fit in with Nexomon's type system, I based the design off of the French name for Jack-in-the-boxes, "Diable en Boîte" (Devil in a Box". By the time this design was finished, I figured it didn't fit the name Jabbox anymore, so I changed it to "Seeldevil" (from "Sealed Evil" and "Devil").

Cassette Beasts:

This one was the most like the original in design and behavior. The real gimmick to this iteration is that it'd be the only naturally occurring Glitter type in the game, being partly based off of glitter bombs. I also wanted to change the fist-head to an abstracted peace sign to fit the game's overall vibe, and it calls back to the slapstick trope of poking someone's eyes out ala The Three Stooges. I may also make a sprite from this drawing complete with bootleg recolors!

Siralim:

This was the first sprite-based design I made. I leaned a little into the monster-clown motif here so it could fit in with Siralim's more brutal takes on monsters. Moreover, this will likely be only one of two or three designs to not have a portmanteau as a name. In lore, these creatures would be crafted from the severed arm of a lesser demon and a few arcane machine components, now doomed to serving as both a babysitter and as a living toy. Variants of this design will have to come at a much later date cause making one pixel art hand was bad enough, making 5-6 extra would've broken me.

Monster Crown:

Speaking of drawing more pixel art hands! I wanted to lean harder into the monster-clown flavor since the denizens of Monster Crown are much more violent in their behavior. Making this sprite was a fun challenge since I was limited to a 4-color palette, and I intend to make the five other variant forms at a later date to go along with the game's cross-breeding system.

Coromon:

This is the last design I've made for now. I was initially intimidated by the prospect of imitating Coromon's art style as it's not only detailed but also smoothly animated. After axing the idea of replicating the animation style, I felt more comfortable working on this sprite. The overall design is derived from a theory that the original jack-in-the-box was based on a folktale about a demon getting sealed in a boot. I also threw in a few Muppet-esque elements so it'd better fit its Normal typing. The head is shaped like a "Devil Horns" sign, with the actual horns serving as the fingers and the single paw in place of the thumb. Making the Potent and Perfect recolors should be a much easier process and will likely be the soonest of the variant sets to come out.

Other planned designs:

Digimon, Dragon Quest Monsters, Ni No Kuni, Yo-Kai Watch

Lemme know if there are any other monster tamers/creature collectors with unique styles I should tackle!

Let's Make a Standard English Fantasy Kingdom

So, we'll Befriend the Elves.

Trade with Dwarves. They played hardball on tariffs and moving fees, but in truth we'll be better off because of it, (they understand economics a hell of a lot better than we do).

We have programmes to try and coax Gnomes out of their forests, and join societies for the betterment of the country, but otherwise left alone.

The Church has taken custody of the major bathhouses, and agreed to a minimum price for prostitutes. The bathhouses who have had their cathedrals completed have become significant waystations. The Elves involved are teaching the Church how the holy healing magicks works, with the intent to create a knightly order.

We invite the barbarians to a mid-day feast to lull them. When we show them the baths and cathedrals, they were so impressed that many of the chiefs instantly wished to convert. The nearest barbarian tribes are now good servants, and wish to serve the kingdom. The Dwarves have agreed to help us shore up them defences to bring them into the fyrd, while the Elves help them keep the other tribes at bay. Gifts of oxen were given to them.

The Barbarian good servants spend a lot more time in the woods, and other wilds. The waters and mists of Ingir make it a perfect place for the Fey to run roughshod. We had two main prongs were sending ambassadors to the Summer and Winter courts, and using our allies to help us build new fairy villages. We have yet to hear back from the ambassadors, but with Fey this might likely take... a few centuries. The villages, however, seem to have been somewhat of a success. It's hard to tell with Fey, but interactions seem more positive. There also seems to be a factional dispute within the Fey on our behalf. The villages themselves are only occupied when the Fey feel like it. Often moreso during the rains. Education campaigns have had small-scale success, and should be continued.

While our knights were being trained in the art of bath magics, the Lady of the Lake started to appear before knights questing against monsters and other dangerous beasts. She allows them to drink from the Grail, and their abilities have been fantastically improved. The King has created an order just for them,

The Most Holy Order of the Knights of the Grail of the Lady of the Mists and Waters, Her Grace Permeates the Soils and Flows Over the Lands of Ingir.

As it is right now, there is only a few.

We decided against creating an order of Bath Knights, so once they complete their training in healing and hydromancy, they are returned to their fiefs to serve their lord.

Our Gwylltion good servants to the North were facing an army of Orcs, Men corrupted by Demons. The clansdwarves of the traders warned them not to go, and they will be missed. The crusade was able to quickly draw knights from across the kingdom. The Bath Knights were extremely adept at cleansing the Orcs. Some were even restored to humanity. The raised army was then able to come in and secure regions that had been cleansed.

After extensive trials and tribulations to separate the wheat from the chaff, they were divided into two categories: the majority that wished to convert, and the minority that still wanted the protection our kingdom could bring without conversion. The majority were baptized brought into the fold with the other Gwylltion good servants. The remainder were organized into Watch Companies, to provide an external buffer on the moors. The Dwarves were more than eager to setup new trading routes to supply them, and Elves more than willing to assist in the construction of new baths. The Church was more than happy to take control of these new properties.

The Elves have become quite placid. Knowing they fought the Dragons makes sense of this placidity, as they do not see any challenge even remotely similar. Unfortunately, for the majority still alive from the Wyrmrend find remembering that far back to be quite the bother. It seems none of them were personally Dragonslayers. According to them, there are True Dragons, and Lesser Dragonkin. The Brontides are likely caused by True Dragons. It seems the accolade of Dragonslayer was given typically posthumously. The Fey were surprisingly cooperative, and the Dwarven information supported their conclusions: the Dark Kith of the Elves, that lie deep within the earth.

There are reports of Elves, not from the Ingraali vein, occupying our baths, but it will take some time to pursue.

How To Tame Your Prince And His Dragon: A Study By Kuroo Tetsurou

He feels like a hero as he dives behind a jagged rock formation and adjusts the grip on his sword. Kuroo has always been destined for this—since he was just a boy and the rumors began to spread that the King and Queen were locking away the heir to the throne in a tower guarded by a dragon, claiming that someday the person who frees their previous Kenma will claim the crown alongside him. Sure, Kuroo is a common man with no land or title, but he’s also monstrous with a blade in his hand and his mind is quick. Furthermore, tales of Kenma’s beauty travel far and wide, and Kuroo is not immune to lust. Some say he’s like a feline, petite and soft with an edge, but some say he’s fierce like a wildcat with fangs and claws, raised by the dragon who guards him. Either way, Kuroo wants to claim him and tame him, marry him and rule beside him to ensure the safety and comfort of his family. That's how he’s wound up here, with a monster the size of a farmhouse trying to roast him like a piece of coal outside a tower. Kuroo is jumping and dodging wildly while streams of flame narrowly miss him and he only just avoids being taken out by the swing of a massive tail. “I’m beginning to sense that you don’t like me very much!” He shouts at the livid creature, its eyes narrowing on him. “I promise my intentions are pure, I’m a nice guy I sw—” He falls to the ground as a claw swipes, almost taking his head with it. Amidst all the chaos, the entryway to the tower has become open, but Kuroo worries that he won’t be able to outrun the creature. His mind works overtime, solving some kind of puzzle as he rolls under a pile of bricks and coal that seem to be the product of another failed battle. “I think it’s in your best interest to retreat.” A pretty voice rings out from above and Kuroo spares a glance toward the source of the sound. He’s perfect. Pretty golden hair matches honey-colored eyes, so short that he’s quite literally hanging out the window to warn Kuroo, the most satisfying little grin on his pink, full lips. If Kuroo were a worse fighter, he’d have let himself be killed and allow Prince Kenma to be the last thing he saw, but now that he’s seen the angelic figure, he needs to have him for himself. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, My Prince!” Kuroo retorts, sprinting toward a better source of protection that will allow him a chance to look toward the window once more. He feels a pang in his chest, pride in his future when he sees such a perfect face looking back at him as if he’s watching a joust, so casual and entertaining. “Does my attempt at your rescue amuse you?” “Yes, I think you’ll end up like him,” Kenma points to a pile of bones not too far from where Kuroo stood, ash and skull making him cringe and check his surroundings. He feels the ground shake as the beast draws near, he stands at the ready with a shield in front of him and his sword drawn. “Call your guard dog off and I’ll consider marrying you, My Angel.” Kuroo palms a chunk of stone and throws it at the menacing creature, missing it entirely. Kenma’s laugh echoes, falling onto frustrated ears. Kenma has never had such consistent back and forth with any brave challengers, but he almost enjoys playing around with his dragon's food. “You may benefit from putting your full focus on survival instead of courting.” Picking up another stone, Kuroo sucks in a breath and throws it, watching it bounce off red scales with no damage. I need to find a weak point… and I need to look good doing it. He almost wishes he didn’t have an audience with Kenma while fighting for his life, but it’s only motivating him in the end. “Why don’t you focus on packing your things, My love.” Kuroo searches for another stone, formulating a plan while passively wooing his future spouse. Kenma can’t pretend he isn’t at least intrigued by the man. A head full of hair with no regard for gravity or its laws, a slender but toned and tall frame, muscled arms that looked far too comfortable wielding a weapon. Kenma wouldn’t mind being held in arms like those… “Come up here and make me! What are you, a blacksmith? Surely you don’t have a title.” The prince jeers, noting the raggedy clothes that the suitor dons. Kuroo almost chokes on his spit, such a feisty young man with a face to match his wit. He runs around a pile of splintering wood, throwing one rock out to distract the creature, making its head turn just in time for him to pelt a chunk of rock right at its eye and blind it on one side. “My title is your husband, the new king.” Kuroo celebrates his winning throw, pulling his sword to slay the beast, now that he has the advantage of a blindside. “Stop!” A scream tears him from his focus and he looks up, but Kenma is gone from the window, nowhere to be seen. Kuroo wipes the sweat from his brow and retreats into a safe spot, out of the dragon's view as it growls and whines. “How dare you?!” The boy runs from the tower entrance and Kuroo is barely able to understand the situation before the small prince throws himself between the man and the dragon. Kuroo would be much more puzzled if he wasn’t so mesmerized by the pretty little man and his intense glare. How can one be so golden? His hair, his eyes, and his perfect skin is pale but even so, it glows. He forces himself to focus on the issue, raising his weapon in one hand and reaching for Kenma with the other, “Get behind me, I didn’t come all this way to watch you eaten in front of me.” “She won’t hurt me, you animal!” Kenma shouts and turns to the whimpering creature who lowers its head and allows him to look closer. It takes Kuroo a moment to understand what he’s seeing. Kenma tends to the dragon like a friend, like a pet and it hits Kuroo all at once that this boy is not trapped in a tower against his will. “You’re joking.” The hero exclaims, “What are you two playing at?!” Kenma ignores him at first, his focus is on clearing debris from his creature’s eye, but as soon as it seems clean enough, he turns his attention to Kuroo. “She’s protecting me.” He states it so factually, Kuroo almost feels inclined to apologize for even asking. “Do you know how many terrible men have come here?! How many power-hungry creeps have approached these tower doors planning to subject me to a life of misery?!” Kuroo hasn’t quite considered such a thing. “So, you and the dragon are… friends?” “Yes,” Kenma runs a pretty, petite hand along the auburn scales, “ten years we’ve been together and ten years she’s kept me safe.” He manages to clear out the debris, petting the dragon until it began to purr and nuzzle against him playfully. Kuroo can’t help but recognize how lovely Kenma is up close—well worth the burns and scrapes. At the same time, he feels a twinge of annoyance at the situation. “Dearest Prince, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but you’re implying that you could have called your pet off at any time and just let me up?” Kenma furrows his brow and tightens his lips at the comment. “Why on earth would I do that?” “Because I’m charming, handsome, and respectful. I’ll make you happy and take you away from here.” The moment he finishes speaking Kenma begins to laugh, the dragon exhaling sharply as well, as if it is laughing along too. “Why are you laughing?” Kenma sits himself down on the creature's large paw, “Because it’s humorous. You think that you are a good man.” His voice is so silky, even when it drips with disdain, Kuroo can imagine how pretty it would sound saying Good morning, My King, and all is well in his own mind. “I most certainly am a fine man.” Kuroo insists. “Oh?” The prince stands, much smaller than the suitor, but the way he carries himself is overwhelming in the best way. Kuroo is intimidated and it makes his heart flutter. “Tell me, honestly, If the rumors surrounding me didn’t claim that I am a fair young virgin and there was no reward or coronation involved in successfully completing this task, would you be here?” A straightforward question, one that Kuroo hasn’t considered. He has given little thought to his intentions, only knowing that the idea of being a king with a beautiful spouse sounded appealing. “If I were an old hag and had not a dime to spare, would you have come to save me?” Kuroo opens his mouth to argue, but he can’t find the words he wishes to spit back at the smug young man. “You’ve allowed your heroism to be overshadowed by selfishness. It’s a shame, too… you’re quite handsome and an excellent fighter. If your soul matched your face, I’d already be in your arms.” Kenma leaves Kuroo utterly speechless. He leaves Kuroo infatuated as he turns to kiss the side of his dragon’s face and reassure her that she was excellent in battle. Kenma is perfect, Kuroo is convinced that he has already fallen for the boy who stands before him and calls his flaws as he sees them, fearing nothing. He needs that in a partner if he is to be king. “You have found one of my many weaknesses and pulled at the threads to unravel me already, my prince.” Kuroo bows a little, opting for humility. “I’m afraid you’re right. I have an attraction to beautiful people and comfortable living, as I’ve never been able to claim either as my own.” Kenma doesn’t intend to roll his eyes so hard, but the way his lashes flutter when he does makes Kuroo smile a little. He is so tough and opinionated, the future king is excited to see Kenma in the discourse during meetings, discussing laws and wars. Kuroo says these things within his mind as if they are sure. He will be king and Kenma will be by his side. “Perhaps I should go save a poor village and then return?” He teases, flashing an unfairly perfect smile. “I could befriend an ugly old witch and she might gift me a concoction as a thank you, one to make you listen to me with an open heart while I confess that you, despite your stinging intensity, are the loveliest creature I have ever laid eyes on.” Riveting as he speaks, Kenma gazes at him with marked boredom. “What is your name?” “Tetsurou.” “I see. I think you’re shallow. I believe that you let your pride guide you and it’ll make you a terrible king,” Kenma’s lips drop from a slight smile to something very dry and serious. “But I respect the terms of the arrangement. I understand that the initial rules required you to defeat my dragon and rescue me, but I would never forgive you if you harmed my creature, so I will offer a trade;” He sucks in a sharp breath, “You can be king and I will fulfill my duties as your spouse on the condition that my dragon stays alive and protects our kingdom, cared for and unharmed.” Kuroo simply gazes down at the little prince and feels a warmth within his chest. Kenma is so pure of heart, willing to sacrifice his own comfort for a creature that seems so replaceable. “I accept your terms,” Kuroo announces, chest puffing up with pride. “I will—” “My dragon seems to believe you have a pure heart, despite your behavior today.” Kenma cuts him off, not too eager to hear what Kuroo has to say. “She is an excellent judge of character, she insists that you deserve a chance.” Kenma doesn’t seem to be thrilled to share such a revelation, but his dragon persistently grunts and noses at him to do so. Kuroo finds this news thrilling, as the dragon seems to be the only being who has an opinion of value to the lovely Prince. “I do!” He agrees and gives the creature a curt nod, “Your friend is right, I have no ill intentions. I wanted to rescue you and secure comfort for my people.” He pauses along the wooded path they have begun toward, he drops to one knee and adds with the most genuine tone he can manage, “I do not wish to force you into a loveless marriage.” Saying the words makes Kuroo cringe at himself, he would be deeply hurt if he went through the trouble he had and there was no reward. He’d hate himself even more if he stole the joy from a beautiful young man by taking him as a queen against his will. “Get off your knees.” Kenma rolls his eyes, “Do you want me, or are you here for the crown alone?” For such a small man, his tone can be very stern and intimidating, enough to make Kuroo shrink a little as he scrambles to his feet. What a born ruler. He practically has cartoonish hearts in his eyes while he listens to Kenma with bated breath. “Prince, I have never once met a creature as lovely as you. I saw you up above me and I nearly let your dragon take my life right then because I knew that I’d never see anything so beautiful for the rest of my life.” He begins to run out of breath, tacking on a cheesy “I apologize, you take my breath away.” It’s a marvel how stoic Kenma can keep his face, despite the jumping of his heart as the other confesses his deeply poetic feelings. “What I mean to say is that I respect any decision you make regardless of my own feelings,” Kuroo takes in the small but powerful view once more, a little, perfect man and his beast, a package deal. “I only want to confess now that if I’m left to marry someone else, even someone who comes close to your beauty, I’ll spend the remainder of my life wishing that they had been you.” A soft exhale comes from the Prince’s dragon and Kenma turns to see the expression of adoration on the creature’s face. He makes a thoughtful face and looks between the lovestruck man and the heart-warmed dragon. “You two are teaming up against me.” He remarks, one hand on his hip, “You formed a silent coup.” “No, Your Highness.” Kuroo hesitantly wanders over to the creature, praying that she won't bite his arm off as he makes a show of being very friendly to her. “You said yourself that she is an excellent judge of character. Besides, when I am king, if you choose to stay along with my new best friend here, I’ll have the most wonderful space built for her with room to run and food aplenty. I’ll keep your schedule cleared to spend as much time with her as you’d like. We can even eat with her, I’ll have a table for us built into her arena.” He makes promises of grandeur and he has every intention of making them happen. The dragon nearly whimpers for Kenma and nods its head, tongue peeking out playfully. “Why are you making a fuss when you know I’m going to marry him?” Kenma makes the most unamused face that Kuroo has ever seen toward his pet, although he himself is smiling bigger than he ever has in his life. “You will?!” He goes to hug Kenma and then pauses, “May I—Could I… maybe…” “I will not survive this marriage if you get weak and timid, be a man.” Kenma opens his arms with a bored expression, butterflies filling his little stomach and a slight blush on his cheeks. He yelps a little, he’s expecting a hug, maybe a spin around, but Kuroo grabs his face on either side and pulls him close, looking into his eyes. “I will love you so deeply and completely that you never feel anything less than perfect for the rest of your life—and it will be a long, happy life.” He swears it with everything in him and presses his lips to Kenma’s, dropping hands to his waist and tugging him closer. Kenma’s weaker in practice than in theory and his arms shoot up to wrap around his soon-to-be husband’s shoulders, fingers lacing around the back of his neck while he kisses back. The only reason they manage to stop is the nosing of Kenma’s dragon, pushing between them as if to say ‘enough, that’s enough.’ Clear as day. “I forgot myself,” Kenma says as an excuse, “It was… a sealing of the agreement… comparable to a handshake.” Kuroo blushes and looks down, kicking his feet like a schoolboy. “Best handshake I ever had,” He hums, “Like to shake your hand a little more often.” and Kenma can hardly hide his own smile, tugging at the corner of his lips. The dragon huffs and begins walking toward the kingdom, a spring in her step, never having seen Kenma so pleased. “What if I got a dragon?” Kuroo gasps, his voice becoming faded as the softened beast leads the way and gives them space to flirt and shake hands as they please. She turns back and shakes her head with a sense of finality, she’s not looking for anyone, she’s got Kenma, and Kuroo is the third wheel. 

Well, some of the best things come in threes. THIS WAS A TEST TO SEE WHAT POSTING ON HERE IS LIKE, SORRY FOR THIS

Happy milestone and congratulations!

Can I ask for a matchup with hotd if they're still open? Pronouns and sexuality: She/they, Bi

Likes: listening to music, books, psychology, watching horror movies, deep discussions, trying new things, animals, driven to get things done with structure or a goal, open-mindedness, taking a nap after a long productive day Dislikes: Messy places, people who try to control me somehow, disloyalty

Hobbies: Being active like going for a hike, working out or some kind of martial arts, painting and drawing, going out for a drink and play games, fashion, travelling and seeing new places

Personality:

Extroverted and a bit quiet, mostly seeming blunt, confident and decisive

I'm very self critical and strive for perfection in my own achievements and grouptasks

I'm a bit of a chaotic neutral in my alignment

Get very competitive in sports and games, I like challenging myself even if its simple stuff

I always like to look at a bigger picture in life even if I feel like I am let down or failed

I can get irritated or impatient with someone I don't think I can work with, but rarely show it and try to always remain calm

My closest friends describe me as a femme fatale or flirt for fun

I have a bit habit of laughing or not being able to take someone angry with me serious, though I also am not one to shy away from being straightforward and confronting someone when I want to

Even if I don't understand something or my friend has a hard time, I try to listen and be there for them

I love being passionate about anything or going into a deep discussion even if it's something I don't have much knowledge of.

Thank you <3

Want a Match? Here’s the post!💕

I match you with Laena! Laena would be such a sweet heart! She wouldn’t mind at all going on hikes or even dragon rides with you. If you like the ocean, there’d be a lot of trips there—swimming, sailing, even riding a dragon over the ocean! She loves your spunk, though is a bit envious of your femme fatale. There’s a lot of sneaked kisses and light touches, will probably even sneak a little kiss in a dark corridor. She tries to help you with your patience, but also understands that sometimes, people just really really try that patience. She loves your laugh and your smile, and is often seen just looking lovingly at you. Laena also enjoys trying new things and going to new places with you. She loves the memories made, and looking back at them with you.

Let's Make a Standard English Fantasy Kingdom

In honour of the meme, the land is known as Ingir

AKA: Ingirland, Ingraal, Engraal, Sangraal (colloq. after the Holy Grail)

Befriend the Elves.

Trade with Dwarves. They played hardball on tariffs and moving fees, but in truth we'll be better off because of it, (they understand economics a hell of a lot better than we do).

We have programmes to try and coax Gnomes out of their forests, and join societies for the betterment of the country, but otherwise left alone.

The Church has taken custody of the major bathhouses, and agreed to a minimum price for prostitutes. The bathhouses who have had their cathedrals completed have become significant waystations. The Elves involved are teaching the Church how the holy healing magicks works, with the intent to create a knightly order.

We invite the barbarians to a mid-day feast to lull them. When we show them the baths and cathedrals, they were so impressed that many of the chiefs instantly wished to convert. The nearest barbarian tribes are now good servants, and wish to serve the kingdom. The Dwarves have agreed to help us shore up them defences to bring them into the fyrd, while the Elves help them keep the other tribes at bay. Gifts of oxen were given to them.

The Barbarian good servants spend a lot more time in the woods, and other wilds. The waters and mists of Ingir make it a perfect place for the Fey to run roughshod. We had two main prongs were sending ambassadors to the Summer and Winter courts, and using our allies to help us build new fairy villages. We have yet to hear back from the ambassadors, but with Fey this might likely take... a few centuries. The villages, however, seem to have been somewhat of a success. It's hard to tell with Fey, but interactions seem more positive. There also seems to be a factional dispute within the Fey on our behalf. The villages themselves are only occupied when the Fey feel like it. Often moreso during the rains. Education campaigns have had small-scale success, and should be continued.

While our knights were being trained in the art of bath magics, the Lady of the Lake started to appear before knights questing against monsters and other dangerous beasts. She allows them to drink from the Grail, and their abilities have been fantastically improved. The King has created an order just for them,

The Most Holy Order of the Knights of the Grail of the Lady of the Mists and Waters, Her Grace Permeates the Soils and Flows Over the Lands of Ingir.

As it is right now, there is only a few.

We decided against creating an order of Bath Knights, so once they complete their training in healing and hydromancy, they are returned to their fiefs to serve their lord.

Our Gwylltion good servants to the North were facing an army of Orcs, Men corrupted by Demons. The clansdwarves of the traders warned them not to go, and they will be missed. The crusade was able to quickly draw knights from across the kingdom. The Bath Knights were extremely adept at cleansing the Orcs. Some were even restored to humanity. The raised army was then able to come in and secure regions that had been cleansed.

After extensive trials and tribulations to separate the wheat from the chaff, they were divided into two categories: the majority that wished to convert, and the minority that still wanted the protection our kingdom could bring without conversion. The majority were baptized brought into the fold with the other Gwylltion good servants. The remainder were organized into Watch Companies, to provide an external buffer on the moors. The Dwarves were more than eager to setup new trading routes to supply them, and Elves more than willing to assist in the construction of new baths. The Church was more than happy to take control of these new properties.

The Elves have become quite placid. Knowing they fought the Dragons makes sense of this placidity, as they do not see any challenge even remotely similar. Unfortunately, for the majority still alive from the Wyrmrend find remembering that far back to be quite the bother. It seems none of them were personally Dragonslayers. According to them, there are True Dragons, and Lesser Dragonkin. The Brontides are likely caused by True Dragons. It seems the accolade of Dragonslayer was given typically posthumously. The Fey were surprisingly cooperative, and the Dwarven information supported their conclusions: the Dark Kith of the Elves, that lie deep within the earth.

There are reports of Elves, not from the Ingraali vein, occupying our baths, but it will take some time to pursue.

We are creating a Deep Expedition. This expedition will be lead by a Grail Knight. The primary forces from Ingraal will be peasant longbowmen and billmen, questing knights, and Gwyllion good servants. The Dwarves will be accompanying us. They never asked to come, and we never invited them. Instead they already had the expedition planned, and only need final numbers for logistical purposes. They will be bringing along a few Gnomes and Dyn Pry as advisers.

Rules:

It's a living world, and not every decision will work. So, if it says "Conquer", then it will only work if you can actually conquer them.

Any questions about rules of the world will be answered.

I will take a broad view of the polls. Non-exclusive results can happen together, based on how many votes they get.

I hate Crystal Dragon Jesus. There are a lot of questions about exactly what the doctrine is, but there is a Church, and a God Almighty.

There is also room for a lot of beings of lesser-g god power.

After some discussion with @decreare I've decided some rules for the world.

Sentient species in the world are called Greater Races, which is basically just a fancy way to say Humanoid. Other than that, there are Fey, Demons, and Dragons. Angels exist, but aren't allowed to directly interfere with the world all that often. Demons aren't allowed either, but aren't exactly big on following the rules. True Dragons either typically keep to themselves, or change into a Greater Race for entertainment. Their rage only really kicks in if you do something like try to steal something that is there's, or don't read the fine print in the contract.

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Note: Polls are first posted in Weathermanpolls for safe keeping. Weathermanpolls just has my initial polls, and no reblogs.

let the rain fall

characters included: zhongli, diluc, childe, kaeya, venti, xiao

summary: it seems the genshin boys have their own preferences of how to spend a rainy day.

Zhongli:

- This gloomy atmosphere is nothing that can't be fixed with a fresh pot of fine tea and some good conversation.

- When a glance out the window makes it clear that you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, he's quick to invite you to stay for some tea and snacks.

- Despite his evident lack of Mora, he has no lack of niceties where he lives and you can only wonder who he got to pay for this high grade tea and fine china.

- He offers you a knitted blanket and the two of you sit at the table as he pours you a cup of tea. It tastes warm and homey and he even sweetened it perfectly to your taste.

- To fill the time, Zhongli does what he does best. He tells you stories about Liyue, both as it is now, and as he knew it when he was a younger god. He weaves modern stories of families warring in certain trade businesses with seemingly fantastical recollections of rock spirits carved into dragons and gods that warred between the sea and sky.

- To him, time may not be an issue, but in the hectic mortal life you live, you've never before been able to truly sit down and listen to the experiences of the man before you. Even as the sky outside clears, you can't bring yourself to rise from your seat and return to your normal life. After hearing about the life of a god, how could you?

Diluc:

- For him, it's business as usual at the Winery.

- Sure, he's probably not going to be making the treck to Mondstat to work the bar at Angel's Share if it's raining cats and dogs outside, but there's plenty of other work that has to get done that he can manage from home.

- If you do manage to pry him away from his desk, you attempt to draw him back to the bedroom to get a little bit of rest, but as you pass the study, his eyes light up and you can tell that he has something else planned now.

- Suddenly, you're sitting across from Diluc, a chessboard between you. If you have no idea how to play, he'll diligently take the time to instruct you, making sure that you're able to understand the game perfectly before he proposes a practice match. Otherwise, he comes out of the gate with that one and there's a strange competitive glint in his eyes that you've never really seen before.

- And so you play. Diluc, for all of his gentlemanly qualities, is not one to throw the match just because he likes you. In fact, that actually spurs him on even more to try and one-up you at every turn. The gameplay is accompanied by an uncharacteristic amount of banter between the two of you. Every time one person takes the match, the other immediately issues another challenge and so you play on and on.

- The maids come to check on you guys since they're sure that you'll burn out at this rate, but you seem to be having a lot of fun, and so they let you be. The weather and your responsibilities are all but forgotten about as the two of you get to spend this well-earned time off together.

Childe:

- Thinks the rain is really fun. Growing up in basically a polar tundra, he didn't really see rain all that much until he left his hometown and began his duties as a Harbinger.

- The novelty of the whole thing combined with his hydro vision and love of water means that he loves rainy days.

- Will 100% drag you out into the downpour just to play around. At first, it seems a little out of character, even for the playful Harbinger, but you quickly realize what he's actually trying to do.

- That aforementioned hydro vision comes in handy as Childe begins to move the raindrops around him, molding them into creations that you can't help but compare to the Oceanid's hyrdo mimics. He's clearly having a blast and the light in his usually flat cerulean eyes only brightens when he sees that you're impressed, or at least amused.

- He just likes to show off, but showing off in front of you is even better so he has a blast. Perhaps if you have a vision, you can join in and the two of you can cause as much chaos as you want before the clouds clear.

- It's a rare chance for you to see a more carefree side of Childe. Usually, even his boyish charm is often a calculated move in the diplomatic schemes he claims to hate so much but is just so good at manufacturing. This however, feels like the real Childe to you.

- Eventually, you drag him into your place to get cleaned up and out of your soaked clothing but even as the moment fades, the light in his eyes doesn't. He looks better like this, you think but don't say. Instead, you chose to enjoy this side of the Harbinger before it inevitably fades away once more.

Kaeya:

- Does not like the rain because of certain... complications with it in his past. He won't tell you but it's not too hard to figure out from his actions.

- When it does rain, he prefers to either hole himself up in his office, or settle happily into the corner of a tavern and burn time with his drinking buddies.

- On the chance that you decide to join him, he's quite grateful for your company. He offers to cover your tab this time if you get him the next time he's had a few too many, which you wave off. However, as he begins to down drinks at an alarming speed, you can't help but worry.

- So, you slow him down by drawing him into conversation. You begin to talk about the most random things, though you continuously bring the conversation back around to him so that it is Kaeya telling the stories and doing a lot of the actual speaking. Not only does this slow down his progress through the wine before him, but it draw the other patrons to you.

- Suddenly, you've gone from two people talking at the bar, to basically a large gathering of people, all holed in together telling their stories, bantering, and bickering, and enjoying themselves.

- It takes him a while since you were kind of slick about it, but the Cavalry Captain catches on eventually and the smallest of smiles comes to his face. A real one this time. Well well, as far as playing games goes, he's pretty sure you won this one. And he's glad about it.

- He becomes significantly more relaxed after that, though he leans into you for the rest of the night, resting his head on your shoulders or pulling you gently closer to him. Nothing spicy or suggestive. Just a gentle gesture to show that he really is grateful for all of this, and for you.

Venti:

- Decides that it's the perfect time to start singing in the square.

- No seriously, you're wandering around Mondstat looking for the guy, only to find him traipsing around at the base of his statue, singing into the sky.

- Obviously, you yell at him to come inside, mentioning that he's not going to get any coins for his songs if there's no audience out to listen to them. He laughs at that, giving you a quick lecture of the value of music outside of money.

- And then he grabs your hand and pulls you out from under the overhanging you were taking shelter under. You screech at first but it turns to giggles as he then holds his hand out to you. "May I have this dance? Hehe, I've always wanted to say that!" How could you turn away such an adorable archon?

- And so, you indulge him, letting him lead you in a dance that is more skipping and jumping about than really dancing, but it's fun and brings bubbles of laughter to your lips so you keep going. He sings throughout it, making your own music as you spin around one another.

- Your shenanigans begin to draw some looks as people begin to yell from their windows, requesting songs from Venti, along with whatever dance you decide to "choreograph" to them. Perhaps some will even leave their houses and join you, reveling in the cool summer rain and the song that seems to cut straight through it.

Xiao:

- Adepti are rarely bothered by the rain, but he notes that you don't seem particularly keen on setting foot outside right now and actually suggests that the two of you just stay at Wangshu Inn until it clears up a little.

- You're surprised by his care, though you're not complaining as you dip back under the roof, protected and dry.

- That being said, you can tell that he's getting kind of antsy and you don't want him to feel uncomfortable at all or like he's being held there for no reason. So, you decide to find an activity for the two of you that doesn't involve fighting and that you can do inside of the inn.

- It takes a little convincing but you manage to get Smiley Yanxiao to loan you guys the kitchen for a little while (he's not getting any customers either way in this weather). It's time, you decide, for Xiao to learn how to make Almond Tofu himself!

- He's a bit skeptical but you bring up that it is his favorite dish, and he does eat it pretty often, so he should probably know what goes into making it. He begrudgingly agrees and you start.

- As it turns out, having never cooked in his long life, Xiao is awful at it. You guys absolutely botch the recipe the first two times and you're sure that Xiao is going to bail on you, saying that this was a stupid idea and going back to sulking at the top of the inn. Surprisingly though, he actually stays and seems like he's invested in the entire process.

- On the third try, you guys finally come up with something tangible. After a taste, it's not quite on the level of the one Smiley Yanxiao makes, but it's still not bad. Xiao is tempted to just huff and take off, but the look of accomplishment and happiness on your face as you two share the dish you made together warms him in a way he only feels when he's around you.

-Perhaps he can afford to spend more rainy days indoors and idle, if it means spending them with you.

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards - Chapter 16:

by @oldpotatoe on AO3

"Hina claps with awe at the eruption of flames from Zuko’ skin. It is yellow, yes, orange too, but there is purple in the fire, and green, and red, blue, white, pink and more, all dazzling and brilliant as they burst from Zuko’s palms.

“Cool!” she yells, but Sokka hears her as if from a distance, finds his heart catching somewhere between his throat and mouth at the sight of Zuko’s shy smile, the rainbow reflected in his eyes. The light flickers over both their faces, vibrant and ethereal.

...

Sokka turns on his heels slowly, awestruck at the colourful warmth surrounding them. Zuko’s taken care to keep the flames a safe distance away, but Sokka can still feel the gentle heat of the fire flowing around him. It sinks into his skin, pushes all the way through to some unknown, untouched part of him that resides deep within his chest, making it unfurl until its blossoms peek out like the first buds of spring. And when he comes to a stop right back where he started—staring at Zuko’s cupped hands, his upturned mouth, his hair shimmering a thousand different shades, the way he looks up at Sokka just then with his unscarred eye squinting at its corner, bright and effusive and striking— the blossoms spread wide in his chest, trailing up and down and throughout him, catching at his seams. Coming alive.

And he thinks, oh.

And he thinks, oh shit."

Note: This art has a very specific song to go with it!

“We’re not equal parts / light and dark / we can be brilliant”

I literally had this song on repeat most of the time that I was drawing this and this particular lyric just hoofs u in the chest as you look at Zuko SOFT AS ANYTHING bending dragon fire so pls, feel free to play it while you peruse the art.

There’s been a lot of really amazing but oh my GOD PAINFUL art from the flwogb fandom recently so in these trying times may I offer this happier piece to remind you of the magic moment Sokka fell for Zuko for the second time in 5 years. I title it “Oh Shit”. 

I'm such a sucker for a character realising they're in love with the italicised "oh shit" I go FERAL for that every single time and ms oldpotatoe fucking DELIVERED on that (even though she delivered an emotional sucker punch almost immediately after thank u ma’am). This moment just made my breath hitch as I read it and I was thinking “of course, of course they just make their way back to each other. of course they do”. It was such a gorgeous moment I had to put my phone down for a moment and BREATHE.

something that really inspires me to create from Ruby’s fic is the perfect clarity of the writing - I can SEE these gorgeous moments she writes as already made paintings in my head and I gotta DRAW. This one was clear as day, so I’ve spent so long trying to achieve what I saw in my head and I think I’ve come pretty close.

Not gonna lie I drew his expression and immediately got emotional about my OWN GODDAMN ART, (but I have been assured that this is completely normal).

Now I can’t post this without talking about the goddamn hair. I wrestled with his hair on this for MONTHS - I always thought that I'd struggle with hands, or even anatomy and proportions but NO. Hair seems to be my drawing nemesis and makes me wanna snap my tablet in half but nonetheless i have persevered (but for the love of all that is holy please zoom in I beg u I spent too long on the little details).

In terms of the shading and colour, the hair is very much An Experiment and I haven’t played with hair and light much before, but i was so intent on capturing the colours of the fire reflected in Zuko’s hair, i wanted it to be so ethereal. ethereal enough to just make Sokka fall headfirst down the stairs, two at a time, in love. So I gave it a go. It’s possibly too shiny and not quite how real hair would behave, and i’m probably gonna go away after posting and keep fiddling with it, but you know what I think it’s pretty, and im gonna challenge my perfectionist self to just... leave it be. 

Ruby, I love u and I offer u this humble art as a small bribe to treat my boys well in the coming chapters (please, we don’t always have to go backwards do we?). <3 <3

Zutara Month Day 10: Oma and Shu

I’ve seen some people point out that Zutara doesn’t necessarily fit Oma and Shu because the Oma and Shu myth is more Romeo and Juliet than enemies to lovers, and those people are not necessarily wrong. Romeo and Juliet, just like Oma and Shu, were never themselves enemies. They did nothing but love each other, but were forbidden from being together because of the feud. Zutara, in most interpretations, is less a “forbidden” romance and more a transition from enemies to friends to lovers. Most people imagine them growing to love each other after becoming friends, often after Zuko’s redemption and the end of the war. Nonetheless, the Oma and Shu story does share several parallels with Zutara that many fans have picked up on. What I want to do is examine some of these parallels from a meta angle, to look at the Oma and Shu story as it appears in the series and other similar stories that appear in ATLA, and to also compare them to similar stories in the real world, and analyze a bit the popularity of these various tales of forbidden love, why they are popular, and what their purpose is, as well as how Zutara fits into all this.

In universe, the Oma and Shu story, in addition to being a love story, is also an origin myth of sorts for the Earth Kingdom. It explains the creation of the city of Omashu, as well as telling the story of some of the first humans to learn earthbending. The message of the story, in addition to being a tale about love thriving between two unlikely people, and a cautionary tale about what happens when love is prevented from flourishing, is also a message about love being an act of creation and a force of transformation.

Love is brightest in the dark.

This sentence is a paradox, but it fits with the theme of balance that the show comes back to again and again, of breaking down barriers and deconstructing dichotomies to create something new, something more whole than the original. Something mirroring the harmony of yin and yang.

The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same. We are all one people, but we live as if divided.

The above quote by Guru Pathik is also similar to Iroh’s philosophy, which he tries to teach Zuko.

It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole.

Iroh also says something in “The Crossroads of Destiny” that echoes the Oma and Shu story.

Iroh: Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love.

Aang: What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula? Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough?

Iroh: I don't know the answer. Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving, [Aang earthbends the rocks away one last time. Iroh's fire blows out. He smiles.] you will come to a better place.

Iroh says that Aang is wise to choose love over power, while walking through a dark tunnel, and advises Aang to trust in the darkness to bring him to the light. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara, two people on opposite sides of a war, share a moment of unlikely tenderness in a cave lit by glowing crystals.

Zuko in the crystal catacombs does what Iroh has been trying to teach him to do, to let go of pride and the need for power, and to instead embrace compassion and humility. Which is what he does when he apologizes to Katara. This is also part of what stories like Romeo and Juliet teach us, that pride and petty grievances are destructive, and that only by embracing love do we become whole.

I know the prompt is Oma and Shu, but thinking about that story and its place in the narrative made me think about other mythic stories that appear in the series, so let’s look at another one that has significance for zutara: Love Amongst the Dragons, Ursa’s favorite play that she took young Zuko and Azula to see every year.

The actual story of Love Amongst the Dragons, according to the ATLA wiki, is this:

The play features the Dragon Emperor, bound to mortal form by the Dark Water Spirit, and forced to adopt the alias of Noren. The humble experience results in Noren falling in love with a mortal, and through this love he is able to break free of his curse. The play concludes with Noren defeating the Dark Water Spirit and embracing his mortal girlfriend, revealed to be the Dragon Empress.

What struck me when I found this description was that this is, with some slight changes, pretty much the Chinese myth of the marriage between Dragon and Phoenix, a representation for yin and yang and harmony in marriage, and which I compared in a meta to zutara as well.

Like the Oma and Shu story, it is a story about unlikely love, and about crossing divisions. It also has a lot of similarities with various myths involving shapeshifting love-interests, often referred to as “animal bride/husband” myths (which beauty and the beast is a subset of).

The symbolism of the tale in-universe is in its connection to Ursa, and thus Zuko’s connection to his mother. Zuko’s connection to his mother is contrasted with his connection to his father, which is representative of Zuko’s destructive side. When Zuko was trying to capture the Avatar, he was searching for his father’s approval, to become someone that would earn his father’s love. Ursa, meanwhile, taught Zuko kindness and compassion, and told him that it didn’t matter that he wasn’t the most powerful or strong. That Ursa took Zuko to see this particular play is significant, a play about a godlike being, the Dragon Emperor, being humbled and learning to love.

Only with your glory hidden in false form could you recognize my devotion.

Though different, and originating in a different nation, this is another tale about love shining through the dark, about letting go of pride and choosing compassion. Animal bride/husband myths are often about seeing past what is hidden to see the truth. They are stories of transformation, and like the Oma and Shu story, are about the transformative power of love.

It’s also from this play that Zuko gets his Blue Spirit alter ego, which Zuko uses as an exploration of his own identity apart from being the Fire Nation prince. In this story the same mask is worn by the villainous Dark Water Spirit. It is very interesting that Zuko uses an identity associated with water for this purpose. Also, like the Blue Spirit, the Dark Water Spirit seems to be a bit on the morally ambiguous side. Even though the spirit is defeated at the end of the story, its motivation for transforming the Dragon Emperor seems to be to teach him humility, and this is a message the play seems to promote.

Zuko and Azula’s dialogue from the above comic pages is interesting because it expands on what we already know about both characters. Zuko complains about always having to play the villain, just as he was made a scapegoat by his father and sister, and his adapting of the Blue Spirit identity is essentially him reclaiming that identity that was forced on him while trying to figure out who he really is. Azula sees herself as the Dragon Emperor, but she misunderstands the message of the story completely, and it’s not a coincidence that she talks over the love scene in the comic above and responds angrily and pridefully to the man who tries to shush her. Similar to Ozai when he names himself the Phoenix King, ironically misinterpreting the actual myth. I also think there’s something interesting to say about gender here, as this post points out. Not only does Ozai associate himself with a female figure, but Azula associates herself with the male Dragon Emperor, while Zuko is associated with the more feminine water spirit (water being a feminine element.) However, by the end of the series, Zuko embodies the transformed Dragon Emperor, while Katara I associated before with the Phoenix/Dragon Empress, as she is associated with healing and rebirth. Also notice the red and blue color coding in the comic page above, both with the Water Spirit and Dragon Emperor and in the coloring of the two lovers.

This also brings me to another play present in the series, the play that the gaang goes to see performed by the Ember Island Players. The same players that Zuko says his mother took him to see. The play we see them put on in the series is a Fire Nation propaganda play, promoting Ozai and the war. I actually can’t imagine that Love Amongst the Dragons, a play about a Dragon Emperor learning humility, was very popular during Ozai’s reign. We hear about it being performed before Ozai became Fire Lord, but we can assume that those visits to the theatre stopped after Ursa’s disappearance. The only other time we hear about that particular play being performed is after the end of the war. This leads me to imagine that it was necessary for the Ember Island Players to find a different play to perform while Ozai was in charge. While the play is not necessarily subverting Fire Nation superiority (the villain is a water spirit, after all), it is confrontational enough that I can imagine Ozai’s brand of narcissism seeing it as a challenge to his authority. Ozai who disdained love in favor of power and control.

“The Boy in the Iceberg” contains another love story between two people from opposite sides in their depiction of Zuko and Katara in the crystal catacombs. I wrote before about how I’ve seen interpretations of this that say that the Fire Nation was trying to portray zutara as an “inferior” Water Tribe woman falling for a “superior” Fire Nation man - essentially saying that the play is in favor of zutara as a piece of Fire Nation pro-colonization propaganda - but the problem with this is that that isn’t how zutara is depicted in the play. The play mocks zutara by portraying Zuko as submissive and subservient to Aang, and Zuko is later killed, as he is currently a traitor and threat to the Fire Nation. Thus, the “romance” between Zuko and Katara is not being depicted as supporting the superior masculinity of Fire Nation men, but rather portraying Zuko, who willingly chose to dissasociate himself with the Fire Nation, as emasculated and submissive to other, “lesser” men and aggressive “foreign” women.

This is a complete mockery of the real connection that Zuko and Katara had in the catacombs, the kind of love that is inherently subversive because it requires Zuko humbling himself in front of Katara and admitting that he was wrong, and working for her forgiveness. It is the kind of love that the Fire Nation under Ozai’s rule rejects. The kind of love that is truly transformative, revelatory, and brings light to the darkness. The kind of love that creates rather than destroys, that unifies rather than divides. That is humble and not prideful. That’s the appeal of zutara.

cedric diggory x slytherin fem!reader

warnings: smut, swearing, oral (female receiving), hand job, fingering, riding, kind of dom x dom, spelling/ grammar mistakes.

do not read if you are not comfortable.

summary: Badgers and snakes are born into their rivalry, even in the wild they are practically bred to fight and show their dominance. Cedric and the reader have hated each other from the moment they met. It’s not until Cedric puts his name into the goblet of fire and nearly gets killed that feelings become clear. fluff at the end.

a/n: thank you to @cedricsyellowscarf and nonnie for requesting!

word count: 4.6k

enjoy <3

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When you think of slytherins, what’s the first thing you think of?

Cunning, resourceful, and badass?

Y/n L/n was all the above when you thought of a stereotypical member of the house of black and green, someone who knew what they wanted and would fight with a smirk on her face.

Hufflepuffs on the other hand are thought to be loyal, compassionate, and sweet.

Cedric Diggory fit the description perfectly. The school golden boy with a pretty face and a kind personality.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. But just like in nature, the badger and the snake were born to fight.

When Cedric first met you, a chill went up his spine, everything about you screamed ‘no’ at him and had a scowl resting on his face seconds after just seeing you. Similarly, the hufflepuff gave off a goody-two-shoes aura, someone who couldn’t relax and caved into every demand thrown at them. You didn’t know why, but you had the overwhelming urge to push all this boy’s buttons and drive him insane. Maybe it was the whole ‘strict prefect, and perfect person’ thing going on, but you just wanted to have some fun with him.

You started small. Flirtatious winks, smirks and checking him out when you knew he was looking. The reactions ranged from annoyed to bashful and if you were lucky he grew absolutely seething.

“What the hell are you doing l/n?” He sighs as you brush your arm past him in the hall.

“What Diggory? Am I not good enough to be in your presence?” You scoff, turning to face him. “Listen, I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work.” The badger snarled.

“Oh Diggory, it already has.” Your smirk, brushing your wand down his jawline and licking the outside of your teeth.

Cedric couldn’t explain what got him so ticked off about you, maybe it was your care-free demeanour; someone who could get whatever she wanted with a snap of her fingers. He’d seen you in between classes, people fawning over you or begging for your forgiveness, only to be met by your stoic face. Your whole being betrayed every instinct and belief Cedric held, and the voice in his head begged to attack.

And so the battle between the badger and the snake continued, you pushed the badger’s buttons, challenging him and egging him on to snap.

“I’m not going to ask again l/n.” The brunette seethed, taking hold of your arm and pulling you back towards him after your fingers brush his back. “Ask what?” You cock your eyebrow with a grin.

“Did the pretty boy finally lose his composure?” Your grin turns malicious and Cedric pushes you against the wall. “In your dreams l/n.”

“Oh indeed you do.”

The two of you were natural born rivals, coexisting to keep the other on their toes and keep natural instincts alive. Both sides are stubborn, unwilling to let the other win. It was destined that one of you would though, these things don’t just end in draws.

As you ‘flirted’ relentlessly, Cedric’s only offence was his retaliation. He had a feeling you’d stop if he never reacted, but a piece of Cedric enjoyed the challenge and almost craved the game.

When the badger put his name into the goblet of fire you almost scoffed. Maybe you had done it, driven him off the edge and caused him to go insane. But as the boy clad in black and yellow turned to reveal a smile, you nearly choked on your pumpkin juice. How on Earth was this fool smiling at the fact he could’ve just signed himself up for a public, gruesome death.

It may be hard to believe, but even snakes can become ‘compassionate’ when it comes to things they are close too, and while you couldn’t call what you and Cedric had, a compassionate situation, a sense of worry and dread overtook your senses.

“Hey is your head in the right space?” You fall into step with the badger and place your hand onto his forehead to check if the boy was sick.

“What is your problem?” Cedric flinches back, confusion flashing onto his face as soon as your hand comes into contact with him.

“Oh I’m just checking you haven’t lost your mind Diggory.” You roll your eyes and flash a sickly sweet smile.

“It’s none of your business what I choose to do l/n, now leave me alone.” The brunette’s face remains firm.

“As you wish, your majesty.” You smirk and fall back to head to your friends.

Despite the internal fight the hufflepuff couldn’t help but almost feel sorry for the way he reacted to your gesture. It was the first time you’d shown any type of kindness towards him. And while rather strange, he knew he shouldn’t have let his aggressiveness win over his true personality.

The badger never found his voice to apologize though, and the rivalry proceeded. You wiped any trace of worry from your face and continued your mission of driving the golden boy crazy. Only thing that was different was the way Cedric reacted. When you first began your flirtatious mission, Cedric grew angry and annoyed at your attempt to gain his attention. He knew you were trying to distract him and he let it get to him.

The silver-eyed hufflepuff started to look forward to your pestering, your flirting was the only fun he got after his name was pulled from the goblet. His schedule became jam packed with training, classes and pity parties from every student who made eye-contact with him. He was happy to see that something hadn’t changed.

The first task came and had you holding your breath at each champion’s battle with their dragon. Your mouth dropped open in awe at each unique way of conquering the task, and by the time Cedric stepped up to face the Short-Snout, you were already on the edge of your seat.

Snakes are in no means known for their love, but it is known they can show compassion in subtle ways. Worry blossomed in your stomach as you watched Cedric transfigure the boulder into a dog, he was taking a huge risk using it as a distraction, when the dragon could turn at any moment. Cedric managed to grab the egg moments before the dragon lost interest in the labrador, and a weight seemed to lift from your shoulders and a small smile shone through as you joined in on the applause.

The second task arrived and the four champions dive into the water in search of their treasure. Cedric surfaced first with the girl who attended the ball with him, ensuring his spot in first. Krum was next with Hermione, Harry coming in last, but with Fleur’s person along with his.

Cedric was rather confused to see Cho at the bottom of the lake. The egg stated the treasure was the thing they missed the most, so the professors must have gotten the wrong idea when Cedric showed up at the dance with the ravenclaw, she’d simply been kind enough to be there as support because Cedric had no one else to attend with.

By the third task, the entire wizarding world was biting their nails at the anticipation of the triwizard tournament. Sitting in the bleachers in front of the massive maze, it made you uneasy you may have to sit through one of these champion’s screams, injuries or even death.

“Tied In first place we have Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. They will enter first, shortly followed by Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour.”

At the sound of the flare, the hufflepuff and gryffindor cautiously make their way into the green maze, choosing each step with caution and wands clutched tightly in their hands, until all that was seen was the walls of the hedge.

Cedric had endured a lot through the triwizard tournament and he was not going to give that up for anything. When he spotted Harry close by the cup, his aggressive side took over and he tried to beat the boy who lived. When Harry actually ended up saving his life, he knew there was no way he could take this victory.

The two of them touched the cup and suddenly the world morphed and they were transported to a graveyard. “A… Portkey.”

A short man enters their vision as Cedric’s weakened frame points his wand towards the intruder. “Petrificus Totalus!” The unknown man shouts as Cedric’s body seizes and he falls flat on his face, his body ignoring his constant attempts at moving to help Harry, he can only listen to everything happening as he lays uselessly against the ground.

“Cedric! Get up, we need to go now!” Harry’s frantic voice calls as He pushes Voldemort and his death eaters back. The binding pressure is suddenly released and the hufflepuff immediately jumps to his feet. He runs to the portkey, throwing back any death eaters getting too close to Harry before grabbing his hand and taking hold of the triwizard cup.

The two boys are transported back into the maze, but they waste no time rushing out and grabbing hold of the first people they see. “V-Voldemort’s back!” Harry screams, followed by Cedric’s own voice. Looks of confusion flash on everyone in the audience's face, but as the champions break down they have no way to deny it, something terrible was coming to Hogwarts.

Amos Diggory makes a beeline for his son while Harry is dragged away by professor Moody. Cedric is gasping for breath and searching around for something, someone, to keep him sane. When your eyes meet Cedric’s eyes flash in hope and he begins to limp in your direction, stumbling and falling often, but not leaving his path despite his father’s grasp. You stand to question the hufflepuff, but he simply collapses into your arms.

“I-I’m so sorry for how I t-treated you. I shouldn’t have let m-my feelings define you, a-and I hate that I despised you for n-no reason.” Cedric begins to cry in fear he could’ve died without finally getting his apology off his chest. He wraps you tightly in his arms and his breathing grows rapid. “P-Please forgive me.” He manages in between breaths and your emotionless barrier falls. “Deep breaths Diggory, you’re going to pass out if you keep this up.” You caress the boy’s back in a soothing manner, but Cedric’s murmuring only rapidly increases, and you were beginning to feel a headache. “Hey, it's alright! I forgive you.”

His muttering continues.

“Ced, please you’re bleeding, let’s go get help.”

No use.

As a final resort you gently lift Cedric’s face from the crook of your neck; tears are streaming down his face and apologies continue to flood your ears.

“Save your breath Diggory.” You smirk, pressing your lips to Cedric’s scabbed pink ones.

Your lips are still as Cedric registers your movement, his eyes widen, but slowly close as your smooth lips pull him into a daze. The slight taste of blood is forgotten as Cedric stands and cups his hands around your face, tilting his face to deepen the kiss and slip his tongue into your mouth. As he familiarizes himself with your taste a low groan emits from the back of the champion’s throat and he pulls away to look at you.

In nature, badgers and snakes are natural born enemies, but when Cedric looked into your eyes, the badger lost its temper and the snake became calm. In the Hogwarts walls the snake and the badger felt something new bubble inside them, and the statement ‘opposites attract’ finally began to make sense. Two people, so different, yet so drawn to each other. Finally giving in to their feelings, with primal instincts still flooding their senses.

“You shouldn’t have done that, once I start, I might not be able to stop.” Cedric’s voice grows low in arousal and he leans his face closer to yours.

“Then don’t stop Diggory, take me.”

Cedric immediately takes your hand in a firm grip and walks you down the bleachers, promising his father to go to the hospital wing, but entering the quidditch pitch’s change room instead.“I-I need you y/n. Fuck, you’ve made me want you for so damn long.” He moans desperately, pushing you against the stone wall and placing his hands wherever he could. You trail your fingers down the hufflepuff’s torso and nibble on his lower lip. Cedric’s hips jolt and you’re met with a sudden pressure on your lower abdomen.

“Someone’s excited.” You smirk, reaching your hand down the brunette’s trousers to take his length into your hand.

Your eyebrows raise at the champion’s size, but you don’t let it shine through as your tease your hand against him, brushing past his tip before using his precum as lubricant to move against him.

When Cedric’s face contorted into a look of pure pleasure and lust, you were sure that this was the reaction you’d wanted from Cedric from the start. Lip in between his teeth and eyes shut tight as he bites back moans and lightly tugs on your hair.

You move your hand faster, smirking in pride as loud whimpers begin to exit beautifully from Cedric’s lips and he begins rocking himself against your palm.

“You like it when I use my hand Diggory?” You tease, applying even more pressure to his aching cock as he began to twitch in your grasp.

“Oh fuck yes y/n, just like that.” The hufflepuff’s rough hands move down from your hair to grasp your face and connect your lips again, drowning out the sound of pure ecstasy leaving his mouth with each thrust of your hand.

“You better be quiet Diggory, or people will know how much of a naughty boy you are.” You whisper in a low voice.

“I’d watch your mouth if I was you.”

Cedric removes your hand from his pants and pushes you on to a wide bench, holding you down so you can’t move.

“Now it’s my turn to make you writhe.” He growls with a devilish grin, pressing open mouth kisses against your neck and sucking on the sensitive skin as he works off your skirt.

Your head falls to the side as Cedric finds your weak spot, a mewl signaling him to go harder. His hands pull down the zipper on your back and he carefully pulls it down as your intoxicating whimpers egg him further on.

“Well princess, I guess you got what you wanted.” Cedric smirks, dropping to his knees in front of you and throwing your skirt to the side.

“You’re driving me absolutely insane.”

Euphoria flows through every single nerve in your body when Cedric presses his rough fingers against your clit, the only thing separating you and pure bliss being a thin piece of fabric. Cedric uses the cloth of your panties as extra friction, slowly circling his fingers around as your back arches and your breath grows irregular. Leaning forwards, he takes the lace of your undergarment between his teeth and pulls it down your thighs, swiftly prying your legs apart as soon as your panties drop to your feet and pass your ankles. “Now be a good girl and keep these open, alright?” Cedric mutters, in a dark voice as he descends.

The hufflepuff tests the waters by licking a stripe up your core, hiding a cheeky grin at the sound of your choked moan and continuing to lap at your slick folds.

Your vision fills with dots and your mind is deprived of any thought, your only feeling was Cedric’s strong tongue flicking around and dipping in and out of your slit.

“So wet for me love?” He groans deeply, the taste of your heat, causing his arousal to grow exponentially. Your only response is the incoherent moans and curses stringing past your lips as your back arches and your body pulses in bliss.

As your hips start to buck and your legs close against his face, Cedric uses one hand to press your abdomen down and using his arm and other hand he pushes your legs apart again, your moans fueling his strength. When the brunette adds his fingers into the array, your hands move from your clothed breasts to Cedric’s soft brown hair. A sudden rush of pleasure has your grip tightening in the champions curls, and a loud curse echoes through the empty room.

“You like it when I pull your hair like that Diggory?” You tease through the pulsing in your body. “Fuck, do that again y/n.” His deep growl responds as his fingers quicken and hit deeper inside your tight walls.

With each tight grip in Cedric’s curls, a loud moan was heard in response as he thrusts his fingers deeper and sucks harder, letting his moans vibrate through to your clit to fill your lower stomach with butterflies.

“I-I’m gonna cum!” You whimper loudly.

“You can cum if you beg.” The hufflepuff purrs with one last roll of his tongue, pausing his fingers, still deep inside of you. Every ounce of your dignity is shredded as the pleasure of Cedric’s mouth and fingers stop.

“Please Diggory, let me cum.” You mewl in desperation, but he doesn’t move.

“Try again love.” He smirks in amusement.

“Please Cedric, you make me feel so good! I’m so fucking close, I need to cum.” You moan in frustration, grinding your hips frantically for any friction. Cedric chuckles darkly, pulling his fingers out almost fully before slamming right back into you.

“Merlin, you say my name so perfectly darling.” The brunette grins, pulling his finger out and slamming back again.

“Say it again.” Cedric commands, attaching his lips to your clit, his fingers now ramming in and out of you.

“Cedric! Oh fuck!” your choked voice almost comes out as a sob, and your incoherent moans mix deliciously with your lover’s name.

With the combined stimulation of Cedric’s rough fingers and strong tongue, a coil snaps as your body seems to lose control. Writhing, pulsing, and gripping Cedric’s hair as you pant for breath.

Cedric pauses the assault with his tongue, but continues using his fingers to help ride out your high.

When the shockwaves finally stop and you’re able to open your eyes again, Cedric is leaning directly above you, a grin plastered on his face. “You’re so beautiful when you cum.” The hufflepuff begins kissing down your neck as his hands move down his torso and pulls his shirt up his chest. Cedric pauses to wince as cuts reopen and the fabric irritates his bruises, but when you sit up to help him, he pushes you down again. “I’m fine, It’s just a couple scratches.” He smirks looking back down at you, but you’ve regained your senses and have pushed the toned champion back onto the bench and climbed onto his lap.

“Are you sure? You looked pretty banged up.” your voice comes out as a soft whisper as you begin to press butterfly kisses to his bruises.

“Yes, f-fuck y/n.” He groans as you suddenly bite down on his shoulder, sucking on it for a couple seconds until you’re sure a hickey will form.

“Good, because it’s my turn now.”

You lift your hips from his lap to tug his shorts down and he lifts his bottom up to help you. As soon as they’re off you begin to unbutton your blouse, shrugging it off before leaning forwards and running a finger down Cedric’s abdomen. “Help me?” You smirk, standing and brushing your hair aside to reveal your bra strap. Cedric obliges with shaky fingers as his cock grows harder and begins twitching. Once it comes loose, you turn and connect lips with Cedric’s again, moving your hand to the back of the brunette’s head to run your hands through his hair and cup his jaw. Cedric takes your hips into his hands and slowly brings you towards him again. You shuffle onto Cedric’s lap again, hovering just above his cock as he rubs the sides of your body.

Without warning you sink onto him, relaxing your walls to take all of Cedric’s length. His grip on your waist tightens as you wrap around him. Strings of curses leave his mouth as his head falls onto your shoulder and he nips at the sensitive skin. When you’re halfway down, he moves his hands from your hips to your breasts, massaging them roughly and peppering kisses all over. With the Help of Cedric’s wandering hands and caring mouth, you bottom out and adjust to the feeling of being full. Your hands dig into Cedric’s shoulder blades and you begin moving up and down. It’s slow at first, you aren’t quite sure how to do it, but the hufflepuff uses his hands on your hips to guide you and soon you’re bouncing up and down, the grip on your side and the waves of euphoria from Cedric’s cock pushing you further than you could have ever thought possible.

“You feel so good darling.” Cedric sighs, his eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open as your walls wrap tighter against him with each bounce. You don’t respond, your thoughts occupied with keeping the euphoric feeling coming. Using Cedric’s broad shoulders you begin to pick up the pace, sucking dark marks into existence on his chest, panting breathy moans into his ear and tightening your grip around his shaft to earn you that desperate moan that made you dizzy.

With the overstimulation from your voice and love bites Cedric could feel his release coming, but he wasn’t ready to end this just yet, with the last couple bounces he summoned as much strength as he could to lift you from his lap and release onto your abdomen. It took everything in him not to drop you or collapse right there, but he managed, setting you back down on the wide bench to push you back and tilt your chin up to meet eye to eye.

“Don’t t-think I’m done with you yet princess.” He growls.

The lustful look in your eyes as your pupils dilated and your mouth hung open had him hard all over again and before you could reply with something witty, he pounded right back into you.

Your head is thrown back at the new angle Cedric is fucking you in, your back arches so he can move deeper and your legs swing up to wrap around his torso, bringing him impossibly close to you. Cedric responds with vigorous thrusts, desperate for you to submit to him and end this with him on top. While he desperately rolls his hips into yours, you pull his head down and reconnect your lips, using your tongue to explore his mouth as you swallow the breathy moans of the grey eyed hufflepuff. Your teeth clash, lips mold and tongues dance as Cedric fucks you senseless.

“Oh fuck Cedric right there!” You cry, rolling your hips up to meet the champion’s needy thrusts and allowing your moans to fill the empty air. Skin hitting skin is the only sound other than your moans and cries mixing together, intimately connecting and reconnecting over and over as wave after wave of pleasure and euphoria floods your veins and every corner of your body. Your eyes roll back and your toes curl with each movement of Cedric’s hips and with his arms pinned above your head and his low groans right in front of your face you could not contain the knot that was forming in your abdomen. Your nails rake down Cedric’s back and bury themselves into his hair as you grin victoriously at the loud profanities spilling through his gritted teeth. With each pump of his length the knot grows tighter and tighter, Pleasure is swapped with pure bliss and Cedric can feel it too as his thrusts grow sloppy and your core tightens against him. He lets himself go, and you follow right behind him. The proof of your pleasures stream between the two of you, down your legs and in between where you are still connected.

Cedric helps you ride out your high as you run your shaky finger up and down his chest, a smile growing on your face as Cedric finally opens his eyes and looks back down at your tired form, panting and grinning back down at you.

“I win.” He smirks, lazily pulling out of you and resting himself on his elbows.

“In your dreams Diggory.” You roll your eyes and move some hair out of the boy’s face.

“Oh are we back on the last name basis?” Cedric chuckles, cupping your cheek and using his thumb to circle your cheek.

“Only if you want Ced.” You sigh, tilting your head closer to Cedric’s warm palm.

“Well in that case, you better get used to calling me Cedric, y/n.” The hufflepuff beams, sitting up and pulling you onto his lap.

Your eyes widen and you begin to laugh joyously as you connect your lips to Cedric’s again, mumbling sweet nothings in between each peck. You stay like that for a second, in each other’s arms, relishing the feeling of finally being complete and content, but as you press your hand to Cedric’s chest he winces and you know the moment has to end.

“Alright lover boy, it’s time to get you to the hospital wing.” You sigh, pecking Cedric’s lips once more before grabbing your wand and quickly cleaning off the mess in between you and Cedric’s legs. “Do I have too?” Cedric groans, pulling you back to him, as you clasp your bra on. “I’m sure I’ll be fine just sitting here in your arms.” He states staring lovingly into your eyes. “Sorry Ced, but even I don’t know a lot of healing spells and by the look of it you’re gonna need them.” You giggle, standing on shaky legs as you pick up your blouse and skirts again.

“Get changed Ced, I’ll meet you outside.” You smirk, slowly making your way out of the room with a slight swing in your hips.

Taking a deep breath of the night air, you take a moment to really take in what just happened. You thought you hated that boy, but maybe that was just for show. Maybe you’d always had feelings for the boy with the yellow scarf and you had been too naive to realize it. It felt strange how the part of your brain that convinced you to fight was now telling you this was right, but you were fine with it, your whole perspective had changed of this boy from the moment he came limping to you in the stadium.

Cedric had similar thoughts as he tugged on his shirt and pants. He finally realized the feeling he got when you looked at him wasn’t annoyance, it was a crush. A fancy that he wanted so badly to deny, but embrace at the same time, and now he could.

As he finally walked out to you and wrapped you in his arms, you knew it was right and you were where you are meant to be. As you interlocked hands with the grey eyed hufflepuff, making your way towards the castle and your new life. Something was made crystal clear.

Badgers and snakes are natural born enemies, made to fight and hate each other. But you and Cedric aren’t the animals you are associated with,

you’re humans and you had the choice to decide how you would treat your opposite.

And although the two of you were clear descriptions of the houses you were assigned, your personalities molded perfectly.

As Cedric lay in the hospital bed, Madam Pomfrey healing his wounds, you stuck by his side and held his hand, knowing the snake would never define you. The badger would never define Cedric. You were your own people, and you were in love.

When You Bump Into Your Ex ~ Big Bang Reaction

T.O.P:

Your hand instantly pulled Seunghyun into a nearby store as you recognised a figure who was walking along the pavement towards you. “I want to look in here,” you told Seunghyun as he looked at you in confusion.

“What’s going on? That was a snap decision?” He quizzed.

“I saw him,” you whispered, glancing out of the door to make sure the coast was clear, “Y/E/N.”

“Outside?” Seunghyun asked, tightening the grip around your waist, “you don’t need to worry about seeing him, I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

Your head nodded as you glanced up to meet Seunghyun’s eye, “I know you’re here, but just being around him terrifies me, it’s not exactly like we split up on good terms.”

“I know,” Seunghyun sympathised, “but we’re going to make sure that we stand tall against him if he comes near us, and we’ll prove to him how happy you are now without him.”

Your smile softened as he poked your hip, “you’re right, if I see him, I should show him that I’ve moved on and that I’m with you.”

“And if he tries to hurt you or upset you, I’m by your side to keep you protected,” he grinned, “he won’t try anything around me.”

“I’m very lucky to have you protecting me.”

Taeyang:

Your breath hitched as you walked into the café behind Yongbae, noticing a familiar figure sat at one of the tables by the window. “Y/E/N’s over there,” you whispered as he looked back, noticing how quick you were to stop walking.

“How?” Yongbae asked, “I thought he moved away.”

“I don’t know,” you panicked, turning away so that your back faced him, “I don’t get why he’s here.”

“Don’t worry,” he instantly instructed, moving his hand so that it wrapped around your waist, “let’s just get a drink and sit somewhere out of the way.”

Your head shook as Yongbae tried to look around for an empty table in the building. “I don’t want to stay here when he’s here, I don’t want for him to come anywhere near me.”

“I know he’s stupid, but surely he’s not stupid enough to come near you when I’m here,” Yongbae laughed trying to brighten your mood, “one step close to you and he’ll know about it.”

Your eyes rolled as Yongbae tensed his arm around you, “I love you, but you’re hardly someone to start a fight like that.”

“He might just draw that side out of me,” Yongbae sniggered, “now, come on, let’s just enjoy our day, regardless of what’s going on.”

“You’re right, I’m not going to let him get to me.”

G-Dragon:

The moment you heard his voice, you knew exactly who it was, spinning around in panic as you came face to face with your ex. “This is your new partner?” He chuckled, glancing across at Jiyong by your side.

“He is,” you proudly replied, “he’s great.”

“I bet he doesn’t compare to me,” your ex challenged, “he’s about half my height for a start Y/N.”

“I make up for it in another places,” Jiyong warned, pushing you behind him, taking a step forward himself, “Y/N seems happy with me.”

Your ex’s eyes rolled as he looked Jiyong up and down, “it’s alright, I’m glad to see that she’s settled for second best, but I know that no one will ever be as good for her as I was.”

“I’m definitely sure I could prove that statement false,” Jiyong smiled, taking a hold of your hand, “I’ve heard enough about you to know how just how happy she wasn’t with you.”

Your ex sniggered, shooting a glare in your direction, “that’s the game you want to play is it Y/N, paint me out to be the bad guy?”

“I’m not playing any games,” you scolded, “I’m happy, and it’s about time you went out and found your own happiness too Y/E/N.”

“Trust me, I’m very happy, the single life is perfect for me.”

Daesung:

You smiled across at Daesung as he made his way across to the bathroom whilst you sat yourself down at the bar. As you sat down, another figure sat down beside you, taking you by surprise. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“No,” you stuttered, staring across at the figure.

“It’s been a while,” he smiled, nudging your leg, “and you’re here all alone as well, are you?”

“I’m not alone,” you assured, looking around in search of Daesung as he pulled his chair in closer towards yours, “I’m just waiting for someone.”

His head shook, rolling his eyes as the penny dropped for him. “Don’t tell me you’re waiting for a date to show up? You can hardly blame the poor guy for bailing on you.”

“It’s not a date she’s waiting for, it’s a boyfriend,” a voice announced from behind you, wrapping their arm around you, and most importantly, securing you with relief.

Your ex’s expression turned upside down as he looked across at Daesung, “is this an act? There’s no way that she could pull you.”

“She has,” Daesung sternly warned him, “and we’re about to enjoy a nice evening together, just the two of us, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, you’re more than welcome to her.”

---

Masterlist

Queen live at Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, CA, USA - September 7, 1982 (Part-1)

(x)

The band are in great form tonight, full of vitality and passion. Only the intro of Rock It is performed from now onward. When the vocal is expected to re-enter after the rhythm section joins in, the band jump into the first verse of the fast We Will Rock You. John Deacon's bass solo after the second chorus is aggressive, and overall the band are clearly happy to be playing the longer version of the song again - although they do have a bit of trouble getting out of the middle section together, but they recover well. Freddie offers a great version of Play The Game. After the song, he has a word with the enthusiastic audience. "So here we are, back again in Oakland after a long time. Has everybody been keeping okay since we've been away?" Naturally everyone says "yeah", and Freddie replies, "Bullshit!" He continues, "Anyway, we have a lot of new songs for you since we were here last, and this next one is a song for all the girls here tonight, you know what I mean? The real girls. If you've got tits or if you haven't got tits it don't matter." The girls quickly stop cheering as Freddie is just trying too hard when he actually doesn't have to. He attempts to recover, "You just don't understand English. It doesn't matter. This is a Roger Taylor composition [the mention of Roger's name gets the girls screaming again] entitled Calling All Girls." Just before the first chorus of the song, Freddie adlibs, "I've got a message for you babe!" After the second chorus, following "take a message of love for all to hear," he adds to the energy with a few spontaneous words: "Have you got it? Can you hear it? Can you feel it?" Tonight is the first known performance of the Hot Space rocker Put Out The Fire, segueing from the vocal improv of Now I'm Here (Freddie doesn't have the lyrics perfected yet, which suggests it hasn't been performed too many times - fan club magazines from the period say the song was performed as a standalone piece earlier in the tour). After the second chorus, the band seamlessly jump into Dragon Attack. The combination of these three songs seems to recall the medley idea that had been dropped in 1981. After Now I'm Here, Freddie challenges the audience to one of his usual vocal duels. For the first time, he is heard singing "Dee do de de", something that would become part of the lyrics of "Living On My Own" off his first solo album in 1985. Shortly thereafter, after an "alright" that's held for a few seconds, he shouts, "You can do it!" in encouragement, after which he says, "Not bad! It's amazing what you will do if you're pushed." He really takes a liking to this audience. During the next song, Save Me, instead of singing the line "I love you 'til I die," he speaks the words "I love ya", and during the three quiet beats leading into the first chorus, he quickly and poignantly adds, "don't forget it!" Freddie once again dedicates Fat Bottomed Girls to "people who like fucking a lot." In the second verse of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, he modifies a lyric to say "she knows how to fuck and roll." One can draw their own conclusions as to where Freddie Mercury's mind was at on this tour. He turns in a very passionate version of Bohemian Rhapsody (despite not being in full voice by the end of the show), where everything seems to come home to him. Only he knew what the song really meant, but plenty have suggested that the proverbial man being killed in the first verse as told to his mother is his former self that had not yet come to terms with his sexuality. A clash of worlds in 1982, if that's the case. Matt Granz (also with a story from San Francisco '77) fondly shares his memories of this show here:

“This photo is from Queen's last Bay area show ever with Freddie Mercury. With the new direction that they took with the album "The Game" Brian May stated that Queen had "gained the world, but lost America". I think that after they played a Los Angeles gig or two after this particular show that they never did come back to the US. That is truly sad since they were one of the most charismatic of all rock groups to ever play on a stage. This concert was no exception! This photo was taken during Brian's echo solo. The three lights backlighting Brian belonged to one of two manned light pods that followed him around the stage. It was a spectacular effect!

The friend I went to the concert with (who's name I can't even begin to recall) took his SLR 35mm and I took a pocket fixed focus... after seeing me lament over the bad quality of my images he took mercy on me and sold me this memory as an 8x10 B&W Glossy that I kept secured in a folder... and just recently rediscovered and decided to digitize these many years later. My own pics from the concert all came out underexposed... drat! His SLR had some great lenses and he had his own darkroom. He also had great access to many good spots to shoot from.

By the way… remember the days when you didn't need a press badge to bring a camera to a concert? What happened??? Lawyers, I'll tell ya... Lawyers.

The story behind the Flying V being utilized was that at the very onset of his Echo solo, Brian busted a string on the "Red Special". He waked backstage and then shortly reappeared with this guitar. The sound was quite different. After the solo was done fifteen minutes later, he took back his own guitar and proceeded to use it for the rest of the show. It was pretty unusual to see him playing this and (besides the Tele he plays on Crazy Little Thing Called Love for the songs' first solo) have not seen him play another electric besides his main axe that he and his father made.

I was pretty poor at the time, but I liked this photo enough to buy it because of the before mentioned spectacular lighting and the fact that Brian is playing a Flying V.

Though I was not a fan of The Game, this concert was superb! I came to see Brian (being a guitarist myself) and was amazed at how distracted I was by the rest of the band. They were flawless that night and the floor seats I snuck into... 20 rows from the stage... provided the perfect viewing experience. The light show was also the best I had ever seen as well, in that it didn't distract from the music or musicians but rather pulsated perfectly with the beats and saturated the stage with great color combinations.

Freddie, Brian, Roger & John all had the whole auditorium held by the throat from the very start of the show till the last fading notes of "God Save the Queen". Sheer Excellence!” Most of the photos were taken by Sean Trend. A few of the pictures show Brian with the Gibson Flying V, as he had played in East Rutherford last month. But this time he begins his solo with the Flying V, as confirmed by someone who attended the show. Brian, in disbelief, later commented on this: http://www.brianmay.com

“Well, I'm shocked. I definitely would have sworn that I never played a solo live with a Flying V. I played around with them, but mainly at home, except for one video appearance for "Princes of the Universe" in which I'm obviously not really playing!!!

Cheers Bri”

(x)

Part-2

Let's Make a Standard English Fantasy Kingdom

So, we'll Befriend the Elves.

Trade with Dwarves. They played hardball on tariffs and moving fees, but in truth we'll be better off because of it, (they understand economics a hell of a lot better than we do).

We have programmes to try and coax Gnomes out of their forests, and join societies for the betterment of the country, but otherwise left alone.

The Church has taken custody of the major bathhouses, and agreed to a minimum price for prostitutes. The bathhouses who have had their cathedrals completed have become significant waystations. The Elves involved are teaching the Church how the holy healing magicks works, with the intent to create a knightly order.

We invite the barbarians to a mid-day feast to lull them. When we show them the baths and cathedrals, they were so impressed that many of the chiefs instantly wished to convert. The nearest barbarian tribes are now good servants, and wish to serve the kingdom. The Dwarves have agreed to help us shore up them defences to bring them into the fyrd, while the Elves help them keep the other tribes at bay. Gifts of oxen were given to them.

The Barbarian good servants spend a lot more time in the woods, and other wilds. The waters and mists of Ingir make it a perfect place for the Fey to run roughshod. We had two main prongs were sending ambassadors to the Summer and Winter courts, and using our allies to help us build new fairy villages. We have yet to hear back from the ambassadors, but with Fey this might likely take... a few centuries. The villages, however, seem to have been somewhat of a success. It's hard to tell with Fey, but interactions seem more positive. There also seems to be a factional dispute within the Fey on our behalf. The villages themselves are only occupied when the Fey feel like it. Often moreso during the rains. Education campaigns have had small-scale success, and should be continued.

While our knights were being trained in the art of bath magics, the Lady of the Lake started to appear before knights questing against monsters and other dangerous beasts. She allows them to drink from the Grail, and their abilities have been fantastically improved. The King has created an order just for them,

The Most Holy Order of the Knights of the Grail of the Lady of the Mists and Waters, Her Grace Permeates the Soils and Flows Over the Lands of Ingir.

As it is right now, there is only a few.

We decided against creating an order of Bath Knights, so once they complete their training in healing and hydromancy, they are returned to their fiefs to serve their lord.

Our Gwylltion good servants to the North were facing an army of Orcs, Men corrupted by Demons. The clansdwarves of the traders warned them not to go, and they will be missed. The crusade was able to quickly draw knights from across the kingdom. The Bath Knights were extremely adept at cleansing the Orcs. Some were even restored to humanity. The raised army was then able to come in and secure regions that had been cleansed.

After extensive trials and tribulations to separate the wheat from the chaff, they were divided into two categories: the majority that wished to convert, and the minority that still wanted the protection our kingdom could bring without conversion. The majority were baptized brought into the fold with the other Gwylltion good servants. The remainder were organized into Watch Companies, to provide an external buffer on the moors. The Dwarves were more than eager to setup new trading routes to supply them, and Elves more than willing to assist in the construction of new baths. The Church was more than happy to take control of these new properties.

The Elves have become quite placid. Knowing they fought the Dragons makes sense of this placidity, as they do not see any challenge even remotely similar. Unfortunately, for the majority still alive from the Wyrmrend find remembering that far back to be quite the bother. It seems none of them were personally Dragonslayers. According to them, there are True Dragons, and Lesser Dragonkin. The Brontides are likely caused by True Dragons. It seems the accolade of Dragonslayer was given typically posthumously. The Fey were surprisingly cooperative, and the Dwarven information supported their conclusions: the Dark Kith of the Elves, that lie deep within the earth.

There are reports of Elves, not from the Ingraali vein, occupying our baths, but it will take some time to pursue.

The winner will be taken off the next poll.

Our expedition is being lead by a Grail Knight, and that's the only one we're going to get. He was chosen by our good and true king, and the Lady of the Lake, so it's doubtful we could ever find someone more qualified.

The Dwarves are coming, whether we want them to or not. They already have the logistics largely planned out, they just need to know actual numbers.

Our Elven friends are refusing to go. They are afraid that if they go too far beneath the earth, they will lose their connection to Heaven. There's a reason the Dragons were able to escape there.

Gnomes are almost impossible to recruit directly. Instead, the factions will bring their own Gnomes with them.

Peasants are cheap and easy to recruit, to the point that you can easily recruit ten for a single knight. They provide a good labour force, and are skilled longbowmen and billmen.

Tradesmen are a lot more expensive, but provide tangible benefits.

Landed Knights are difficult to pull away from their lands, but Questing Knights live for the quest.

Gwyllion are powerful, wild, and used to spartan lifestyles.

Due to the wet nature of Ingir, Hydromancy is the most useful and powerful magickal discipline.

Other magick users are much fewer, and it's hard to say who we'll actually get.

Priests, Deacons, Monks, Mendicant Friars. We could probably get a Bishop if we put a lot of effort into it.

Dyn Pry: Gnomes that long ago were "blessed" by the Fey into developing the lower bodies of spiders. They are normally protected by Dwarves, but, like most races, the young males often have a bit of wanderlust.

We could probably recruit some Fey to help us. Who they are, and how helpful they would be, is an open question.

Chapter 37

of the wwx emperor au I’m thinking of calling Fuck the Canon: Happy Endings For Everyone

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 Part 1 | Chapter 8 Part 2 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 Part 1 | Chapter 15 Part 2 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 Part 1 | Chapter 22 Part 2 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35 | Chapter 36

There is no tea.

Not only is there no tea, but the Emperor’s small private study, located just beyond his personal chambers, is distinctly lacking in any accommodations necessary to serve or consume tea.

Ordinarily, WangJi would find himself irritated, even by such a harmless deception. After five days spent in the Immortal Mountain, however, he finds that he has become more patient. Perhaps not with others, but certainly with the Emperor, whose careless attitude and playful nature seem to conceal a much more complex character, one that WangJi has grown to respect.

The Lan Sect does not listen to gossip, but their new lodgings in the Jade Sword Palace make gossip impossible to avoid. Wei WuXian had lingered by WangJi’s side long past midnight, sunrise only hours away by the time they had finally parted. Yet, great many things seem to have happened since then, each one significant enough to shake the Immortal Mountain to its roots.

Before noontime tea, the Young Master of the Jin Sect had seen his betrothal annulled, the Jiang Sect had fallen out of favor, Sect Leader Nie had been given a title, and the Council seems to hover on the verge of being dissolved.  

WangJi cannot begin to guess what all of these events mean, separate or together, but he knows that Wei WuXian could not have possibly had a sufficient amount of sleep. He also knows that the world of court schemes and maneuverings, as distasteful as he finds it to be, is an inevitable reality of Wei WuXian’s existence. A part of him is even slightly curious, tentatively attempting to forge a connection between these seemingly unconnected events. Another part of him feels pity, that Wei WuXian cannot begin his day without some sort of upheaval.  

Even now, standing by the desk, wrapped in the heavy, intricate layers of the Imperial dragon robes, the Emperor is all exhaustion and tension. Less than a dozen hours have passed since they had seen each other last; WangJi had spent those hours in the peace and silence of the Imperial guest chambers. Wei WuXian looks as if he had spent them on the battleground, fighting for his life.

Still, when he sees WangJi, his face tranforms.

“Lan Zhan.”

WangJi nods in response. He is not sure when he had become fond of the way Wei WuXian says his name, but he can no longer deny the inevitable elation following on its heels. Each time, his name comes with an accompanying smile, and each time, that smile is for him alone.

“I hope you were not expecting tea,” Wei WuXian says ruefully.

WangJi does not dignify that with a response. One must adjust their expectations when faced with an Emperor who runs barefoot over the rooftops, and becomes unreasonably excited over rabbits.

“Uh, right,” Wei WuXian says, “there is something I need you to see.”

The bookcase behind the desk is filled to bursting. Perhaps, if it were only used to hold books, there would be plenty of space, and little to no chaos. But Wei WuXian seems to have filled the shelves with anything that could fit, and many things that could not, creating a precarious mess of objects that could topple at the smallest disturbance. There are numerous jade figurines of all sizes, small pots, boxes and ink stones, a few odd shapes that resemble children’s toys, books and scrolls crammed in between the objects, all with no sense or order.

It is a surprise when Wei WuXian manages to pull out three books and a flat box hiding behind them, without knocking anything to the ground. WangJi realizes that he has shifted to stand on his toes, fully expecting to have to provide assistance, or perhaps even protection from any wayward object that may come flying off the shelf to cause potential injury. No such thing occurs, however, and he places his heels back down, feeling silly for his overabundance of caution.

The flat box looks plain and light. Inside, it holds a single piece of paper, although it is immediately obvious that the paper is an Imperial Order, the Emperor’s stamp bright and bold, and difficult to miss.

WangJi does not expect Wei WuXian to simply offer the paper for perusal, without ceremony, and without any hint as to what the Order holds.

He is even more confused once he realizes that the paper is actually a declaration of succession. In the event of Wei WuXian’s death, the throne is to pass to--

He blinks. The Imperial Order is not long, for there is not much to the actual succession except naming the heir. Still, WangJi reads it again, just to be certain that he has not read the name in error.

He has not.

Well.

While he is reading, Wei WuXian is fidgeting. The dragon robes are not designed for such impatient movement, and WangJi resists the urge to grab him by the shoulders, and tell him to stop plucking at the golden thread on his sleeves. The robe probably costs more than thirty villages are capable of producing in a year.

He offers the paper back.

“I do not understand.”

“Which part?” Wei WuXian says slowly, and WangJi blinks at him.

Is there more than one part to the succession? No, he has read it twice.

“I do not understand why I need to know this,” WangJi clarifies.

“Oh,” Wei WuXian says, smiling again, but it is a nervous smile, as jittery as his hands, “This-- it is important. The-- line of succession. The person I intend to marry should know that the heir has already been chosen.”

WangJi narrows his eyes. He feels as if he had missed a part of their conversation.

His mind inevitably turns to the rumors that had flown rampant in the palace that same morning; the new title granted to the Nie Sect Leader, the dissolution of the Young Master Jin’s betrothal, and the possible dissolution of the Council.

Does-- Wei WuXian mean to marry Jin ZiXuan? It is a preposterous idea. Absolutely ridiculous.

But even so, WangJi suddenly finds that Jin ZiXuan cannot be allowed to live. WangJi will challenge him to a fight, then remove each and every one of his limbs, starting with his head. This should not be difficult to accomplish.

“You are angry,” Wei WuXian says, “I should have-- perhaps I should not have begun with the line of succession. I am not good at--“ he waves his hand, as if the motion is somehow supposed to make his words less incoherent.

He looks agitated and unhappy, and WangJi wants to help, but he is not sure how.

“You want to marry,” he says, trying to establish some logical narrative.

“Yes,” Wei WuXian says, “I want to marry. And before you disagree, I am aware that five days is an extremely limited amount of time to truly get to know another person. I have already gotten a lecture about this from A-Sang. And I have already gotten a lecture from your uncle, who can be extremely rude while remaining polite, a skill I admire, but do not want to confront again. Not if I can help it. And I-- I know life in the Immortal Mountain is probably not what you had in mind if-- if you had marriage in mind. Before today. But I think-- if you are willing to give it a chance, I could make you happy. I would like to try. To make you happy.”

There is a lag in WangJi’s understanding, as each sentence needs to be rearranged in his own mind, just so he can comprehend its meaning. Still, even with the lag, it takes him an abominably long time to fully grasp what Wei WuXian is saying.

Once he does, he finds himself shocked into stillness.

“Are you--“ Wei WuXian looks as if he means to move closer, than stops himself at the last moment, “You look-- more angry now. Than before. I understand that this is not an ideal proposal, what with the-- lack of gifts and ceremony and everything else, but--“

He sighs, apparently forgetting that his hair is neatly arranged, because his fingers make a mess of it in moments.

“An offer of marriage should not make you angry, Lan Zhan. I thought we-- does the idea of it bother you that much?”

WangJi needs to speak. Wei WuXian is capable of drawing thousands of incorrect conclusions before WangJi can formulate a single sentence, and WangJi needs to prevent this from happening, as soon as possible. But what is he supposed to say?

Clarify. This is always a good strategy, especially with Wei WuXian.

“Are you asking me to marry you?” WangJi says carefully, fully expecting Wei WuXian to laugh and deny it.

He believes that he had made his peace with the fact that the Emperor really likes him, whatever that means, when coming from a Divine Ruler. But marriage is-- something else entirely.

Even saying it out loud sounds ridiculous.

“Yes!” Wei WuXian exclaims, “Yes, I am asking you to marry me.”

“Why?” WangJi blurts out, incredulous.

“Why?” Wei WuXian repeats, the dumfounded expression on his face a perfect reflection of WangJi’s own feelings, “wh-- what do you mean, why? Because I fell in love with you. Why else would I marry someone?”

“You--“ WangJi’s throat is completely dry, and seems to have shrank into nothingness.

It is difficult to breathe, let alone form words.

This is utterly ridiculous. The most ridiculous thing WangJi has even heard, seen, or experienced, in his entire life.

And yet, he wants to hear it again. He wants Wei WuXian to say it again. The rush he had felt at those words cannot be described. It is obliterating.

Wei WuXian inches closer, his posture careful, “I still cannot tell when you are just angry, or so furious that you might try and kill me, so-- do not try and kill me? I should have probably led with the declaration of love, huh? I can try again. Lan Zhan, I am in love with you. I would really like it if you would marry me, and become the Emperor Consort. Your uncle has already given permission, and the Council is about to do so as well, or Empire will no longer have a Council. The throne already has an heir, so the succession is nothing to worry about. And since I cannot imagine sharing my life with anyone else, I can swear to take no other spouse, as long as we are both alive in the world. Is that better? Did--“

WangJi does not plan to move.

He does not plan anything. The chaos of thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind can hardly be called thinking, let alone planning. Therefore, he is astonished to find himself acting so brashly. But Wei WuXian does not waste a single moment with something so banal as surprise.

His arms immediately wrap around WangJi’s shoulders, as if they belong there. There is a faint, lingering taste of pears and honey on his lips. His mouth is soft, his breaths hot and fast, his heartbeat a forceful thunder against WangJi’s chest. The exquisite texture of the Imperial dragon robe under his hands has nothing on the actual shape of Wei WuXian’s waist. WangJi can feel the ridges of his spine through the material, enticing but also fragile, and raked with barely perceptible tremors.

Wei WuXian smiles against his mouth, then laughs, his lips pressing a quick kiss to the tip of WangJi’s nose.

“Is that a yes?” he says, “Please tell me that means yes.”

WangJi is not yet capable of forming words. An extremely advantageous hindrance, because he cannot simply accept an offer of marriage, regardless of his feelings.

The bright smile on Wei WuXian’s face begins to fade, and WangJi feels panic, that he cannot explain himself quickly and succinctly, the way the situation demands.

“Lan Zhan?”

“I cannot accept,” WangJi says.

Wei WuXian blinks at him, then shifts slightly, as if to pull away. WangJi refuses to release him, his arms wrapping more securely around the silk-clad waist, fingers clutching handfuls of delicate material.

Perhaps he does so with more strength and urgency than necessary, because Wei WuXian stumbles, catching himself against WangJi’s chest.

“I want to accept,” he clarifies, “but I cannot. I must speak to uncle first.”

“Oh,” Wei WuXian says, “That-- but he-- I have already spoken to your uncle.”

“You have spoken to many people,” WangJi points out, “Everyone whose opinion you care to hear. Other than myself.”

Wei WuXian huffs, his restless fingers now plucking at the thread of WangJi’s robes instead of his own. WangJi would grab his hands to prevent it, but this would mean releasing his hold, and he does not think he is capable of doing so, at least not yet.

“I should be allowed to do the same,” WangJi says, “You must give me time.”

Wei WuXian’s fingers have now found their way to the collar of WangJi’s robes, and the brush of them against the skin of his neck is extremely distracting. The logical part of his brain insists that this is an inappropriate way to have a serious conversation. A marriage, especially one that would make him the Emperor Consort to the Divine Ruler of the Shan Empire is perhaps the most serious conversation that can possibly be conceived.

But Wei WuXian’s hair smells like pears, sweet and heavy, and he keeps biting his already reddened lip. The other part of WangJi’s brain, the one that does not care for logic or propriety, insists that he should stop speaking and kiss him again, regardless of the seriousness of the conversation.

Lan Zhan, I am in love with you.

His arms tighten of their own volition, and Wei WuXian huffs out a laugh. It is a small laugh however, and there is and nervous edge to it, carrying over into his voice.

“How much time? Because-- what if-- what if you think about it, and then-- decide that you do not want to marry me?”

“Then, I suppose you will have to marry Nie HuaiSang,” WangJi deadpans.

Wei WuXian splutters for a few moments, the expression on his face rapidly shifting from shock to displeasure to pure exasperation. Considering how many times Wei WuXian has managed to exasperate him in turn, WangJi does not feel bad.

“Do not joke,” Wei WuXian says, “I am serious. Your uncle had given permission, but he does not like me, and he will tell you all the reasons why marrying me is a terrible--“

“Wei Ying,” WangJi says, effectively cutting off the flow of words, “I want to marry you. I will not change my mind. But you must give me time.”

He is utterly unprepared for Wei WuXian’s bright smile, the warm glow of delight that washes over his face, the tiny crinkles in the corners of his eyes. He is even less prepared to be kissed again, but he is more than willing, Wei WuXian’s mouth eagerly searching for his own.  

They should have spent the past five days kissing. Any moment that WangJi had not been kissing Wei WuXian now feels an unacceptable waste of time, one he has every intention to remedy. Although Wei WuXian seems as invested in this plan as he is, he cannot seem to help smiling into the kiss, his lips often darting to press to WangJi’s cheek, his chin, the side of his nose. It is sweet and silly, his restless excitement, and WangJi is now certain that Wei WuXian had been right.

He will be more than capable of making WangJi happy.

How about how the 12 warriors celebrate V-Day? (Bonus challenge being Doudecuple and Navi)

Thank you for the request @gale-dragon-writer

This was a long one! I hope you guys like!

Inounoshishi

Without S/O

This wouldn’t happen, let’s be real. If it did she planned this by choice, so she’s probably busy kicking ass and taking names...and numbers

Probably prowls bars for lonely men/women/they’s ect to buy her drinks.

Never pays for any food or drink of Valentines. She’s hot af and knows it

It’s 50/50 if she’s going to go home with someone

With S/O

Expects to be spoiled. Please spoil her

Despite her immense wealth, she doesn’t expect you to buy her expensive things. She can do that herself. What she’d really like is for a gift that’s full of thought.

If you make her a gift, she’ll play it off but she secretly loves it. It doesn’t matter how shitty it is. If you make her a cute boar figure out of clay and it’s lopsided, but you tried hard and painted it her favorite color, it’s going on her mantel in the living room.

Spoils you too. You will drown in gifts and kisses. Don’t worry, she uses amazing lipstick and it doesn’t stick to your face.

Dotsuku

Without S/O

Spends the day giving candy to the children.

Secretly gives his daughter a secret admirer letter, her confidence SKY ROCKETS

Decorates his classroom

This man is great at help kids learn about consent. No pulling pigtails, and if a boy likes a girl and she tells him no, he makes sure he knows not to keep bugging her. Same thing with the girls. If a boy doesn’t like them they’re not allowed to keep bugging them either.

Watches cute love movies with his daughter. He’s her prince charming.

With S/O

You better believe he has you help decorate his classroom

You make cute paper hearts and pick out candy

The kids leave you valentines

He takes you to dinner. His daughter comes too. You guys have a lot of fun. He buys you and his daughter a dessert. Somehow she eats here and half of yours

Snuggles on the couch and a cute movie.

Niwatori

Without an S/O

Doesn’t celebrate

She doesn’t understand why it’s a big deal

Indulges the day after on discount candy

With an S/O

Help her

She wants to celebrate but she’s in Ushii level awkward when it comes to doing anything

Picks the most popular movie out, watches it, and THAT is the basis for her whole idea

Gets you candy. Wears a cute dress. Picks a place to eat. Buys you roses, or do you get her roses? She’ll get them for you...just in case

Candy? Candy. Lots of candy.

Any small thing you get her she’s going to love. She never has really gotten gifts, and one out of love is a gift she’ll treasure forever

If you do get her flowers, she’s going to press them or dry them and keep them forever

Sharyu

Without an S/O

She had a fiancé for what seemed like forever, so a day without one is kind of difficult for her

She’s happy she’s alone, because she’s happy with who she is and now doesn’t have anyone to try and fit her into a mold that she didn’t belong

Kind of mopes though. She wants romance and someone who loves her for who she is and everything she does

Drinks hot coco and eats an ungodly amount of chocolate

With an S/O

So. Excited.

She cooks all day and makes cake, dinner, and everything else from scratch

You get her gifts and feel like it’s still not enough

Honestly? It doesn’t matter what you get her. She just love shaving you around and knowing how much you care for her for who she is

PLEASE slow dance with her in the kitchen while you’re doing the dishes. She’ll remember it forever

Hitsujii

Without an S/O

Hangs out at home

Waiting for the candy to go on sale

Babysits for his child so they can have a romantic evening

Watches random shows on TV, but avoids romance stuff

With an S/O

Still wants to hang out at home, but will go out if you want

Uses this as an excuse to DESTROY the candy aisle

Gets you flowers, they’re not red roses because that’s pretty expensive, but he gets cute ones...and a bear

Snuggles and falling asleep to bad rom coms on TV

Uuma

Without an S/O

Spends it alone

He wishes he had someone, but he’s alright for the most part

Okay he’s not

He’s a big softie inside and somewhat romanticizes the holiday more than he should

Eats cake...and chocolate 

With an S/O

The man goes WILD

Roses everywhere

Candlelight 

A romantic dinner he made meticulously after practicing for weeks

Remakes the titanic ship in a bottle, with you two as the figures on the front of the ship

He loves any gift you get him. He cries. He tries not to, but he does. 

He writes you a poem he gets to embarrassed to read. You get it in a card. 

Takeyasu

Without an S/O

Steals everything with his brother

Necklaces, candy, and even flowers just so he can light them on fire

Doesn’t think much of the holiday, never has. It’s stupid. 

With an S/O

He’s awkward. He doesn’t know how to celebrate the holiday

He gets you the basics, candy, a bear, and flowers. That’s it right? 

Oh wait, you wanna do something? Uh, can a theme park be romantic?

You have a lot of fun actually, and when inevitably he lights part of it on fire, he has stuff for smores. 

You save the picture from the tunnel of love. You managed to snap it before he lit it on fire. The tunnel was the point of origin. 

Later on down the road he plans more stuff. He may also use fireworks to do your name in the air or something

Steals you a car. 

Nagayuki

Without an S/O

Steals stuff with his brother

Gets entirely to many snacks

Does anything but Holiday stuff

With an S/O

Doesn’t want to do anything, but will because you ask him

Takes you for dinner, and he enjoys spending time with you, but because social convention is making him he’s grumpy about it 

If you’re the kind of person who is easily embarrassed, he may send you cheesy emails with stupid valentines cards

Chocolate and all KINDS of snacks

Later on down the line he’ll plan more romantic stuff, and buy you nice things with real money so you know he cares

Usagi

Without an S/O

He likes the Holiday and wants someone to do it with SOOOO BAD

Watches all those cute movies and cheesy rom coms

Has a “Friend” he takes out on a date

It doesn’t go well

With an S/O

Oh boy. He’s SO HAPPY

He gets you everything. Flower, roses (ignore the blood it’s fine), and he lets you know he’s arrived to pick you up by having his friends hold him high while he has a boom box playing your favorite song. Even if it’s metal. Even if he thinks the holiday begins at midnight. Your neighbors wont care, right?

You will go to ALL the cheesy stuff. Cute rides at a theme park, which somehow gets burned down later on thanks to someone (Takeyasu)

 A dinner and flowers, chocolate. SO MUCH CANDY. He even likes the terrible heart ones. He made you a box filled with ones that have saying that remind him of you

Cuddles, kisses, and smooches that just...don’t stop. Even in public. You gotta tell him to tone it down. 

Tora

Without an S/O

Drinks, and mopes

She doesn’t really want to date, but seeing other people happy kinda rubs it in when you’re single

Partakes in day after candy sales

She actually avoids the bars, to many couples being happy and cute

Angrily eats snacks

With an S/O

She doesn’t expect much, other than maybe being one of those annoying couples who steals Every. Booth. In. The. Restaurant. 

Please get her presents. Please. She’ll get really happy and flustered

This girl will actually try and make you chocolate from scratch. Sharyu helps. She even wraps them in a cute wrapping paper she draws herself

It’s pretty casual and after bar hopping you spend it at home. You’re with her so she cuts back so she’s not sloshed. She wants to remember being with you. 

So many cute kisses. 

Hand holding. It still gets her flustered. 

Please get your picture taken at some point. She’ll put it by her bed and fall asleep smiling

Ushii

Without an S/O

There’s a Holiday? 

He guess he noticed it was harder than normal to get a table for his favorite restaurant

Doesn’t really like sweets so the holiday just annoys him

So many people confess to him and he’s just like “Okay. Cool. Thanks” 

With an S/O

He’s not great with the holiday. He’s smart though, so he tries  to research what to do

Googles top ten most romantic gesture, luckily has the sense not to propose

Gets you candy, roses, and all the stereotypical stuff

You have to tell him to relax, because all the stuff he’s saying is regurgitated rom com lines

When he does relax, he’s actually really sweet. Stupidly sweet actually. 

“I don’t need a holiday to tell me you’re important, you’re already always on my mind, but the candy is nice I guess”

Will watch whatever you want. Is always confused by romance movies, but oh BOY does he love going out to eat with you. Hell. Yes. The desserts are amazing and now he gets to share them with you

Care you a card. It’s ugly, but he tries

Gets you a really cute necklace. It has a small ox on it, so he can always be with you. 

Nezumi

Without an S/O

Eats candy and sleeps. It’s no different than any other day, other than people piss him off more.

He doesn’t like how weird people get 

They also made out on his locker...and he needed his textbook. Please....Let him get his books

With an S/O

Uses his paths so much that he passes out and HARD CORE NAPS before you go out

Has the perfect gift.

Plays co op video games with you

He doesn’t like people, so you get take out and stay home

You watch movies, but they’re movies like Princess Bride, Warm Bodies, and love stories that aren’t so normal and are more fun

If you’re LGBT he goes out of his way to find a good movie ahead of time, because he loves and supports you and this day is about you two damn it! (The other’s would try to do this for their S/O, but would have a harder time. since most of them are not great with technology like Nezumi is)

So much candy and snacks

Selfies and filters

You fall asleep together and nap

get him a gift. He’ll know it’s coming but it still makes him happy

BONUS CHALLENGE 

Doudecuple

Without an S/O

Doesn’t do a whole lot. Has wine and watches the mortals below

Maybe messes with people just a bit to amuse himself

Does his own thing. He really doesn’t care for the holiday

With an S/O

Wine and a dessert charcuterie board

Gets you an expensive gift, but practical. A coat, a scarf. Something to keep you warm and cozy you can use everyday and think of him.

Makes the impossible possible. A romantic setting with only a few people

Getting the tickets for some play or show the last minute

Please do something cheesy, it’ll amuse him, and he’ll secretly keep it

ON THE FLIP SIDE

He may get a gift from you, then anyone who goes in his office will see it. 

“Look what my Love got me. Have you beheld it?”

It doesn’t matter if it’s stupid. He’s keeping it forever 

Navi

Without and S/O

Stays home and has snacks and chocolates

Maybe organizes his hat collection

Watches fun game shows or anything without romance

With S/O

Has a special hat he wears for the occasion

Gets you one too

Gets you candy and a single rose, as well as a teddy bear

Uses his tablet to find the best places to go with the best rating. Uses his ability to multiply to hold your place in line so you can actually do other stuff

Ferris wheel. He has to hold his hat on but you guys get an AMAZING picture together. It’s his screensaver. He texts it to Nezumi. Nezumi and him start having a couple picture off. Next year, double date. 

On the First Day

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader (Kindergarten teacher AU)

Word Count: 1,217

Summary: Bucky is the new Kindergarten teacher at your school.

Author’s Note: This is for the HBC’s @the-mcu-horniest-book-club​ 24 Hour Surprise Drabble Challenge and the AU theme! I chose Bucky @the-ss-horniest-book-club​  and I went with teacher AU- particularly Kindergarten because the thought of Bucky with the cute little kids is too much :) Hope you enjoy this, thank you all for reading! Much love always! ❤❤❤

Warnings: soft fluffy floof and sweetness :)

“Have you met the new Kindergarten teacher?” You look up from your worksheet and raise your eyebrows at your colleague and friend. “Hi Nat, not yet why? You look way too excited.” She walks into your classroom and shuts the door behind her. “Oh my god, he’s gorgeous and he’s just your type! And I heard Principal C say she’s going to pair you up so you can show him the ropes.”

She waggles her eyebrows at that last statement, and you roll your eyes. “Oh jeez! You better not meddle! I don’t need another set up!” Standing from your desk you take her shoulder and open the door, “alright then, let’s go take a peek, he must have a class now since my kids are at gym.” She practically runs down the hallway, dragging your behind her, “you might catch fire, be prepared.”

This time you refrain from an eye roll but only because she can’t see your face at the moment.  Stopping at the wall right by the door you move around her to look in the window. Kneeling on the rug in front of a little girl is the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen. His soft sweater shows off the definition in his arms and the material of his pants is pulled tight over his muscled thighs. You can only see his side profile but as your eyes wander from the stubble running along his perfect jaw to his plump lips all the way up to his fluffy hair you can feel your face heating up.

“I told you,” Nat teases, clearly feeling smug about your reaction. “I can’t believe I’m having these thoughts with children around. This is bad. Let’s go.” Taking her elbow you quickly turn on your heel only to hear the door open and a deep voice greet you, “hey, ladies, sorry to bother you but do either of you know where the staff bathroom is, little Grace here just got some glue in my hair.”

Grace pokes her head around his legs and gives you a beaming smile. “Hi Miss y/n! Hi Miss Nat, I wanted to glue a bow in Mr. Bucky’s hair, but it wouldn’t stay!” Her smile turns to a frown and you all laugh. Nat volunteers to watch the class while you walk Bucky to the bathroom. “Thanks, I really appreciate the help. My first day is going great!” He dips his head with an embarrassed laugh and you’re pretty sure you’re in love.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I can tell you plenty of stories about my first day. I’m y/n, by the way.” He takes your hand to shake it, his own warm but strong, “Really great to meet you. I’m James but everyone calls me Bucky. The kids seem to prefer it too.” You catch yourself staring at him, the beautiful blue of his eyes hard to ignore. “I’m sure they do! So, um here is the bathroom, you should be able to get that out pretty easily with some water.”

“Great, thanks again! I’ll meet you back by the room.” You smile and turn to walk back, glancing over your shoulder and catching him watching you. Pulling your gaze away you come face to face with Principal C. “There you are y/n. I’ve been looking for you. Have you met the new Kindergarten teacher yet?” Hoping she didn’t see the little exchange that just happened you clear your throat, “um, yes I just did actually. Grace got some glue in his hair, so I showed him where the staff bathroom is.”

“Wonderful. I was hoping you could give him a full tour and help with questions during teacher professional development after school today.” You hear the bathroom door open but keep your eyes on Principal C, “sure, I’d love to!” James walks up next to you, waving a hand, “got glue in my hair.”

Principal C laughs, laying a hand on his shoulder, “sounds like your first day is going just right. Y/n is going to show you around after school today and she’ll be able to answer most of your questions.” Bucky’s face lights up in a big smile and he looks at you, blushing slightly when you return it. “Alright you two, back to work! I’ll check in later.” With that she heads to her office.

When you and Bucky arrive back at the classroom Nat is waiting by the door. “All clear,” she says. “Thank you both for the help, appreciate it.” “No problem Bucky, I’ll come by at the end of the day.” He goes back inside, and you stand by the door a moment longer, watching as he interacts with the kids. Grace comes over to him and apologizes and the sweet exchange between them leaves you feeling delighted. “Great Nat, he’s gorgeous and seems like a nice guy. I’m in trouble.”

The end of the day comes faster than you expected, and you collect your things and go meet Bucky. You’re cornered in the hallway by your co-teacher as he chats your ear off about the upcoming review. Trying to politely excuse yourself you inch away, the loud scream of a student giving you the perfect excuse to run off.

When you reach the door of Bucky’s classroom you see Steve sitting on the rug with Bucky, a whole bucket of blocks and trucks between them. Steve screeches again and you realize he’s trying to make the sound of a firetruck. “Hey you guys!” Bucky looks up, motioning for you to come in. “Hey, miss y/n. Steve and I were just building a fire station and rescuing our friends.”

You kneel next to them, lightly brushing Steve’s hair from his face. Talking quietly, you ask Bucky, “is his mom late picking him up?” Bucky gives you a subtle nod, laughing when Steve rolls the firetruck over his foot. “This happened all the time last year. He’s such a good kid.” You sit yourself down next to them, “Hey Steve, can I play too?” He grabs a truck and hands it to you, “of course you can play miss y/n. You can be the ambulance. Mr. Bucky is the police. And I’m the firetruck!”

He screams again and you lean into Bucky, “other than the glue in your hair this seems like a pretty good first day.” He takes the police car and drives it over your foot, “it’s definitely been a great day. I can already tell I’m going to like it here.” The parent secretary lightly knocks at the door drawing your attention away from Bucky, “Steve’s mom is here. Come on.” Steve gets up with a pout but takes his bookbag from his cubby and heads out, waving at you both.

Bucky stands and holds out his hand to help you up. You take it and he pulls you up so fast you bump into his chest. You both say ‘sorry’ at the same time, laughing and then starting to talk over each other. “Ok, you first,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “How about we do a quick tour and then I can answer any questions you have over coffee and a bite to eat?” Bucky beams. “That’s exactly what I was going to ask you, I’d love that.”

@aesthetical-bucky​ @auro-ora​ @bugsbucky​ @book-dragon-13​ @bucky-on-my-mind​ @buckys-broody-muffin​ @buckys-minty-breath​ @buckys-henley​ @breezy1415​ @buckosawrus​ @chuuulip​ @eurynome827​ @hiddles-rose​ @hailmary-yramliah​ @hawksmagnolia​ @imgaril-lindru​ @ikaris-whore​ @itsunclebucky​ @jhangelface0523​ @jewels2876​ @lorilane33​ @loricameback​ @littledarlinhavefaithinme​ @littleredstarfish​ @lokilvrr​ @mushyjellybeans​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines​ @marvelgirl7​ @nano--raptor​ @pinkdiamond1016​ @randomfandompenguin​ @sallycanwait68​ @softpeachbarnes​ @tuiccim​ @the-wayward-robot​ @yansi1923​

Art Advice #3 - Drawing tips!

Hi everyone!

As you may know, every week or so I’m writing blog posts with art advice hints and tips for artists of any skill level in the hopes of helping some people out a bit! The tag is here so feel free to check out some of my other posts!

This week’s post is going to be some drawing tips I’ve picked up over the years that could hopefully be useful for beginner artists! 

(this is about 1800 words altogether btw)

Drawings tips!

I’m going to split this post up into little sections which will hopefully make it easier for you to scroll to find certain advice you’re particularly interested in!

Part 1 - How to get started?

I’m a firm believer that anyone can be an artist, regardless of what materials or equipment they have. So when it comes to my advice on what kind of materials I recommend for beginner artists, I’d mainly say ‘whatever you have’. 

But if that’s a bit vague, I’d essentially recommend you have a set of pencils which you can usually get relatively inexpensive online or in craft/art shops which range from 6B all the way to 6H (’B’ being for softer, darker pencils, often good for shading, and ‘H’ for the harder pencil leads which are best for much lighter shading or if you want a really faint sketch. Something important to note about ‘H’ pencils is not to press too hard with them since they’re a lot more likely to leave indents in the paper than ‘B’ pencils! For general sketching I personally use 2B or 3B pencils since they have the perfect balance of soft & hardness in my opinion!) 

Of course, you can just draw with whatever pens or pencils you already have, so definitely don’t feel you have to go out of your way to buy something new or expensive just because your favourite artists use a particular brand of pencil or pen... Of course, often higher quality pens or pencils (especially colouring pencils) will have better pigment payoff than the cheaper alternatives, but as someone who’s been using the same WHSmith pencils they got when they were a child, I definitely think that as long as you have something to draw with, you’re all set to produce masterpieces of your own!

A lot of my art education got us using charcoal for a lot of our drawing practise. It’s not a medium I’m particularly fond of personally, but it is a great way to practise being a lot quicker and expressive with drawing, so definitely if you’re up for the challenge you can try some charcoal stuff! Only piece of advice is that I wouldn’t really recommend those ‘charcoal pencils’ you can buy in some shops, since they mostly just break apart every time you try and sharpen them... Regular charcoal is messy, though, and smudges very easily, so if you are interested in using it I’d say to do a little bit of research before hand! 

(Or feel free to send me an ask if you want any further advice on using it!)

If you’re wanting to get into digital art, I’m planning on making a post discussing my tips for beginners to digital so... keep an eye out for that in the near future lol!

~

Part 2 - Getting over ‘Drawing Anxiety’

Drawing can be a daunting thing, particularly when artists who are already pretty good at it can seemingly produce a perfectly proportioned face out of thin air. But these artists weren’t magically born with this skill, of course, so with practise and some perseverance, I can assure you that you’ll be at that stage one day!

So my first piece of advice here is to be patient with yourself. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect straight away. 

Second piece of advice is to sketch constantly!! I notice a lot of people who haven’t been drawing long are really careful about how they draw, almost like they’re afraid to be rough with the pencil. So I’d really recommend just starting to sketch a lot: be rough, be messy, draw things you can see and things from your imagination! 

Observational drawing is another thing I think is crucial in improving your drawing skills (and I’ll go into more detail with this in a bit), but honestly just sketching things you like is such a great way to help you grow as an artist! And yes this includes drawing anime fanart or drawings of your original characters! 

Below is some comparisons of my attempts at drawing Freema Agyeman from 2013 to 2019... Is the latest version of this perfect? Of course not. But I just want to show what constant practise can achieve!

~

Part 3 - Observational drawing

I honestly think that observational drawing was one of the most important things I learnt in my years of art education. 

Observational drawing can take on many meanings. Perhaps it’s drawing a still life of a fruit bowl, or a life drawing class with a naked dude in front of you, or even drawing from a photo. The point of observational drawing is to improve how you translate the world around you onto a 2D surface, essentially. 

And you don’t need anything fancy to do observational drawing either! Just placing an array of things in front of you and trying to sketch them (try and focus on a mix of textures and surfaces for the objects. So, for example, including a cup along side a woolly hat will help you get a handle on how to create texture with your drawing, and drawing anything with a reflective surface like cutlery is both challenging and interesting to do! Basically just use what you have around you!)

If you’re lucky (or unlucky, depending on how fond you are of seeing naked people lol) enough to have the chance to do life drawing, I would honestly recommend it! Often the final results aren’t great, but it’s a really good way of practising your observational skills! And even if you don’t have the opportunity, just trying to sketch a friend or family member from across a room, for example, is something that can really help you improve! 

Top tip: a teacher once told me that when you’re drawing something like a face, for example, a way to improve how you draw is to see the face not as a ‘face’, but instead as a collections of shapes. Because our brains have a preconceived idea of what a face looks like that we end up drawing what we think we can see rather than what we can actually see! 

There’s a lot of art snobs who believe that drawing from reference images is ‘cheating’ in comparison to life drawing, Of course, this is bs, and I’d say I’ve learnt just as much from using reference photos for the basis of my art as I have from drawing from ‘real life’. For more information about my thoughts on references and how to use them, see This post!

~

Part 4 - Drawing from references: Tracing, Grids and Freehand (which is best?)

Tracing in the world of art is a ... Contentious subject to say the least. And I’m not really interested in getting into the ‘moral’ implications of whether it is ‘cheating’ or not.

Instead I want to focus on the pros of using something like tracing when you’re starting out. I think particularly if you’re trying to improve how you shade things, colour things or how to get better at blending, then I do think that tracing can be a useful tool! Even I used tracing in the very start of my delve into digital art, but soon found that tracing wasn’t really something that was helping me in the long run so moved onto freehand stuff. 

Overall, I think tracing is good as a starting point when you’re still learning about art, and also if you’re not too comfortable with your freehand drawing skills yet. I’d also recommend you mention if you have traced a piece if you share art to social media. Of course, no one is obligated to do this though! 

This is an example of an artwork that I traced (it’s from 2013, hence why it looks... like That lol)

But if you’re someone who perhaps has used tracing in the past and found it doesn’t really work for you, or if you don’t want to start with tracing at all, then a good ‘next step’ I’ve seen other artists get into is using grids. 

Now I have to admit, I’m not the best person to talk about grids since I’ve actually never used them lol... But I know a lot of artists who do, particularly people who do a lot of traditional work, since it makes it a lot easier to translate the reference image to your piece of paper or canvas. 

And in a way I would recommend grids more for people starting out in drawing than tracing, and this is mainly due to the fact grids force you to use a lot more observational drawing skills than tracing! If you’re interested in getting into using grids I’d recommend doing a bit of research yourself! 

The final technique of drawing from references I want to talk about is freehand! Now this is the one I’ve been doing for the majority of my art ‘career’ and honestly is probably the most ‘difficult’ to do of the three techniques. 

But I find freehand drawing particularly rewarding with the ways it can make you reimagine an artwork in ways you never intended! Like what I mentioned in my Reference advice post, I have found that making ‘mistakes’ in freehand drawing can actually lead to more interesting and unique works of art than tracing or grid work could ever do! 

I also think that freehand allows you to create your own characters or concepts in a much more free way. For example, my Spirit of Somerset piece was something I created from a variety of references (I seem to remember I used Isak from SKAM’s mouth as a basis for the girls’ mouth?) and the dragon was based on a real mishmash of references, which is something that I I feel I couldn’t have done if I’d have been using grids or tracing!

With this I’m not trying to say that freehand is the ‘best’ way of drawing, it is just the one that I personally have found to fit me the best, which is the entire point of this post! All of my advice is just pointers I think could be useful for new artists, it is up to you to find which ‘path’ in art suits you best!

And of course, I’ve phrased these techniques as separate purely for the sake of explaining them easier, but the fact of the matter is that you can use a combination of these in your art if you wish! 

If you struggle with drawing the outlines of hands, perhaps use tracing as a way to get a handle of the shape and then maybe use freehand to fill in the colour of them! Use a grid to draw a tree but freehand the leaves and bench below it! 

Remember that your art is your art, and no one can tell you how to draw things! 

~

I think I’ll leave this here for now! But I may do a part two at some point in the future! & my ask box is always open for anyone who wants any specific advice!

I really hope you found this at least moderately helpful, and a massive thank you to everyone for the constant support of these posts and my art!