#��...are you finding concubines for my son or for yourself????”

[bngrc]

Oh My General | 将军在上 Ep.08

LFMAO welcome home slut darling.

[ihavethedreamies]

Only You | Bang Chan [NSFW]

Bang Chan - Stray Kids

Rating: M (18+) MDNI

Word Count: ~4.5k

Pairing: King! Bang Chan x Noble! AFAB! Reader

Genre: Historical AU!, Joseon Era, Reader-Insert, Fluff, Smut, Some Plot, Strangers-to-Married

!!This is smut…if that much isn't clear you should probably leave now!! MDNI!

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, Swearing, Kissing, Oral (F! Receiving), Fingering, First Times (Readers), Breeding Kink (a bit), Unprotected Sex (This is pre-birth control so…), Big Dick! Chan (duh)

Summary: You are a nobleman's daughter and your father is struggling to find you a husband. The king refuses to marry all of the women brought to him and will not take any concubines. You end up meeting each other.

Author's Note: Oh boy! Here is the first part my dudes. I wanted to have this out sooner but I'm living with my uncle with my parents right now and so I don't have the same freedom to hole away in my room all day like I would prefer. Also can't really write smut in the living room with your dad like two seats away from you.

At the bottom I will have a guide for all the untranslated words I use, or this post.

Also, if any of my historical information/words are inaccurate, I apologize, I did the best with what research I could and what I know from watching too many historical K-Dramas.

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Revised (1/31/25)

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Sighing deeply for a third time, you lazily turns the page of your book, head tilting to rest on your shoulder. Your braid falls over your shoulder, the purple daenggi draping down and covering the characters in the book. Doesn’t matter, you aren’t really reading it anyway. Already have several times. It’s nearly impossible to get books you haven't already read several times, or things that are actually interesting to you, because your father won’t let you get them. Most of the books not directed toward women that you have, you more or less smuggled into your house. Because of that, it’s hard to get more, and so you’re once again bored with your choices. A delicate breeze wafts in through the open window, a small bird flittering down to rest on the sill. You look over its various shades of brown feathers and you wonder if you could ever get a book for studying birds. Probably possible, but not probable. Men don’t want women that know more than them, that's why you can't keep a suitor. Your father's voice echoes in your head, and you roll your eyes. Unfortunately, though, it seems he’s right. You’ve had many suitors out of the sons of noblemen, but none of them stay around too long when your conversations turn from dainty and feminine matters to things that actually make them think. Looking out to the sky, you wonder if there’s anyone out there at all that wouldn’t mind your learned state.

 ~₸x₸~

On a day you’re actually able to go out, you’re grateful it was your brother who could go with you. You’re both wandering the various seller's stands and storefronts, only just glancing at most things. If you had a guard escorting you, you wouldn’t be able to smuggle another book home, but your brother will help you. As you pretend to look over various different earrings, you cast a glance from under your sseugaechima to where your brother is at the book seller. Rummaging through what they have, he holds a few up to look closer at the contents before putting them back down. Must all be fiction… Looking back at the wares before you, you nod to the shopkeeper and move on, instead looking at some shoes. You’re closer then to your brother, enough that you can see when he holds a book up toward you, pretending to rest it on his shoulder as he continues looking, likes he’s reserving it. When you catch his side glance, you shake your head no. Already have it. He sniffs, putting it back, and keeps looking. As you move on yourself, across the way, you watch a young nobleman sidle up next to your brother. He’s a great deal shorter; it almost makes you giggle, but you try to remain inconspicuous.

"Oh, m’lord, the book you were looking for arrived!" The book seller slips inside his shop, coming back with a book you’ve never seen anything like before.

"I managed to get in contact with the Arab trader and he got it here all the way from the far west!" The book seller smiles wide, and you’ve fully turned around at that point, your brother looking over his shoulder at you.

"Thank you." The man smiles, handing over a significant string of mun before turning to leave. You aren’t able to react fast enough, and he catches you looking at him. Well, not him, but the book he’s holding. It’s bound in what looks like leather and you’ve never seen writing like it.

"Wait, my lord, this as well!" The shopkeeper reaches under his stall and the man goes back, taking the locally bound book from him.

"Might be hard to read without the translation." The young lord smiles and then goes to leave again, pointedly looking right at you as he does, a small smirk on his face.

"Let's follow him." You whisper to your brother, yanking him down to your level.

"Are you sure? He paid a lot for that, he's not just going to give it to you, and we don't have that kind of money on us."

"I just want to look at it, come on." You hiss out, following after the man before he gets too far out of view. You hear your brother sigh dramatically, but he hurries after you anyway, making sure he doesn’t lose sight of you.

You finally manage to catch up with the man in a small courtyard behind a restaurant not yet open. He’s standing at the edge of the stream, watching it, the two books held in his grasp as he rests his arms behind his back. Right as your brother catches up with you, the man turns around, a playful smile on his face. It’s then you realize how gorgeous he is.

"Interested in this?" He turns toward you, holding the book up, and in your excitement, you drop your sseugaechima, the garment fluttering to the ground.

"(Y/N)!" Your brother scolds, grabbing the head covering. You’ve moved so fast, you’re already standing in front of the man, ogling the book. Even though he’s probably four or even five chon shorter than your brother, he’s still nearly a head taller than you.

"Aigo, put this back on." Your brother drapes the garment back over your head, dragging you back by the shoulders a few steps.

"Wait!" You reach for the book, not having gotten to touch it, but your brother steps in front of you. Stupid societal chauvinism.

"Apologies, my lord, but she's…intense about her hobby." You roll your eyes behind your sibling.

"This isn't a normal book." The other man said, and you roll your eyes harder. Obviously, that's why you want it!

"It's all the way from Dogil." Huh? Where?

"If she wants to look at it, she can." You shove your brother out of the way, so hard he not just stumbles, but falls on his butt. The man holds the book out to you and with shaky hands you take it. The text is so incredibly foreign, and when you flips the book open, it doesn’t even look handwritten. Then again, you can’t be sure since it’s such a foreign script. Little symbols sit in the top corner of each page, and the words are horizontal rather than vertical. Each little letter is so small, the book cramped with lines. It’s heavy too.

"This goes with it." The other man holds the translation book up and you snatch it from his hands without thinking.

"(Y/N)!" Your brother scolds, hurrying to get off the ground.

"She's fine." You move toward a bench and sit down, opening the translation on top of the foreign text. Though, it isn’t a direct translation, just a catalog of what each word means. It would take time to fully translate it.

"C-can I translate it fully?" You look up at the man, your sseugaechima falling off your head again. He smiles and your heart skips a beat, but you aren’t sure if it’s because he smiles, or what the smile means.

"I would rather not just give it to you. What if you don't give it back?" His tone is slightly teasing. You deflate then and he holds back a chuckle.

"You know, I have a lot of far western texts that I don't have the time to translate myself. You could come to my home and do it for me?"

"Wait-" Your brother's tone grows stern and you look between them, the other man holding his hand up to stop the other's words.

"Rather improper I know. Though, the King can get away with quite a bit." The man is smirking, and your eyes widen. What?

"Y-You're-" You meet your brother's gaze and you both fall to your knees before him, bowing so your foreheads touch your hands. Immediately, you realize how brazen your actions were. You’re doomed-

"Don't worry about it." He waves you both off and you stand, head still bowed, avoiding looking at his face. Instead, you glance back at the books. You wonder if the book seller even realizes who he is. Your brother sits up, but remains on one knee, if he stood, he’d be higher than the king. That is not allowed.

"What is your name? Who is your father?" He asks and you swallow hard, trying to get words out. You speak your name and family clan, as well as your father's name and rank. If he tells your father about what happened, you’ll never be allowed to touch another book.

"Your age?

"Twenty-two."

"You're unmarried?" He raises a brow, and you nod sheepishly. Reaching around your back to tug on the end of your braid, hanging down to signify your marital status.

"Your name?" He nods to your brother, and he tells him.

"Well, if you won’t mind showing me to your home. I would like to converse with your father." Oh, no.

~ʘᗩʘ~

Nervously pacing around your room, even down the halls through the building of the estate you inhabit, you wonder what is happening. You had scurried away like a scared mouse once you all returned to your home, looking behind you to the books held by the King. The King! Geez, you feel like you just escaped with your life. You hear your mother being summoned to go to your father and it’s been nearly an hour of them talking.

"(Y/N)." You hear a whisper from outside your bedroom window as you wander around it. You open the shutters and your brother's head barely can look over the sill from where he stands on the narrow edge of the building's platform base.

"What's happening?" You whisper back.

"A servant just brought them our family registry."

"What?" Why the heck would they need that?! Unless…

"You think he's going to court me?" Your legs feel week, you aren’t sure what to make of it. Your father has desperately wanted you married, but not enough to submit you to the palace. A life of luxury and prestige isn’t actually very safe. Most adversaries tend to target the women closest to the king since they’re easier targets. You know the King is unwed, and that the palace officials are just as fed up with him as your father is with you. Sure, you’d rather marry someone for love, but that’s hard to do as a noble. But if you do…that means you can have access to the King's library. Is that his plan to let you translate his foreign books without it being improper? Honestly, you’re fine with it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. If marrying the king gives you access to even more knowledge and learning, than you’ll happily do it.

~◕ω◕~

After the long meeting, the King leaves, and your mother comes to inform you of the results. You’re right, he wants you to be his wife. But marrying a king to be the queen is much more intense than just being a concubine. Sure, the king has a lot of say, but so does his ministers and the Queen Dowager, his mother. Normally there’s a long selection process, but instead you’re brought to the palace and thoroughly analyzed by palace officials. They interview you rather extensively, then finally, his mother enters. After more questions, she leaves with the officials and you’re left to sit in the pavilion, looking at the water, uncomfortable in your nicest hanbok ensemble. All of your fanciest accessories are in your hair, on your goreum is a heavy norigae, and heavy jade earrings sit in your ears. You twist the jade ring on your finger in nervousness, feeling like you’re waiting for hours. Soon though, the Queen Dowager reenters along with a few handmaidens and a eunuch. You’ve been approved.

~◕‿◕✿~

A grand dowry is sent to your family's estate, and in return your belongings are sent in as well. You’re moved into a palace set aside for the future queen, and you’re beyond grateful that your chest of books makes it to your new home. Waiting for the actual ceremony and coronation, you’re puts through hours of etiquette training and lessons. Over the short time it takes for you to learn everything, and have the ceremony and coronation performed, the King has spent a considerable amount of time with you. Every minute he can spare. He doesn’t want you, nor himself, to marry a stranger. Never having been in love, you’re sure your feelings are either quite similar if not the predecessor for love. In a fleeting whisper he tells you his name is Chan, of course it’s part of his birth name rather than what he was crowned king with. He prefers you call him that though, even if you only can in private. When he can, he’ll bring a few of his foreign books for you to look at, but he says there isn’t time for you start the translations before all of the ceremonies. Chan seems just as passionate about knowledge as you are, and that makes you fall harder. And it appears to work that way for him as well.

The day before the wedding, as he leaves before the time is improper, he presses a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth with his soft lips. Your face blossoms red you’re sure, and he chuckles gently to himself as he leaves.

~◉_◉~

The wedding itself is…a mess. Well, figuratively and only to you. You feel like you’re being directed as a puppet going through so many specific rites and rituals. The most nerve-wracking part of the whole thing is being before so many people. Your tutor is proud you’ve learned all of your etiquette so well and you’re ninety percent sure you do everything just right. By the time night falls, you’re beyond exhausted. You aren’t sure if you’re more excited about your marriage, which feels more real thanks to your blooming feelings, or the future translation work. It’s nice though that your love of scholarly pursuits doesn’t turn him away like all of your other previous suitors.

Finally, though, everything is more or less complete. You’re wandering through the large room of the king's quarters, everything even fancier than where you had been. You pick at the white fabric of your sokchima, feeling naked despite being completely covered. Your hair is still in a chignon, the golden decorative binyeo holding it up makes your head feel heavy. It’s strange to have your hair up like that, but you’re going to have to get used to it. For some reason, it feels nice to have that weight, signifying you’re married, you honestly don’t want to take it out as much as you do want to. So, it stays. You’ve bathed, rather, been washed by maids before going to the king's quarters. You presume he too is washing up, and the longer he takes, the more nervous you get. Finally, the side door that leads further into the palace where the bath hall is opens. Your heart thuds against your rib cage as you see the King enter, also in white garments. He no longer has his headdress on, only the manggeon he wears under his crown is there. You wonder how long his hair is when down.

"My Queen." He smiles and you bite your lip, looking around almost like you’re checking to see if anyone’s around.

"What are you looking for, (Y/N)?" He steps closer, hand going to your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. All the lessons that have been drilled into you make you want to look away, but if he’s okay with it…

"We're really alone?" Not even his Eunuch is there, he follows him everywhere as per his job description.

"Yes, my love." Your breath hitches, the term of affection hitting your heart, and you step just a bit closer.

"W-we-" He steps once more, his lips placing a delicate peck on your forehead. Still not able to get any words out, his kisses move to your cheekbone, the side of your mouth, then his hand cups your jaw, tipping your head up. Your eyes meet his and you can’t keep yours from flitting to his lips. Chan smirks, and you gasp as he kisses you, hard. Your teeth clacked against each other at the force and your head swims, trying desperately to match his pace. You haven't been kissed before, not like this. Chan himself has given you a few small pecks, but this is different. He’s claiming you.

His strong hands grip your waist, one sneaking down your back to pull you closer, the other sneaking up the ties of your sokchima. The hand on your back goes even lower, gripping the flesh of your butt and you huff, Chan's tongue sneaking its way in your mouth. When he withdraws, you heave in breaths, heart racing and with a final tug, your sokchima falls to the floor, leaving you bare. You shiver, goosebumps rising on your skin, but his next actions distract you from the embarrassment of being bare. He undoes the ties of his own garments and as the white fabric pools at his feet, your eyes rapidly dance over him. You’re convinced he was molded directly by the deity of sex, because he’s gorgeous.

"Oh." You sigh and he huffs a laugh, moving closer, taking your hands in his, and bringing them to the ties of his sokbaji. Your hands brushes over him through the cloth, and you freeze.

"A-are you…?"

"No, love. But," his hands run over the bare skin of your back, pulling you to him, your naked breasts pressing to him.

"I’m getting there." Chan whispers in your ear, then he runs his tongue around the ridge, sucking on your earlobe. You whimper, turning your head to allow him access, fingers clenching the hem on his pants. His lips then move to your neck, laying searing kisses on the flesh, strong fingers digging into your skin, and when you’re pulled even closer, you feel his cock hardening in his pants.

"Come with me, my love." He pulls away and you pout in disappointment, making him laugh. The room spins as he yanks you to him, lightly shoving you onto the raised bed. You huff, then squeak when he grabs your ankles, yanking you to the edge of the platform, kneeling on the floor below.

"W-Wait, Chan-!" You try to close your legs, hide yourself from him, but he’s too strong, his hands grip your thighs to keep them spread.

"So cute." He hums and your entire body jerks, back arching as you feel his tongue swipe through your folds, the sensation almost overwhelming. It’s hard to get words out since you can barely take in air, your body immediately catching on fire, blood boiling. You hear him hum as he tastes you, and you flinch when his nose brushes your clit.

"C-Chan, it's too much!" You shudder, not sure how to handle the sensation.

"I need to get you ready, love, I don’t want to hurt you." He finishes his statement by wiggling his tongue inside you. The foreign sensation makes you clench, and he rubs your tense thighs with his thumbs.

"Relax, pretty girl." You try to do as he asks, taking measured breaths, whimpering when his tongue leaves you, flicking your button again. Heat pools in your belly, rising fast and you logically know what’s coming, but have never felt it before.

"I-I…fuck!" Your head tosses back, and he groans at the crass word leaving you. Chan kisses your clit and that sends you over the edge, wind roaring in your ears with your pulse, and you barely register him filling you with a finger.

"You're so fucking tight sweetheart." The curse word riles you up more than it even did when you said it for him. He helps your ride out the orgasm with that finger, each press against your back wall seeming to draw out your climax. Finally, the waves dull, then stop, and you finally recognize his finger inside you. Because he did it when he did, it doesn’t hurt, but it feels weird.

"Oh, you're so good." He smiles wide, his normal warm grin is hot with lust. You mewl when he starts to pump his finger, the wet squelch of your slick and release seems to be louder than anything else.

"That got you nice and wet for me, but you're too tight still." His thumb barely brushes your clit and your pussy clenches, body jerking again, it almost hurt.

"Sorry, love." He continues with the single digit and at some point, he decides to continue, and you let out a shuddering breath when he adds a second. That…doesn’t hurt per se, the slight burn of the stretch is somehow more pleasurable than painful, and you wonder how much his dick will make you sting.

"Oh, oh my-“ You try to hold back a whiny moan when his fingers wiggle and spread, getting you further prepared, the same pleasurable feeling starting to build back.

"Ah!" Chan adds a third finger, and you lift your head to look at him, one knee resting on the bed so he can kneel over you. Eyes flitting down, you notice the tent in his white pants, and you swallow hard. You don’t have any metric to go by since you have never been with or even seen a man naked, but-

"That won’t fit." You whimper, not even seeing him bare yet. Chan huffs a surprised laugh, looking at himself.

"I promise it will~" His fingers crook up again, hitting some intense spot inside you and you shiver at the sudden intensity.

"N-no, no, no!" You whine when he removes his fingers, the pleasure had begun to crest and even if it is overwhelming, it does feel good.

"Hold on, love, I'll fill you back up." You prop on your elbows to watch him, the tie of his sokbaji coming undone by his fingers, then the garment falls. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen.

"Won’t fit." You gasp out and he has a hard time controlling his smug grin.

"Let's see about that." He scoops you up in his arms, moving you up the bed so your head can rest on the pillow. The cool silk of the bedding does nothing to quell the fire Chan has set on your skin, especially not when he prop himself over you.

"I love you." He leans down, nose rubbing over yours and you giggle at the innocent gesture.

"I love you too." Your hands cup his face, and he kisses you again, gentler than the first. Distracting you with the kiss, he hitches one of your knees over his elbow, his free arm bringing his hand back to your slick cunt. His fingers run through your arousal, then he pumps his fist over his hard cock, bringing the fat head to your entrance. Chan pulls back from the kiss, bringing your hands up to his shoulders.

"Dig your nails in if you have to." You should have taken it as a warning, not really sure what he meant. When his cock breaches your core, the heated burn sears through not just your cunt, but all the way through you. Your back arches, and your mouth hangs open in a quiet scream. You can’t tell whether it hurts or is such an intense pleasure your body malfunctions. His cock presses deeper, and you can feel his pulse inside you.

"So tight, fuck, hmm, love you’re just perfect~" He groans, relishing the sting of your nails digging into his skin. After what feels like an eternity, he bottoms out, the head of his dick kissing your womb.

"Y-you're in my throat." You gasp, trying not to clench around him too much, cunt stinging but weeping, a drop of your slick hitting the bedding.

"Does it hurt?" His hand brushes some sweat-damp strands of hair from your brow, and you shudder through some breaths.

"I-I don't know-" You’ve never felt anything like it before, obviously, and your brain seems to be stopping and starting again over and over. He’s being so patient, letting you adjust, but he shifts his weight differently, changing the angle slightly and the sting fades, pleasure rising, and you can’t get words out again. He must notice the change in your gummy walls' pulsing, because he grinds into you slightly and, stronger than before, you cum.

"Woah." Chan forces himself to breathe through your orgasm, the tight vice of your pussy nearly sending him over the edge and gushes of your slick shines on your skin as well as his. Your vision dots with stars and your head swims, you’re finally able to gasp for air, panting as you return to reality.

"Are you okay, love?" He strokes your cheek with his thumb, and you hold his hand to your face with your own. You nod, swallowing a buildup of saliva.

"Y-yes, you…you can move."

"Are you sure?"

"Please~!" Your whimper heightens into a moan as he pulls back just a bit, going slowly back in to make sure it doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t. Sure, it feels like he’s carving his cock through you, but it’s more than good.

"Tell me, sweet, if I hurt you." The next thrust, he pulls back a bit further, and back in harder.

"Please, Chan, you- fuck!" He picks up the pace just a bit, still going fairly slow, but the stretch of his fat cock is more than enough stimulation.

"D-don't-"

"Don't what, love?"

"Don't…oh, fuck, please, don't stop. Just-!" Your toes curl, throwing your head back, nails digging into the bedding as he pulls out about halfway, then buries inside you hard. He sits up more, slinging your other leg over his elbow as well, rolling his hips against yours. Chan's eyes skate all over you, beautiful and bare below him, and when he gets to your face he groans. Your eyes are hazy, mouth open, drool pooling from the corners of your lips. You’ve never felt anything even close to the pleasure he’s wreaking on you. You can’t think, and you seem to be losing strength in your body, the crest of another orgasm building.

"Shit- can't hold back anymore love." He grunts and you don’t have enough available thought process to react. He moves his hands to your thighs, pinning your knees up by your shoulders, then he pulls his fat cock out nearly all the way, and starts to pound into you. Tears rose in your eyes from the overwhelming feeling, little squeals of delight forced out of you with each thrust and your cunt spasms. Chan just thunders through your orgasm, not stopping or slowing and your eyes roll back.

"Fuck, you're just perfect love." He huffs a laugh, "oh, I can't wait to fuck you full!" All you can focus on is the heat of his dick and how much hotter your womb will feel full of his cum.

"Pl-please! Chan, please, fuck!" You gasp, his pace growing unsteady, and he finally fucks as deep as he can, hot ropes of cum filling you and painting your cunt white. Your belly is on fire and a combined glob of both of your releases drips out from where your bodies meet. As Chan pants, looking down at your fucked out state, he smiles.

"You're my wife now, only you."

daenggi - the ribbon that was tied around a unmarried girl's braid. sseugaechima - this is the extra-skirt looking garment women would wear over their heads. mun - Joseon Era Korean currency chon - historical unit of measurement, close to an inch. Dogil - Korean word for Germany, might not be completely accurate for the time. hanbok - traditional/historical clothing, most people think of women's dresses, but men's clothes were called this as well. goreum - the ties that fastened the top of a hanbok. norigae - accessories that were tied to the goreum of women's handboks sokchima - basically a dress/skirt like under-garment. binyeo - the long pin that would hold a woman's bun up, mostly used for married women. manggeon - the mesh-like headband men wore to hold their hair in place. sokbaji - pants-like undergarment, mostly worn by women under their chima

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[sp4ceboo]

Within the Storms of Giedi Prime: Feyd-Rautha x Reader

A/N: the long awaited part two of upon the sands of the arena is hereeee

tw: 18+, smut (more than last time hehehe), p in v, swearing, Feels™, death, assassination, use of the Voice (not on feyd), less violence but still violence, i lack faith in my sequel writing abilities, blowjobs, SUB FEYDDDD, also DOM FEYDDD, sex Outside, lightning and thunder (it says storms in the title what do you expect)

wc: 4.2k

part 1

Giedi Prime is a miserable planet.

It’s evident in the choking, black smog from the factories in the dense air fused with the anguished cries of overworked slaves and the distant rumble of the still active volcanos. You’re near the Harkonnen’s palace grounds - you’re heading towards them, actually, and the promise of a… pleasant night; to your left, you can just about glimpse the looming silhouette of the great arena, squatting like a hulking beast on the horizon, waiting to swallow any poor soul that gets too close to its gaping maw.

Tonight, roiling storm clouds reign the sky, sending sheets of furious rain pounding down upon anyone who dares to be out at this hour - including you. Harsh bolts of lightning spear down, hurtling towards the ground like incensed, condensed moonlight and casting freakish shadows.

Moonlight: the colour of Feyd’s skin. If it weren’t for him, you’d already be off this sorry planet - alas, you must stay a little longer, your body already a little warm at the memory of his skilled fingers and scorching gaze. You haven’t been back since the encounter with the na-Baron in the arena months ago, and you can’t help but feel the sting of doubt in your chest, wondering if he’ll still want a second time, or if you’ll sneak into his room only to find yourself replaced by a concubine.

Not that you occupy significance to him anyway, you remind yourself. Feyd-Rautha could not replace you, because there would be nothing to replace, just ashes of a once bright fire.

Irked by the weakness of your own mind, you pull the hood of your cloak lower over your face, tightening it across your shoulders. The hem is sullied by browning blood: you disposed of your quarry just this morning, and delivered the decapitated head during the early afternoon.

Conveniently, the Bene Gesserit have left you alone for now, most likely tangled in the politics regarding the Kwisatz Haderach while trying to predict the next movement of Jessica Atreides - word is that she has burrowed her way deeper into the desert, surrounding herself and her son with the more fanatic of the Fremen as she bides her time, ready for her next strike.

It means that you’ve been granted enough time to establish yourself as a bounty hunter. For a highly trained Bene Gesserit, the work is easy, and earns you coin a plenty while keeping you on the move and as in shape as assassinating sloppy idiots attempting to run from debt and petty disagreements can.

Slipping through the palace’s perimeter proves easy enough. You use the Voice on a few guards, preferring it to cutting their throats: instructing them to keep quiet and forget you passed by causes much less of a commotion. The scaling of the ramparts that make up the circumference of the inner palace is the most challenging, due to the stone being slick with moss and rain - your fingers dig into the cracks between the weathered blocks of stone, the wind snapping and tugging at your cloak, fiercer now that you’re higher up.

There’s a narrow battlement ringing one side of Feyd’s room. You land on it silently, padding over to the window sill; curtains made of heavy black fabric layered on a dark, wispy privacy layer shroud most of your view of him. His pale skin is almost luminescent under the jagged flashes of lightning bathing his quarters, the blanket having slipped half off him during the night. He lies with his bare back facing you, although it’s hardly a vulnerability - you doubt anyone would be able to creep up on him easily enough to bury a knife into his exposed back without him tearing their throat out first.

Apart from you - hopefully.

Carefully, you ease the window open. A frigid gust of air rushes in as you climb through, and you witness the exact moment that Feyd awakens and becomes aware of your presence; imperceptibly, the muscles in his back ripple before he settles again - you posticipate the feel of them under your palms, hard, lean, perfect for sinking your nails into.

A thrill rushes through you at the sight of him, a sort of wondrous feeling, keen as a knife and just as cutting. You want him all over you, you want him to consume you until all you can remember is him and his smouldering eyes and sensuous touch.

Shrugging off your cloak, you let it pool to the floor around your feet before toeing off your shoes too; breath caught in your throat, you steal over to his bedside, your hand ghosting over the solid curve of his shoulder blade before you grip his shoulder, turning him so his back is flat against the mattress and straddling him in one fluid motion.

The cold kiss of metal meets your neck.

You almost moan at the look on his face. His lips are pulled back in a snarl, his eyes wild, frenzied almost, glittering with the same danger as before. Running your hands up his hard, sculpted chest, you smirk down at him, watching as ever so slowly, his gelid gaze defrosts with recognition, the ice giving way to those all encompassing flames, flames that you surrender to unequivocally.

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you,’ you murmur, fingers circling his wrist.

Feyd blinks, watching you as if he’s going to eat you as always. Slowly, the hand not wielding the knife roams waywardly down your spine, grabs a harsh fistful of your ass and lingers before gliding upwards and settling on your waist. He huffs, an abrupt, amused sound, but you don’t miss the way he greedily drinks up your figure with his eyes.

‘I thought I scared you away, little witch. Presumably, it was not too much for you?’

‘For me?’ You muse. ‘We’ll see.’

Knocking the blade from his hand, you ignore the screeching noise it makes as it skitters across the stone floor, instead enjoying the subtle inhale, loaded with expectancy, that Feyd takes as you lean in close to him. You hover above him for a prolonged moment, arms boxing him in, before he lurches upwards, connecting your lips with his.

A growl sounds at the back of his throat when he tastes you, licking into your mouth as his fingers press at the small of your back, bringing your lower body to meet his. Rolling his hips against yours, he tangles his fingers in your hair; you feel giddy with the feel of him against you, solid and warm and wanting, so real beneath you, so fucking insatiable.

You can’t get enough of him.

Slowly, you pull away, ablaze with the ravening craving in his eyes. The muscles in his well shaped chest flex as he tips his face up, following your lips, and you smile disarmingly at him, hooking your fingers in the waistband of his trousers and pulling them down.

Taking his chin in your palm, you tilt his head so you can look him in the eyes before swiping your thumb over his lower lip, savouring the way he’s putty in your hands: a man destined to be the Baron of one of the most influential, powerful Houses in the Imperium, a lethal, strikingly skilled warrior, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, humbled by your touch.

‘Let me taste you,’ you breathe - it’s almost a command.

‘Please,’ he chokes out, imploring you with his eyes.

Laughing, you press a hand to his sternum and push. He sinks back into the mattress, compliant, and you trail your lips down his neck and sternum, leaving hickeys in your wake. You're seized by the need to make him shake and beg and cry; you want to devour him.

Dragging your nails cruelly down his thighs, branding him with livid red scratches, you tilt your head to the side, a smile playing upon your lips as you listen to the groan that leaves him, the pricks of pain setting him alight with longing. There’s a devout look in his eyes - a fervent, zealous sort of lust that stirs within you with the impulse to make him forget his own name.

Curling your fingers around his hard length and giving him a few pumps, you watch him under your lashes, something akin to a power rush spinning your head around and around. Feyd is wonderfully sensitive, and a sneer pulls at your lips when his fingers scramble for purchase, fisting in his silky sheets as you press a chaste, loitering kiss to his cock head - a pearl of jet precum sits at the apex of it, dark against its rosy, delicate flush.

Dipping your hand into your pants, you collect your slick on your fingers and use it to jerk him - when you glance up, his pupils are blown wide; lips parted, he stares at you, transfixed.

Eyes locked on his, you take him in your mouth: his thighs tighten, every muscle taut as you run your tongue along the veins wrapped around the underside of his cock. His head tips back, displaying the strong lines of his neck as you hollow your cheeks, rubbing your thighs together to ease the increasing ache between them. Jaw slack, you gag when he hits the back of your throat, and he growls at the sight of your hungry eyes growing watery.

You toy with him, teasing him with your tongue and grazing your teeth lightly over his length until he’s gasping your name; the way the syllables leave his tongue is almost pleading, his chest heaving and covered in a sheen of sweat, his thighs shuddering, wracked with tremors.

It’s evident that he’s close, the voracity in his eyes so hot that it melts your bones, sending heat pooling in your core - you’re going to let him wreck your cunt after this; ruin you for any other man. Trembling, his pale fingers hover near your head, splaying over the expanse of your shoulder, his eyes fucking begging for permission, so you pull off him, laughing as his hips jolt forward at the loss, his cock twitching when your fingertips graze his balls.

‘Go on, Feyd,’ you coax. ‘Do as you wish.’

A tender, honeyed noise rips from low in his chest, almost a whimper, a sound you know no one has extracted from him before. It’s the only warning before he fists his hand in your hair, hips bucking as he fucks into your mouth, his eyes rolling back as you gag around him, the debased moan that escapes you sending vibrations down his cock.

You almost black out when he comes down your throat. You’re not sure if it’s the lack of air reaching your lungs or the sweet pain of Feyd’s hand yanking at your hair, but you’re sure that you’ve never taken so much pleasure in someone else’s release. Slowly, you sit up, moving to lie beside Feyd, and he smiles dumbly at you, maybe a little fucked out as he leans in to kiss you, sighing as he tastes his own come on your tongue.

‘I could spend hours exploring you, my little witch,’ he says, pressing his lips to your jaw.

Feyd flips you over with only an echo of ferocity from your previous fight, disrobing you and gripping your thighs, spreading them. Your hands find his shoulders, his back, your fingers resting in the dips of muscle there, trailing down the length of his spine as his own find your slick, yearning cunt.

Outside, the storm blows harder, rain pounding down upon the planet’s surface in sheets, lightning lancing through the thick billows of clouds; it is during one of these strikes that you glimpse that Feyd’s eyes are not as dark as they seem, but the colour of glaciers and blue fire. Within them, just beneath the keenness of his electric gaze, lurks something else - something that makes you hesitate. He senses it immediately, fingers pausing their movement, so you fit your lips to his.

You kiss him to avoid the emotions roiling in his stormy eyes.

He responds immediately, and you easily dismiss the thoughts clouding your mind; he barely knows you, there’s no room for the feelings you just saw in his gaze. You seek his body, not his soul, and it is the same both ways.

‘Fuck me,’ you mumble against his lips.

All coherent sentences leave your mind when he flips you over again, this time with your stomach pressed to his bedsheets as he kneels on the mattress behind you.

‘Ass up, my little witch,’ he commands.

Something within you goes molten at the sound of his voice. You can feel his gaze straying all over your skin, greedy, so you tuck your knees beneath you and arch your back, biting down on your lower lip as his palm presses against your lower vertebrae. He chuckles; it warms your bones.

‘You’re so filthy, little witch, displaying yourself for me.’

Bolts of ecstasy shoot through you as Feyd slides his cock head through your folds, his broad hands gripping your hips so tightly that you’ll be left with bruises. Your breath is punched from your lungs when he sinks himself inside you, balls deep, white hot pleasure rocketing down your spine - it tears a wretched cry from you, more so when he starts a brutal, near sadistic pace, the angle destroying you with vicious bliss.

The drag of his searing, velvet cock on your walls makes your toes curl. You think your body might shatter into a million pieces, the way he plucks the euphoria from it so agonisingly, so beautifully. One of his hands finds its way between your thighs, his thumb rolling endlessly over your clit; you find yourself teetering on the edge, suspended there a moment before you fall.

The way your cunt convulses around his cock as you come doesn’t stop Feyd. Unforgiving, he ploughs into you, his fingers still working on your clit, not breaking his rhythm even as you writhe beneath him, trying to jerk your hips away from his to no avail. It’s too much, the pleasure melting delectably into pain and still he can’t stop, won’t stop, his low snarl a warning in your ear as he pins you to the mattress with a hand between your shoulder blades, leaving you helpless to do nothing but take him.

Tears well up in your eyes, soaking into the sheets beneath you as he rails into you, his fingers speeding up on your clit until you’re begging him, tremors shooting through you from the aftershocks of your orgasm. His grip on your hips is unrelenting, and you sob as his pace increases, the savage friction sending you over again.

For the second time, you come hard around him, pussy clenching and fluttering, ragged cries wracking your body. This time, you bring Feyd with you, the sound he makes sharp and almost pained. He pulls out, and you mewl at the sharp tug of friction, panting as he comes on your back and ass, claiming you with his dark seed.

Breathless, he sits back on his heels as you straighten your legs until you lie full stretch, revelling in the post orgasmic rapture. Dimly, you hear his footsteps on the stone floor, but you pay them no mind, instead letting your eyelids droop as you rest your chin in the crook of your elbow.

Gentle hands encircle your ankles, carefully opening your legs. A second later, you feel a warm cloth at the apex of your thighs, and you whine, flinching away from the overstimulation. You hear Feyd’s chuckle, and the comforting sweep of his thumb against your skin as he cleans you up, pressing soft, open mouthed kisses on your back as he does; barely a moment after, the mattress dips, and strong arms pull you into a warm chest.

‘How are you, my little witch?’

You hum in response, not wanting to use words. Something niggles at your brain, even through the haze of pleasure. It’s got to do with the na-Baron’s gentleness after he fucks you; it unsettles you, the sweetness of him, and now these words, as if you’re a lover, and not… whatever this is.

One of his wide palms runs up and down your ribs, and you shove those thoughts to the side, instead enjoying his touch, the way your body fits into his, his chest pressed against your front as he traces patterns on your skin with his deft fingers; his lips brushing the nape of your neck, leaving soft kisses there. You find yourself curling away from him a little - his hands on you make something deep in your chest stir to life, something that shouldn’t be there. It’s -

A blinding flash of lightning, followed by the deep, throaty growl of thunder illuminates the room. You’re facing the door: in the crack between its solid masonry and the floor, you glimpse a shadow.

Hastily, you turn, one hand meeting Feyd’s chest, fingers falling into the dip his collarbone makes as you search his eyes, urgent. He stares back at you, not quite guarded, but not quite open any more, and you’re filled with the urge to protect.

‘Give me your knife,’ you hiss.

He sits up halfway. ‘What’s - ’

You push him back down, glaring at his resistance. You can sense the change in the air, hear the subtle scrape of someone’s boot across the stone floor and the swish of clothing behind the door - or maybe it’s just the building storm outside, the escalating charge in the sky as another bolt of lightning is generated.

‘Feyd. Give me your knife.’

Eyes quizzical, he produces it from somewhere behind him, handing it to you hilt first. It’s just in time, because the door swings open, a masked figure silhouetted there. You whirl around, covering Feyd’s body with your own.

They’re holding a knife.

It doesn’t take you a moment longer to send your knife hurtling towards them. The blade seethes through the air before embedding itself with a thunk into the assassin’s shoulder, and as they drop to the floor, you’re up in another second, poised in case there’s another. A flash of movement catches your eye - the dropped knife, retrieved and held in blood soaked fingers.

‘Stand down,’ you snap.

The Voice echoes through the room, and you pluck the knife out of the now frozen assassin’s grasp and slit his throat. Turning, you see the glimmer of amusement and awe in Feyd’s eyes; assassination attempts probably occur often, an estranged Bene Gesserit using the Voice in his room less so.

‘So many people seem eager to sneak into my bed chamber tonight,’ he remarks. ‘Although I must admit I preferred the first one.’

You laugh, collecting your clothes off the floor. ‘I’m glad.’

As you pull on your trousers, followed closely by your shirt, Feyd gets up, and you’re struck by the slow manner in which he approaches you, so much like the way he prowled towards you in the arena, but this time his eyes concerningly soft, his deadly, killing machine of a body marked with hickeys and love bites.

‘Why do you always rush to leave so fast, my little witch?’

‘I - I have places to be,’ you stammer.

He tilts his head. ‘At this hour of the night?’

‘...Yes.’

Feyd takes one step closer, close enough to kiss. ‘What are you afraid of?’

You back towards the window. ‘I fear nothing.’

‘Don’t lie to me,’ he warns. ‘I can see it in your eyes.’

Shaking your head, panic rising in your throat, you turn, the glass chilly on your fingers as you open the window. Feyd catches your other hand, but you whirl around and lash out, a blow to the face followed by a blow to the legs, and he staggers backwards, giving you enough time to slip out of the window and onto the battlements.

Outside, the storm has whipped up, the howling wind tearing at your hood and blowing it off, the rain immediately pouring down to soak your hair, sting your eyes, wet your face. You need to run, you need to get away from him, but the weak part of you - the part that you fear - slows your strides, tugging at you as if it’s tied to Feyd somehow.

He catches up to you easily enough.

Of course he does, he is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, and he is inexplicably bound to your soul in a way you cannot describe, in a way that terrifies you, shakes you to your very core. He catches your with a hand around your upper arm and presses you to his chest, your treacherous body reacting to him the way it always has as he stares down at you with those burning, icy eyes, droplets of rain running in rivulets down the moonlight planes of his chest.

Unease tears through you. You see it in his eyes, that he feels it too, and you dread the way it does not disquiet him. Your soul feels like it’s slowly rending in two - you need to get away from him, from the unguarded way he regards you, dedication clear in his unwavering gaze, but all the same, you need to remain with his arms trapping you to him, in the bewildering magnetism of his psyche.

‘Tell me what you fear, my little witch.’

You answer through clenched teeth. ‘I am not yours.’

‘You evade my question.’

You stare at Feyd, confounded. This man before you is the same man that you duelled in the arena, yet he is different; there is a certainty in his eyes, an acceptance that you yourself flee from. You’re drawn to him, even as the instincts that have kept your hollow heart intact all these years squall for you to break loose - and yet you fear that too, the evasion, because you know that if you run now, a part of you will be lost, snapped under the tension.

‘What do you - ’

You cut Feyd off. ‘Do you know what I fear, Harkonnen? I fear the look in your eyes, because it’s not just desire any more. You do not seek me in order that I inflict pain and pleasure alike upon you, you seek something else. I fear the look in your eyes because it is the same feeling that rises traitorously in my chest when I look at you, and it terrifies me.’

He’s silent.

You grab his shoulder. ‘Tell me you feel nothing, Feyd. Tell me you crave me for the thrill of adrenaline and the feel of my body - tell me and do not lie.’

His eyes bore into yours. ‘I cannot.’

‘Exactly.’

You wrest yourself from his grasp, turning and striding down the battlements. A strange feeling overtakes you, a prickle behind your eyes and a lump in your throat, an aching tug at your heart which you stalwartly ignore. It is over - you’re done. He made it harder than it ever had to be, but you’re going now.

He grabs your hand. ‘You cannot either, my little witch.’

Struggling, you snarl at him, clawing at your chest, but he pins you to the wall, his eyes aflame, searing, calling to something in you that rises up to meet him. This time, it is too strong; you cannot push it down, a part of you not even wanting to. You can feel Feyd all over you, your senses overwhelmed by him, by the way he presses his forehead to yours, forcing you to meet his gaze.

‘You do not have to fear it,’ he whispers. ‘Just let go. You’re holding on too tight.’

He dips his head, claiming your lips. You give in, yield to it, let it wash over you and carry you away on its blissful waves, your heart swelling in your chest at the way he touches you, tenderly, as if you’re the most precious thing he’s ever laid his eyes upon; this is not Feyd, but this is him, irrefutably so.

You think this might be love.

It is a wild, white hot blade in your heart that twists, beauteous, enthralling. You believed that it would weaken you, shackle you, but you blaze with the glorious flare of it, the kiss of Feyd’s hips against yours stoking it further. Truly, it is magnificent.

In the only way you know how, you show him. It’s cataclysmic, the way you’re pulled to him like a comet caught in a planet’s gravity, streaking towards him, fated to collide, your hands roving over him, his over you, the taste of rain blooming on your tongue as you bite down on his shoulder, muffling a moan as he ekes sweet, tender pleasure from you. Your head tips back against the stone, eyes raised to the weeping sky, your lips parted as he fills you with his cock.

Feyd looks at you as if you are a goddess. He worships you, cradles you in his arms, anchoring you, grounding you. You do not know where he ends and you begin, nor do you want to know; you wish for your souls to meld, you wish for the two of you to be alone in the universe, unbothered by time or fate or anything.

‘You are mine, little witch,’ he intones against your rain soaked skin. ‘I am yours.’

[xoheewon]

His Majesty- PSH

synopsis: you’re the prince’s new attendant, attending not only to him but also to his son. what’s in store for you in the circle of the “cold” and “heartless” prince?

genre: fluff, angst(?), smut (one smut scene lmao), royalty au, dilf!sunghoon, prince!sunghoon

pairing: sunghoon x f!reader

wc: 5k

warnings: smut, pussy eating, unprotected sex, breeding, dick sucking, cursing, fingering, violence(?), gossip

note: ignore the formatting, i’m too lazy to change it, also excuse any typos/grammar inaccuracies 😁 i hope y’all enjoy this! this is my second time writing smut so hopefully again, not ass lol.

Becoming the prince's new personal attendant was a huge honor and opportunity you could not pass up. Your family was struggling immensely and taking this job would help stabilize you financially.

You’ve heard rumors about the prince, that he’s cold and heartless. You didn’t care, as long as your family was taken care of. You’re not fragile, you’ve been through enough to handle him.

You currently find yourself in the presence of the head attendant. The one who attends to the king and queen.

“You will attend to any and all needs of the prince, regardless of its difficulty or convenience. This also means attending to the prince’s son. He’s a year old and requires attention at all times.”

Wait, the prince has a son?

“I can see the look on your face. Yes, the prince has a son. It was unexpected and sudden but he loves his son very much, and you must treat him with the utmost care.

You nod, taking in her words with complete seriousness.

“The prince also has his concubines, you do not need to attend to them, but do be mindful of your interaction with them.”

Of course he has concubines, a typical man.

“How many are there?” You ask.

“3, Seyoon, Ana, and Jiseul. Don’t get in their way and you’ll be fine. And don’t tell anyone I told you this, but the prince definitely favors Jiseul.”

She leans in closer, lowering her voice to a whisper,

“I know she hopes for a more…romantic relationship with him and for that reason she’s very possessive. Definitely don’t get in her way, the other two are nicer, but I would still avoid them.”

You take everything in and nod. Okay, you can do this.

The attendant continues, “You will address the prince as ‘your majesty’ and that only. Same goes for the king and queen shall you ever encounter them. You will address his concubines as ‘ms’.

The only one you can address informally here is the prince’s son, his name is Taesun,” she takes a breather, “you will begin attending to the prince immediately, go to him and do what he tells you. If your services are not needed at the moment you shall attend to his son.”

With that, she takes off, giving you an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

You already memorized where everything is in the castle after your tour, your own room is in a section of the castle reserved for staff.

Taking a deep breath, you make your way to the prince’s room.

Before you can knock, you hear a loud moan from behind the door.

“Fuck, Sunghoon!”

Oh. He must be busy.

You can’t help but roll your eyes, how uncouth.

Figuring he doesn’t need you at the moment, you instead venture off to find Taesun.

The attendant, who said to call her Yeeun, told you the baby was with his grandparents.

This may give you the opportunity to introduce yourself to the king and queen. Even if the prince is cold and heartless, maybe they’re not.

You make your way to their chambers, hearing a loud coo, telling you Taesun is with them.

You knock, albeit hesitantly, waiting to be invited inside.

“Come in!”

You open the door, immediately bowing and introducing yourself, “Your majesties, I am the prince’s new personal attendant. It's an honor to be in your presence.”

“And what’s your name, dear?” The queen asks, holding Taesun. You can’t help but coo internally, he’s the cutest baby you’ve ever seen.

“Y/N, your majesty. I went to the prince’s room to see if my services were needed but he seemed…preoccupied, so I came to find Taesun instead.”

Both the king and queen roll their eyes at your words, “That boy, he’s too obsessed with sex. Maybe you’ll be a breath of fresh air for him,” the king says.

“I’ll do my best. Does Taesun need to be attended to?”

“Yes actually,” the queen starts, “it’s time for his feeding. You can take him.”

You walk forward, carefully taking Taesun into your arms.

“You’re very pretty dear,” the queen says, making you blush.

“Coming from you, your majesty, I’m honored.”

You bid them farewell, taking Taesun to the kitchen where his milk and bottles are.

It’s somewhat hard to do one handed, but you manage to make a bottle for him.

You weren’t told where to feed him, so you take him back to your room.

Inside your room, it’s somewhat dark and dingy but it’s enough.

You notice a crib in the corner of the room, you figure you’ll have Taesun enough to have a place for him to sleep in your room.

As you feed him, his big eyes look into yours and he smiles. You smile back, brushing your thumb along his soft cheek.

He takes about 20 minutes to finish the bottle, and after he’s done, you gently begin to burp him, with a cloth over your shoulder in case.

Within another half an hour, after he’s been burped, he begins to yawn, and you gather he’s ready for a nap.

You gently lay him in the crib, making sure there’s nothing restricting him or in his way.

He falls asleep quickly and you do your best to not make any noise.

There’s a small dresser with books in it, so you pick one up to pass the time.

It’s only an hour later when there’s a faint knock on your door.

You check to make sure Taesun hasn’t woken, before answering the door.

The prince stands there with a woman you can only assume is one of his concubines.

You bow immediately, “Your majesty, Ms.”

“You're my new attendant?”

His voice is rough and monotone.

You look up, meeting his eyes, they're dark with no light in them.

Nodding, you stand up straight, “Yes, your majesty.”

He moves past you as does the woman, and you don’t miss the dirty look she gives you.

You shouldn’t assume, but you have a feeling this must be Jiseul.

The prince makes his way to the crib where his son rests, running a hand over his forehead.

“Has he eaten?”

“Yes, your majesty, he ate and was burped. I put him down an hour ago.”

“It’s about time for him to wake up,” the prince says, and just as he finishes his sentence, Taesun begins to cry.

Sunghoon immediately picks him up, shushing him, “It’s okay, daddy’s here.”

You see his eyes change in that moment, from dark and lifeless to full of love.

Taesun continues to cry, no matter how much his father coos and shushes him.

“Here let me,” the woman says, taking Taesun from his father, “Hi sweetie, it’s auntie Jiseul!”

Ah, so you were right.

But no matter how much Jiseul rocks him, he refuses to stop crying.

It’s starting to hurt your ears with how loud his cries are, you walk forward, “May I?”

Jiseul gives you another look, but you ignore it as you take Taesun into your arms.

Once he sees you, his cries immediately cease, and instead he begins to smile and laugh.

You murmur sweet words to him, tickling his belly as he laughs loudly.

You look up and the prince and Jiseul are looking at you astounded.

“No ones ever been able to get him to stop crying so quickly,” the prince says.

You give him back to Sunghoon, who smiles down at his son.

“Is there anything you need from me, your majesty?” You ponder.

“No, not at the moment. We’ll go.”

With that, he and Jiseul leave with Taesun.

You huff, Taesun wasn’t any hard work but something about the other two made you suddenly feel exhausted.

The next day, after washing up and making yourself presentable, you make your way to the prince’s room.

You knock and enter after hearing him invite you in.

“Good morning, your majesty, may I be of any assistance?”

“Yes, we’re having breakfast with the Sim’s, please attend to me. Afterwards, I’ll have you take Taesun.”

You immediately begin gathering an outfit for the prince.

He’s in a robe, you assume fresh out of the shower.

You get undergarments for him as well as a shirt and slacks.

When you turn back around, the prince has dropped his robe.

You squeak, turning back around immediately.

“What? Never seen a man naked before?”

He’s teasing you, you can tell by the tone in his voice. What happened to the cold and heartlessness?

Suddenly, you feel his presence behind you.

His hand runs up your arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

“Shouldn’t you turn around and face me?” He teases, lightly pushing your shoulder so you’re turned.

You avoid looking in his eyes or looking down.

His hand finds your chin, pushing your head up so your eyes meet.

“You’re a pretty thing, you know that?”

You can’t think of a response without making a fool out of yourself, so you just hand him his underwear and pants.

He chuckles, taking the garments from you and stepping back to put them on.

Once his bottom half is covered, you assist him in putting on his shirt and buttoning it.

Taesun is in his crib, watching intently.

“Take Taesun to the garden, he likes looking at the flowers,” Sunghoon says, adjusting his collar.

You nod, taking Taesun out of his crib as he babbles.

You open the door to find Jiseul about to knock.

Bowing, you walk past her, making your way to the garden.

Taesun immediately starts grabbing at the flowers, giggling and smiling.

You point out the types of flowers to him. Dahlia, carnation, rose, tulip, iris.

You know he doesn’t understand, but you enjoy talking to him anyway.

After soaking in the sun and admiring the flowers, a servant comes outside, garnering your attention.

“Your presence is requested in the dining room, Y/N,” she says, not giving you a chance to ask what for.

You waste no time and make your way to the dining room, Taesun in your arms.

The dining room is full, with the king and queen along with who you assume are the Sim’s.

“There they are,” the queen says, gesturing to you and Taesun.

You bow your head slightly, not wanting to rock Taesun too much, “Good morning.”

“This is Chaeyoon and Hyungjae Sim and their son, Jake,” the king introduces them, bowing their heads to you.

“Y/N is lovely and already has Sunghoon’s favor which is unseen,” the queen says, looking at you adoringly.

“Dada,” Taesun mumbles, and you begin to hand him over to Sunghoon.

Sunghoon stops you, instead pulling you down into his lap.

You blush, whispering “Your majesty, this isn’t appropriate.”

“Whatever I want to do, is appropriate.”

That shuts you up and you quietly bounce Taesun in your lap while everyone else stares at you.

Sunghoon continues the conversation like nothing is off and you keep quiet, not speaking unless you’re spoken to.

“It’s time for Taesun’s feeding,” you whisper to Sunghoon as the baby starts to whine.

“Let’s go then,” he replies.

You stand up as does the prince.

“Excuse us,” he says to the table, “Y/N and I must attend to Taesun.”

Sunghoon doesn’t waste another second, nor wait for an answer before guiding you out of the dining room with a hand on your lower back.

Neither of you say a word, making your way to the kitchen to fetch a bottle.

Sunghoon watches you feed Taesun, feeling something he can���t describe.

“I’m intrigued by you,” he says.

You look up, eyes wide.

“What do you mean, your majesty?”

“There’s something about you,” he responds, “I can’t put my finger on what it is though.”

You nod, “Well, I hope whatever it is, it’s good.”

Sunghoon doesn’t say anything else.

Once you’ve finished feeding and burping Taesun, you hand him over to his father.

“I’ll take care of him from here, you go rest,” the prince tells you.

You bow, “Yes, your majesty.”

You leave him in the kitchen, making your way back to your room.

Before you can make it there, a hand grabs you from behind, making you spin around.

Jiseul stands there, looking furious.

“Can I help you, Ms?”

“Yes, you can, by staying the hell away from Sunghoon!”

You sigh, “That’s kind of hard, considering I’m his attendant, Ms.”

“I saw you in the dining room, all cozy on his lap. Don’t act like you don’t want him. You’re nothing but a whore tasked to help him, no more, no less.”

You gulp, trying not to get frustrated, “I do not want his majesty, and yes I am nothing more than an attendant. I will continue to do my job with less interaction.”

“Good,” she says, “and don’t let me see you all over him again.”

With that, she turns and walks away.

You finally get inside your room, trudging to your bed.

You’re ready for this day to be over.

As you lay down, you close your eyes and surely enough, you fall asleep quickly.

When you open your eyes, it’s night time.

You don’t know how long you slept for, but clearly, you needed it.

A loud babble catches your attention, and you see Taesun in the crib of your room.

“What are you doing here?” You say sweetly, making your way to him.

Picking him up, you rock him in your arms as he giggles.

“Your dad must be busy, huh?”

Taesun just gurgles in response.

“I hope he keeps our relationship professional, I don’t need anybody targeting me.” You sigh, taking him back to bed with you.

As you hold him in your arms, your eyes begin to droop again.

You don’t even hear the knock on your door.

It opens and Sunghoon stands there, looking around until his eyes find you, half asleep with Taesun in your arms, he chuckles.

He closes the door, making his way over to you.

You suddenly perk up, “Your majesty! I didn’t hear you come in!”

“You look comfortable,” he says, sitting on the edge of the bed by your feet.

“I’m so sorry. I woke up and Taesun was watching me so I figured we could just rest for a couple more minutes. He’ll probably be up now, I’m sorry.”

Sunghoon shakes his head, “Don’t worry about it.”

Before you know it, you and Sunghoon are engaging in rapid conversation.

He asks about your life in the kingdom, why you wanted this job, and other minuscule things.

You ask about him, trying not to be too intrusive.

But Sunghoon opens up well, telling you everything you want to know.

He’s actually not cold and heartless, in fact he’s the opposite. He’s sweet, kind and loving.

Especially towards his son, who you learned was conceived by a former concubine who baby trapped him.

She thought she’d be given the honor of marrying the prince, but instead she was kicked to the curb and had custody taken away from her.

It’s terrible that the prince's trust was betrayed like that.

You wonder if any of his other concubines wish for a higher position than just concubines? Probably Jiseul, at the very least. She’s the only one you’ve encountered, the other two seem very…in the wind.

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” Sunghoon asks, pinching your leg.

“Nothing,” you say, “just…surprised. You’re nothing like what people think of you. Like what I thought of you.”

He waves his hand, “It’s common, you have nothing to worry about.”

Taesun suddenly begins to squirm in your arms, having woken up from his own nap.

He looks at you, smiling and babbling.

“Hey, look who’s here. It’s daddy!” You hold him up, facing Sunghoon who smiles gleefully.

“There’s my big guy,” he says, taking Taesun.

He kisses his son on the cheek, while Taesun has his eyes focused on you.

“You like Y/N, yeah?” Sunghoon coos.

Taesun is suddenly reaching his arms out, making grabby hands towards you, “Mama.”

Both you and Sunghoon freeze, looking up at each other in somewhat horror.

“Mama!” Taesun repeats, still reaching for you.

“I- oh my god. I’m so sorry! I don’t know why he’s saying that,” you say, fully in shock.

“I don’t know what to say,” Sunghoon responds, “he’s never said mama before. Don’t say sorry! I just don’t know where this is suddenly coming from.”

You curl up, putting space between you and the prince.

Sunghoon stares at Taesun in his hands, before looking up at you.

“If you don’t mind, can he continue to call you that? It’s totally okay if not, but he’s never had a mother figure.”

You’re flabbergasted. The prince is asking you to act as a mother to his son?

“I… okay. That’s fine, your majesty.”

“Sunghoon, call me Sunghoon.”

You take a second, feeling it at the tip of your tongue, “Sunghoon.”

You make eye contact with the prince and he smiles at you, a genuine smile.

Smiling back, the moment is interrupted by Taesun, “Mama! Mama!”

“Okay,” Sunghoon laughs, “go to mama.”

Your heart skips a beat at his words, you, mama?

Taesun crawls on the bed, back into your arms.

“Mama’s here.”

In 2 days, you managed to capture the attention of the prince and his son.

You just hope this doesn’t put a target on your back.

It’s been about 2 weeks since you started your job and you’ve been loving it.

You and Sunghoon actually feel like friends, as crazy as that sounds.

Taesun is obsessed with calling you mama.

It comes out of his mouth almost every minute.

You’re starting to love him, as if he was your own.

Making your way through the hallways, you hear a whisper of your name.

You pause in your step, hiding behind a corner to hear the conversation.

“I heard she was so desperate, she begged the prince to make her one of his concubines.”

What?

“Rumor says he only allowed it because Taesun likes her.”

What bullshit are they spouting?

You frown, why would people think this of you?

“Eavesdropping? That’s not very nice,” a voice says behind you.

You turn, facing Jiseul as she smirks at you.

“Did you start those rumors?” You ask, anger making its way onto your face.

“Maybe I did, it only makes sense, doesn’t it?”

You hate that smug tone in her voice.

Before you can stop yourself, your hand is coming up and making contact with her cheek.

The sound resonates in the quiet hallway.

“You bitch! Did you just slap me?” She nearly screams.

You hear footsteps shuffling towards you as the two servants who were talking about you make their way to you.

“Y/N! What are you doing?” One of them says, grabbing your shoulders.

You yank yourself out of her hold, “Don’t touch me!”

Turning to face Jiseul, you step closer until there’s little space between you.

“Don’t fuck with me, you’ll regret it.”

She gapes at you, as do the servants watching you walk off back to your room.

Once inside, you just scream.

“Fuck!” You scream, you just did something really bad.

You start to pace.

That was a mistake, you shouldn’t have done that.

But god, that bitch just pisses you off.

She clearly can’t stand the fact that you’ve gotten closer to Sunghoon but to stoop low enough to start rumors? What is she,12?

Your door suddenly opens, Sunghoon enters the room and he doesn’t look happy.

“Did you really slap Jiseul? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Of course she ran to Sunghoon.

Is he going to believe you?

“She started rumors about me and was mocking me about them, I just snapped!” You defend yourself diligently, refusing to back down.

“What rumors?” Sunghoon asks, closing the door behind him.

“That I,” you sigh, tears prick your eyes and you look up to not let them fall, “that I begged you for sex. To be one of your concubines.”

Sunghoon’s face poses one of confusion.

“Jiseul did that? Are you sure?”

“She doesn’t like the fact that we’re kinda friends! She told me 2 weeks ago to stay away from you. You may not believe me but honestly I don’t care, but I know the truth!”

You wipe the tears now falling from your eyes, not wanting him to see you vulnerable.

He stands there, taking in everything you said, “I’ll handle it. Just don’t go slapping people, okay?”

You nod, sniffling as he leaves the room.

Making your way to your bed, you lay there as you cry.

He said he would handle it, but why does it feel like you just got scolded?

You don’t know how long you lay there crying, but after what seems like forever, a knock is heard at your door.

Getting up, you wipe your eyes and face, trying to make yourself look presentable.

When you open the door, the queen is standing there with Taesun in hand.

“Hello dear, he was asking for his mama.”

You take Taesun eagerly, at least one person here didn’t think the worst of you.

“Is something wrong, sweetheart?” The queen asks, stroking your shoulder.

Shaking your head, you speak, “No, your majesty. I’m fine, especially now that he’s here,” gesturing to Taesun.

“My husband and I were hoping you’d join us for dinner,” she says.

“You want me to join you?” You ask in shock.

Oh no, are they going to fire you for what you did?

“Yes, we want to get to know you more, so please, do join us.”

You give her the okay and she leaves Taesun with you.

Putting Taesun in his crib, you begin to wash up and change for dinner.

As you're changing your dress, your door opens, Sunghoon enters.

“Sunghoon!” You squeal, your arms coming up to cover your bare chest.

You turn away from him, making him see your back.

Hearing the door close, Sunghoon makes his way to you, his hand running up your back, sending shivers down your spine.

“I’m sorry,” he starts, “I should’ve knocked.”

His chest meets your back as you stand with little to no space between you.

“Sunghoon,” you whisper, licking your dry lips as his hands cup your shoulders.

He pulls your dress up, covering your breasts as you let your arms fall.

Once you’re fully situated, he zips your dress, his cold hands ghosting across your warm skin.

“Let’s go to dinner,” he says.

You pick Taesun up, holding him with one arm while Sunghoon takes the hand of your other.

Making your way to dinner, you ignore the heat rising to your cheeks.

Why does this feel so domestic? Like, you’re a family?

Is that what you secretly want?

Maybe Jiseul is right, maybe you do want the prince.

Dinner goes smoothly, the king and queen ask you plenty of questions about your life, but never do they sound condescending or rude.

After dinner is finished, Sunghoon asks his parents to take Taesun.

“Y/N and I have some business to attend to,” he tells them.

They look at him suspiciously, but don’t question him.

But that doesn’t mean you’re not confused, what business is he talking about?”

Sunghoon leads you through the castle until you’re faced with his own bedroom door.

His bedroom, somewhere you’ve never been.

As he opens the door, the smell of mint and pine make their presence known.

Both of you take your shoes off.

“What are we doing, Sunghoon?”

He closes the door behind you and you can hear the lock turn.

There’s an ottoman in front of his bed that Sunghoon sits on, his legs spread.

And oh, does his lap look inviting.

“Come.” He pats his lap.

You’re hesitant but don’t want to disobey him, so you quietly walk forward, steps slow.

You sit on his lap and his hands immediately find your waist.

“I took care of Jiseul,” he whispers into your ear.

You gulp, his voice is husky and you try not to let it get to you.

“What did you do?”

“Told her if she ever threatens you again, she’ll pay the price.”

“But why?” You ask, “I’m nothing more than your attendant, at best your friend. She’s been with you for how long?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says, “I care about you in a way I’ve never cared for another person, other than Taesun that is.”

You can’t help but squirm in his lap.

The way he talks is mesmerizing. You can’t help the wetness that pools between your thighs.

You know it’s wrong, you shouldn’t be thinking of him in this way, but damn if he’s not attractive.

His hand trails up your back, pulling down your dress zipper.

Your breath catches in your throat as his hands pull your arms out of the dress, dragging it down until it’s bunched at your waist.

His head hooks on your shoulder, hands coming up to cup your breasts.

You gasp, “Sunghoon, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why,” he hums, “what’s so wrong about this?”

His fingers tweak your nipples and a moan rips out of your throat.

“Sensitive hmm?” He teases, squeezing your breasts in his large hands.

You lean back, your back meeting his chest.

“Sunghoon,” you whimper, squirming in his lap again.

You can feel his dick hardening in his pants.

At least you’re not the only one feeling something.

“Stand up,” he says, and you listen.

He pulls your dress the rest of the way down, leaving you in your panties, before taking you back into his lap.

“What do you want from me, baby?” He asks, rubbing his hands up and down your arms, leaving goosebumps.

“Want you,” you whine.

“Want me where? Show me.”

You take his left hand, bringing it down to your soaked panties.

Sunghoon breathes heavily, “All for me?”

You nod, squealing as his fingers make their way inside your underwear, rubbing up and down your folds.

He pulls them out, bringing the fingers to his mouth, moaning around them at the taste of you.

“So good, baby.”

He brings them back to your folds, this time, rubbing soft, lazy circles on your clit.

“So fucking wet for me, god I could drown in this pussy.”

He inserts a finger inside your hole, the tightness making him hiss in need.

Soon he has two fingers inside, pumping them in and out, curling them in just the right ways.

Sunghoon takes his fingers out, making you whine in protest.

“Patience,” he says.

He gathers your legs in one hand while the other wraps around your back, lifting you up as he stands.

“I need my mouth on you immediately.”

He places you on the bed, climbing on it and in between your legs.

His gaze is hungry as he begins to pull your panties down your legs.

Throwing them somewhere, he wastes no time.

His tongue swipes up and down your folds, his lips coming up to suck on your clit.

“Fuck, Sunghoon!” You’re nearly screaming as he moves between sucking your clit and fucking your hole with his tongue.

Your hands grab his hair, messing up the previously near locks.

You feel your orgasm approaching quickly, letting Sunghoon know with a whine and a tug on his hair.

He doesn’t stop thrusting his tongue inside you until you’re cumming on it.

Lapping up all your cum, he leaves one last kiss on your clit before coming up.

His mouth is covered in your release and you feel almost proud, like you’re claiming him.

Snapped out of your daze, you see Sunghoon pulling his pants and underwear down, letting his cock spring free.

It’s thick and long, veiny and bulging with the tip raging red.

You salivate, wanting nothing more than to have him in your mouth.

“You want my cock in your pretty little mouth?” He says, noticing your eyes on it.

You hum, opening your mouth and lolling your tongue out.

Sunghoon curses, head thrown back as he makes his way up the bed.

His knees rest on either side of your body while he taps the tip of his cock on your tongue before sliding it into your awaiting mouth.

He groans at the heat and wetness, sliding in and out, fucking your mouth.

Your tongue swirls around his head, dipping it into his slit.

“Fuck, such a warm, pretty mouth. All mine, yeah?”

You nod as best as you can with his cock down your throat, gagging slightly as it reaches the back.

Sunghoon picks up the pace, using your mouth until he’s cumming inside it.

You swallow all his cum eagerly, showing him as he chuckles, “Good girl.”

Sunghoon maneuvers back down the bed until he’s faced with your cunt again. Your hole is clenching, begging for his cock.

He guides his cock to your hole, slowly slipping inside as you moan.

Starting slow so as not to hurt you, he thrusts taking in the tightness around his cock.

“Fuck, you’re so wet, love this pussy.”

The only thing you can manage is to moan, repeatedly.

“Fuck Sunghoon, so good. Love your cock, so much,” you say, a permanent whine in your voice.

“Yeah? You love my cock?”

You nod incessantly.

He picks up the pace, thrusting faster and harder as his tip kisses your cervix.

You scream, the pleasure almost painful.

“Gonna cum in this cunt, breed you. You’d like that wouldn’t you?”

“Yes, Sunghoon, yes! Love it.”

Tears roll down your cheeks as he fucks you.

Soon, you’re cumming again, creaming around Sunghoon’s cock.

He follows, cumming inside, painting your walls white.

Once he’s done, he pulls out, his cum immediately leaking out of you.

He takes two fingers and stuffs it back in, making you whimper.

“I meant it when I said I’d breed you.”

He lays next to you, as you breathe heavily, coming down from your own high.

“You know, after this, I know I can’t let you go, ever,” Sunghoon says.

“I don’t mind that, but what does that make us? I don’t wanna be one of your concubines, Sunghoon.”

“You won’t be, you’ll be mine. And I’ll be yours.”

“You’d give up your concubines, just like that?”

“For you? Anything.”

He looks into your eyes, leaning forward and leaving a passionate kiss on your lips. You kiss back with equal passion, pulling him closer.

Sleep overtakes you soon enough, with Sunghoon’s arm wrapped around your waist.

Seyoon, Ana and Jiseul move out the next day.

You don’t miss the glare Jiseul sends you, but you ignore it.

Sunghoon is yours and you’re his.

Whatever that means for the future, you’re not sure, but for now this is good enough.

As you change Taesun’s diaper, Sunghoon comes up from behind you, leaving a kiss on your neck.

“How’s my beautiful girl?”

“Good, great, amazing, everything,” you laugh.

“That’s all I could ask for.”

Washing your hands, you put Taesun on the floor.

Sunghoon pulls you towards him, dropping a kiss on your lips.

Something moving out of the corner of your eye catches your attention.

“Oh my god! Sunghoon, Taesun is walking!”

Sunghoon whips around and sure enough, his son is on his feet, walking towards the bed.

“Holy shit!”

Taesun makes it to the bed, holding onto the railing as he giggles up at you both.

“Taesun, you’re amazing!” Sunghoon picks the boy up, swinging him in his arms.

You take him into your arms, kissing all over his face.

“Mama’s so proud of you!”

Sunghoon looks at you both, the most important people to him, and smiles.

This is his family.

[crazerk]

Dear author, we need a mother-daughter (or even one with Kaz 🥹) snippet now that we've seen how adorable MC's sons are with her!

Omg yes! This ask reminded me of a scene in magnificent century where mihrimah defended her mother from Hatice. I based this snip on that.

"Soraya, your posture," you murmured, barely moving your lips as you adjusted your daughter's silk sleeve. The great hall buzzed with conversation and the sweet notes of the court musicians, but all you could focus on was the way Soraya's shoulders kept slouching in defiance of years of training.

"Mother, I'm dying of boredom," Soraya whispered back, straightening briefly before slumping again. Her eyes kept straying to the door as if plotting an escape. "I should be with Cyrus. He's all alone in that stuffy room, in pain and bored to tears..."

"Your brother has three physicians attending him and more books than the imperial library. What he needs is rest, not you hovering over him like a mother hen." But your own thoughts drifted to your younger son, wondering if his fever had broken yet.

Across the room, Arman's laughter boomed over the refined murmur of conversation. He was trading war stories with a group of young officers, his cup of wine sloshing dangerously as he gestured. Soraya watched him with naked envy.

"At least someone's enjoying himself," she muttered.

"General Dastan seems to be enjoying the evening as well," you observed carefully, noting how the man's eyes kept finding your table. The Hero of the Northern Campaign, they called him. The Scourge of the Steppes. The man who'd saved the empire's borders through cunning and steel. He cut an impressive figure in his formal military attire. At thirty-two, he was in his prime – battle-tested but not war-worn, his dark good looks unmarred by the campaigns that had made his name.

Soraya's lip curled. "He can enjoy it somewhere else. I don't like the way he stares."

"He's a good match," you said, the words tasting like ash in your mouth. "Intelligent, successful, with strong support among the border provinces—"

"Mother, please." Soraya's fingers twisted in her lap. "I'd rather join the priesthood. I've already picked out my temple."

"You've been threatening that since you were twelve."

"Well, maybe this time I mean it."

You sighed. "I just want—"

"I know what you want." Soraya's voice softened. "But I can't be the perfect princess you're trying to make me into. I wish..." She glanced at Arman again. "I wish Cyrus were here. He'd tell me exactly how many battles Dastan actually lost, and how many of his victories were just good luck and better weather."

Despite yourself , you smiled. "Your brother does have an uncanny memory for other people's failures."

"It's not fair that he gets to skip this because of a fever. He probably isn't even that sick. I bet he's in his room reading those new scrolls from—"

"My, my, what dreadful posture."

The voice cut through your conversation like a blade. Consort Zina, one of prince Parvis’ concubines, settled onto a nearby cushion with practiced grace, resplendent in jewels that couldn't quite disguise the years etched around her eyes. Despite being aunt by marriage to the shah, she carried herself as though she were the empress herself. A younger woman hovered at her shoulder, wearing the latest court fashion and an expression of carefully crafted concern.

"Really, you grace," Zina continued, her tone dripping with false sympathy, "I would have thought you'd taught your daughter better. Though I suppose we can't all have the advantage of proper breeding."

Soraya’s eyes flashed with rage while your face remained perfectly composed, though your fingers tightened on your cup. "Your concern is noted, Consort Zina."

"And where is your younger son?" the younger woman chimed in, clearly eager to curry favor. "Surely an imperial prince understands the importance of state functions? Or perhaps he finds himself... above such duties?"

Soraya's head snapped up. "My brother is ill."

You squeezed your daughter’s hand in warning before turning to face the haughty noble. "Prince Cyrus is indisposed," you said coolly. "As I'm sure you've heard, Lady...?"

The woman flushed at the deliberate slight. "Lady Mercen."

"Ah yes. New to court, aren't you?"

"Now, now," Zina said, lifting her cup to her lips. "No need to be sharp, y/n. We're all concerned for the proper appearance of the imperial family. After all, these children reflect on all of us, even those of... humbler origins."

Soraya went very still. When she spoke, her voice could have frozen flame.

"Consort Zina. You're addressing an imperial consort and the mother of two princes." Her smile was razor-sharp. "How many sons have you given the imperial house again? I forget. Is it... none?"

"Soraya." Your voice cracked like a whip. "You will leave. Now."

"Mother—"

"Now."

You raised your hand slightly, and a servant materialized at Soraya's elbow. Your daughter rose, trembling with fury but trained too well to make a scene. As she was led away, you turned back to Zina, who sat with her mouth still open in shock.

"My daughter speaks out of turn," you said softly, "but she is young, and protective of her family. I trust you understand." You lifted her cup in a subtle mockery of a toast. "After all, we can't all have the advantage of proper breeding."

The musicians played on, and somewhere in the hall, Arman's laughter rang out again. You caught sight of General Dastan watching your daughter's retreat with an expression of mixed alarm and fascination.

Good, you thought. Let him see exactly what he'd be getting if he pursued this match. Your daughter might never be a proper court lady, but she had something far more valuable – the courage to bare her fangs when those she loved were threatened.

[miss0atae]

What love can do in Meet You at the Blossom and how it can shape your life (after Ep 3 & 4):

It took me a while to write this post because I changed its title so many times. I wasn't sure I was conveying my thoughts properly. I wanted to write about the healing power of love between Huai En and Xiao Bao, but I had so much to say before so this title didn't work anymore.

[gif by khunkinn] @khunkinn

It's not a coincidence you can find the same pattern in some of the characters from My Stand In and Meet You at the Blossom since they were written by the same writer. Huai En and Ming, both had shitty parenting when they were young and it mostly came from their father. More than Ming, Huai En was shaped by his relationship with his father. His mother and his father were childhood sweetheart who never got the chance to be together because she was taken away by Huai En's uncle and he made her as his concubine. We also learned Huai En was born out of wedlock. His uncle's legitimate wife was jealous and tried to kill Huai En and his mother. His father wanted to save them (mostly his mother I think) but failed and Huai En's mother died trying to save the father. Huai En and his father found a way to escape and he was raised to seek revenge for the death of his mother. However, it didn't make them close. Huai En's father seems to consider that his son is also partly responsible for the death of his mother. It's not yet explain why… but because of his bias Huai En's father unfairly treated his son. In episode 4, Huai En explains to Xiao Bao how his father beat and scold him during his childhood. Huai En had no other choice but to obey him “unconditionally” or he would suffer physical pain. We can also assume he suffered mentally too.

[gif by omgtheregoesthefuckidontgive] @omgtheregoesthefuckidontgive

Huai En has been having recurring nightmares about the mistreatment of his father. He seems to remember vividly trying to avoid falling from a cliff and found no help from his father. Quite the opposite, he was also mocked by his father. It is likely something he had experience while he was young and that became so traumatic that he can't forget it. We could say that Huai En is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since this event. A father is supposed to care about his children. That's what we naturally expect from any “good” parents. It's hard to understand why his father thought his son should be responsible for his mother's death. We haven't had enough insight on what his going on in Huai En's father head. However, we know he is very controlling and don't let his son do what he wants in life. Huai En only purpose is to help him get the revenge he wants. Anything outside this is considered useless and unimportant. I don't think Huai En even got the chance to really know what he wants or dreams for outside this purpose. He doesn't get to voice his opinion or to have something just for him. He must live for his father's desire. It was shown during episode 4, when Huai En had a vision of his father telling me:

“Remember, you were born to redeem yourself for your mother’s sake. Don’t harbor unworthy thoughts for anyone of anything. Understand? Don’t even think of trying to escape. No matter where on Earth, you can’t escape from my grasp”.

I’m still trying to wrap my head over this fact. When Huai En told the story of how he was born, his mother was still alive. So I don’t get why his father would be so hard on him when he is supposed to be the love fruit of the love he had for his mother. I wonder if his father is the kind of man who would value his spouse over his child. We know his father has an obsessive love for his mother. It wasn’t just the “I want to avenge her” it feels more like “she was supposed to be mine and I lost her so I will enact my revenge”. Huai En’s father appears to have an overwhelming obsessive desire to possess and protect his lover and he has an inability to accept failure of keeping her alive. It doesn’t matter if to get his revenge he has to hurt his own son. I believe this type of love is the only one Huai En had ever experience so he doesn’t understand it’s not a normal or healthy way of loving someone. He must have avoided to be with anyone because the only love he knows is the one his father has for his mother. Love is a painful affair. It can lead to obsession and physical pain. That’s why he is so startled by Xiao Bao regular love confessions.

[gif by guzhufuren]

Xiao Bao had an entirely different childhood. His parents seem to have a healthy relationship and to love each other. Xiao Bao is their only son so they spoiled him and made sure he had a good life where he wants for nothing. You can see how they care for him and wants him to be happy. Since he was loved and taking care of, Xiao Bao grew up to be a nice person who is not shy to show his love. He never had to experience the “dark side” of love. For him, this is only a positive thing. He is also a very charming man; very genuine so when he fell in love with Huai En, he didn't dither and decided to pursue him. It didn't matter to him if Huai En wasn't the woman he thought he was. As long as there is love, it's enough for him. Compared to what Huai En is used to know about love, Xiao Bao's vision seems quite refreshing. Especially as they are in a time period where queer love was frown upon, Xiao Bao's view of love, gender and norms is fairly modern. He claims he will find a way of making their relationship being accepted by his parents. Why is he not afraid of claiming his love for Huai En, despite him being a man? It's because Xiao Bao is sure of his parents' love for him. This trust exists because he was raised this way.

[gif by guzhufuren] @guzhufuren

Xiao Bao may appear to be a fool, but he is more than what he seems. He isn't a great tactician or a skilled warrior, but he is knowledgeable when it comes to emotions. It was shown when he had a conversation about love and death with Xiao Bao. He admits that humans lives for emotions and desires and that you can be sad when you lose a loved one. However you can't be miserable all your life because of this. This vision of life is in opposition with everything Huai En has been taught from childhood. I would even say he was stunned. Xiao Bao understood that Huai En because of his past can't really understand what love is supposed to be and he is ready to teach him. I think he does have strong feelings for Huai En. He may pout or act silly sometimes, but when Huai En conceded if they were someone he truly wants to love, it would be Xiao Bao, it truly delighted him. He is not the kind of person to sulk for too long. He is so genuine and overjoyed. I'm not going to say it'll be easy for them. Even if Huai En despises his father's love for his mom and really wants to experience a healthy relationship, the way this love shaped his vision of life will have an impact on his relationship with Xiao Bao. You can quite see it when he is adamant about Xiao Bao having “no thought about others” or to never lie to him. This idea that Xiao Bao wants to be with him “forever” and not just be with him, kinda shows that his past will have an impact. However, I believe Xiao Bao's good nature may soften him.

[gif by ruanbaijie] @ruanbaijie

As he said himself to Huai En, his lover is “tough on outside, but soft inside”.

PS: I edited this post with better credits for the gif creators. I tagged all of you, I hope it's alright. If you prefer that I stopped using your gifs, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll do better with the credits on gif from now on.

[sukunas-wife]

I’ve been going back reading the manga, and i NEED TO KNOW WHY YOROZU WAS SO UPSET WHEN SUKUNA HINTED HE KNEW WHAT LOVE IS

And she GOT LIVID “THATS NOT TRUE LOVE”

Like hold on a minute- I might need to knock off Interview with a Vampire and find Yorozu

“Interview with a Woman who wanted my husband: Yorozu”

Only one question: “who the hell or what the hell did he love and can you elaborate in detail??? We’re all gonna jump him, because excuse me???

Every article says he never had a wife or family, he SAYS He was an unwanted child, eXCUSE ME??

*turns to sukuna*

Hold on if your an unwanted child, power hungry who and where did you experience love??

The only LOVE you better have is how you loved the food Uraume cooked for you and not Uraume

Tell me you had a concubine and a child you loved

imma flip this fr and theorize so hard it was YOUR SON Yuji AND MAYBE JUST MAYBE after being unloved as a child you said “This is my child, I’ll kill anyone who hurts him”

and he’s the reason you really fell in battle when you were betrayed. You tried to protect him! But what happens when you have a weakness? IT GET EXPLOITED

so when you came across him reincarnated, it pissed you off he was so nice and soft boyish you snapped and hated him even if he was your son.

That’s why you wanna break him, you want HIM TO BE YOU, to feel that hate, that rage, to let himself be consumed by the darkness you let yourself be consumed in when you were unwanted as a child-

STOP HURTING BABY BOY YUJI RYOMEN

I bet before you were labeled ryomen sukuna your name that you stripped away had “ITADORI” in it

Fight me-

Someone @ Gege tell i NEED to write this out

Read the tags btw i kept elaborating 😭

Permanent-

@sakuxxi @mercymccann @simpforyoubitch @certainduckanchor @domainofmarie @najiiix x @bakugou-katsukis-wife i need opinions here 😭

[asumi2020202]

Hi! Can I request a Tantai Jin x Female!Reader oneshot. Reader is his betrothed, she and Tantai Jin celebrate the Qixi festival together and finally confess their feelings for one another when the fireworks start.

Also I am SOOOO GLAD that someone is finally writing about TTEOM and Tantai Jin! 😃😃 There are hardly any fivs about him 😭😭

Thank you

Pairing: Tantai Jin x Reader

Summary: Tantai Jin is someone who was treated with harshness and cruelty. Yet somehow he finds his comfort in his betrothed.

A/n: This is before he actually accepted himself to be the devil god. This is written in the timeline where he hadn't discovered the evil bone yet. And thank you so much for the request, I hope.you enjoy. Thank you for reading!

_____________________ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ____________

Ye Y/n, the youngest daughter of the Ye family. Growing up, she was always treated like her sister Ye Xiwu. But instead of being a spoiled brat like Xiwu, she liked to help people.

It had been some weeks since their father discussed that Y/n was to be married to son of Concubine Rou and the King of Jing, Tantai Jin.

All knew that he was hated by the king who still blamed him for the death of Concubine Rou.

_________________________________________

It had been two weeks since Tantai had arrived at the Ye household. Y/n's family wanted her and Tantai Jin to be married as soon as possible to be in good terms with the King.

_________________________________________

Y/n was walking by when she saw Tantai Jin get harrassed by the servants. She walked in the room and asked the servants to apologise to him and leave.

Y/n held tantai's hand and led him to her room. She asked him to sit down as she set the table in front with food.

Tantai Jin was confused at her behaviour but he accepted the affection.

_________________________________________

Throughout the weeks of their betrothal Y/n and Tantai got closer. Y/n took care of him more than he thought he deserved. She earned his trust by the weeks.

Two days.. it was only two days for their marriage. Y/n forced him to come with her to the Qixi Festival.

Not wanting to sadden her, Tantai Jin agreed. Y/n looked through the shops while Tantai followed behind, smiling to himself.

_________________________________________

While strolling through the festival, you bought two meat stuffed buns for the both of you to enjoy.

You went to Tantai and gave him his bun along with a bright smile. As you both were about to move forward, the fireworks started.

You looked up at sky, eyes filled with amazement. Tantai Jin only looked up for a second. His gaze returned to your face. Oh.. how beautiful and ethereal you looked.

Tantai walked closer to you as your gaze shifted from the sky to him. He gave you the bun back.

For a second you thought he didn't like it and were about to apologise when he took your face in his hand and kissed you.

Your eyes went wide. Cheeks flushed. Ears bright red. He pulled away and looked at you.

"Thank you...Y/n.. for being with me. I can never show enough gratitude but thank you for letting me love you.."

You, without a second thought, took his face in your hands. The buns on the ground.

"You are all that I want.. and I would give you the moon but my hands are too small to grasp it all.. so I can only give you my heart and hope that you accept it.." said Tantai as you were left in awe, and let out a gentle smile and nodded.

His hand went inside his upper coat, pulling out a hairpin. It was silver, with pearls embedded and hanging.

He gently placed the pin on your hair bun. You smiled at him as the two of you turned your gaze back at the sky to continue watching. You smiled to yourself when you heard at little

..Thank you......

[swee7dream]

14:38 p.m.

“You saved me.”

Jeno holds the spoon in his teacup and lifts it out, the submerged part no longer silver but white.

“Once again. How did you know?” His dark eyes almost knock the breath out of you like a punch to the gut, reflecting light and authority like any prince’s should.

“The walls talk, Your Highness.”

His eyes crinkle until you can no longer see the pupils, his lips curled up into a smile.

“Right. You won’t ever tell, will you?” Jeno’s legs cross over each other as he turns in his seat to see you out of the corner of his eye. The fabric of his trousers wrinkle and the black shoes that don his feet shine in the way only daily shined shoes would. “I won’t tell anyone you’re a sage. You can trust me.”

“You should just be content with the fact you have me on your side.” You crinkle your nose. “It would not be pretty for you to have me as an enemy.”

“Oh, I’m sure of it.”

You just threatened the second prince of Somnium after an assasination attempt. Still, no guard steps out of line and pins you to the ground to cut your tongue off or send you to the dungeons. Jeno just smiles at you with his cheek on his fist.

“Thank you, my dear sage.”

You’re not a sage. You’re no magician or fortune teller or saintess from the gods. You just happened to read the manhwa this world takes place in and it would really suck if everything went acccording to the storyline and everyone in the palace died by arson from the crown prince.

“Your jaw will grow loose and fall out if you keep talking so much, Your Highness.”

Jeno knows you’re a little rough around the edges, but you mean well at the end of the day. You’re his most trusted advisor after all. He would give you a title if he could, promote you to give you a better salary would be a dream. But he can’t. There’s not much power for an exiled prince, son of a concubine, in the palace.

“Won’t you be there to catch it for me when it does?”

“I only try to stop injustices, not gifts from above.”

“Is that what my silence is to you?”

“If you tried it more often you would find yourself with less enemies.” You finally shift your eyes away from the flower arrangement by the door you were hyper-focused on to raise your eyebrows at Jeno, clearly unamused.

“Maybe that’s why my mother vouched for me to be sent here.”

You’re not exactly smiling and when those words leave Jeno’s lips your frown only deepens.

“The palace is a bloodbath. You should be able to have a peaceful childhood before going to behead your brothers and sisters for the seat in the throne room.”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“A peaceful childhood.” You repeat.

“Aren’t you-”

“A sage. Give me my due respect.”

“And what about me? I am a prince.”

“Eh…” You make a face and turn your face away, suddenly interested in how the dead trees sway in the wind.

"I could be a great prince!" He insists.

"Yes, yes..."

You don't doubt it, but politics is the one thing you're trying to keep your beloved tragic hero away from. You're rewriting everything anew, collapsing towers of betrayal and deception and creating instead houses of monotony and peace. You will not let Jeno die, not again.

© SWEE7DREAM . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

[sunasite]

with loss, comes love.

yandere!concubine x gn!reader

wc: ~1.0k

You were dressed in commoner's clothes, a big change from your usual royal attire. The plain, desaturated colours helped you blend in amongst the many people in the tavern. It wasn't the cheap kind, you're not sure you knew how to navigate those, but it was enough that nobody batted an eye at you.

You were sitting in the very corner of the place with a few empty glasses on the table in front of you. You normally didn't drink this much, and they (your adviser, your personal knight, and... well, everyone else) tried persuading you out of it, but they laid off once they saw your tired eyes, devoid of anything but grief. They could let you off just this once. Grief is very hard to deal with, after all, and everyone grieves in different ways. Maybe this was yours, they thought.

You were sleepy, and bordering drunk. You held your alcohol well, but tonight you had too much in your system. Exactly what you needed, after dealing with the loss of your parents. A distraction. You weren't sure the alcohol was enough, but you didn't need to worry about that. Not when somebody suddenly took the seat in front of you, making you lift your head from your arms, resting on the table.

A vaguely familiar face was smiling at you, sharp yet kind eyes gazing at you far too affectionately for a stranger. Ah, you know him, you think. He's from the one of the rich families whose parents your own were close to. You never bothered trying to get close to them and their only son, who was a couple years older than you, but you knew they were nice if your parents had nothing bad to say about them. They weren't nobles, though they were well off. A family of merchants, if you remember correctly.

"Florent Monet, if my memory serves me right," you murmured, uncaring if your words were slurring together. Now that you got a better look at him, he was very beautiful, even in this dull light; freckles scattered across his tanned skin, perfectly pink lips, expressive dark eyes, and a long blue earring adorning his right ear. His long black hair cascaded down his shoulders, as he runs a finger through it, as if to show 'yes, that's me'.

"What a surprise seeing you here, Your Majesty," he said, with a gentle smile on his face, and perhaps a hint of sympathy in his eyes if you bothered looking closer. "But I suppose grief is kind to no one. I'm truly sorry for your loss, I can't begin to imagine how it feels."

You let out a heavy sigh, as if you were suddenly reminded why you were here in the first place. You take another swig.

"No, I suppose not," you hadn't meant to be snappy, but it's not like you were in the right mind. Florent had both his parents, and they were thriving so no, he can't know how you feel. Immediately after though, you catch yourself, reminding yourself that he was a family friend, "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

His eyes met yours; they were understanding... and kind.

He waved you off, "No, do not apologize. I know you're not feeling like yourself right now, so I understand," Florent's voice was peaceful, but with a teasing undertone that you suspect is always present.

You sent him a gentle, grateful smile, but you didn't notice the way his eyes widened ever so slightly. You didn't notice the way he subtly licked his lips. And you certainly didn't notice the way his heart sped up at the sight of your smile. He's been wanting to get close to you all these years, and now was his chance. You were so close yet so far; you were always within vicinity, yet the second he reaches out... he misses you by a hair, his fingertips chasing the ghost of you. After years of gazing at you longingly, desperately needing your attention (which was always elsewhere, the child of the Emperor was always busy), he finally had his opening.

"Thank you, really. I feel... bad that you had to catch me in this state, but it— it can't be helped," you tripped over your words as you find a way to avoid mentioning your reason for your grief.

Florent takes your right hand in his— his touch so soft and gentle. You can't help but tighten your grip slightly, desperate for any kind of comfort. He seemed to sense that, as he carefully cups your cheek in his free hand.

He's warm, you thought, and kind.

You catch yourself leaning into his touch, as his warmth was just so inviting. Your eyelids feel heavier, but you're not sleepy anymore. You hear your heart racing, and you hope he can't feel it too. Why, you wondered, why is it so fast?

Oh, he's getting closer to you. Your noses were only a hair's width apart, and you can feel him breathe in.. and breathe out shallowly. You don't want to push him away.

"If you'd let me help you, Your Majesty, I will. I'll give you a distraction, if that's what you need," his words were breathy and quiet, and if you were more sober you would probably notice an ulterior motive. But you weren't, and you were hungry for comfort, affection, whatever it may be. "Just allow me, and I will give all of myself to you."

You lean in, slowly shutting your eyes until your lips meet his. His lips were soft, just like his touch. And suddenly you needed more; more of him, more of his lips, more of his words. Tonight, Florent was all you could see— all you could feel.

You brought him back to your room, and anyone could take a guess what happened there. The knowing looks your staff shared didn't go unnoticed, but you didn't have it in you to care nor tell them off. After all, all your attention was on Florent. From his honey voice to his melodious moans, all you could hear was him.

If you were more sober, you would have seen the sheer emotion that clouded his eyes; it could have been something akin to love. Something worse or better than love, it didn't matter, for you've found what you were looking for tonight: a distraction. And if he played his cards right, he would be your distraction tonight, and forever.

you've now met: Florent Monet, your devoted concubine.

[musical-chick-13]

How would a female Jishi be? Is it a cursed concept?

This is an interesting question, because I think, in order to have a female Jinshi with the same general characterization choices, the entire premise of The Apothecary Diaries would have to change.

Jinshi's major point of characterization is that he's in a position of power and political significance that he has to take part in, but that he doesn't actually want at all. The line of rule/inheritance is through the sons, and women are afforded very few actual career opportunities outside of being a courtesan. Maomao is an exception, not the norm--very few girls and women are allowed to be on retainer as doctors or detectives. They can be servants/court ladies, they can be ladies-in-waiting, they can be courtesans or, if they gain enough standing and attract the attention of the right people, concubines, but they aren't often allowed to be anything else. Not in the miliary, not in serious medicine, and certainly not in politics.

If Jinshi is suddenly female, then...well the only way for this character to be in a position of political power in this universe is to have gotten astronomically lucky in the process of actively working for it. The world of The Apothecary Diaries isn't going to plop a random woman into a political position for grins, and the only justification anyone would find to install a female official is...if someone had an exceptional amount of skill that was recognized by the right people, like in Maomao's case (and Maomao isn't even an official, nor does she want to be one). But how WOULD this version of Jinshi have gotten that skill, if Jinshi hadn't worked to develop it? Jinshi-as-a-girl would not have been afforded the level of education needed for that to happen, and if female-Jinshi had pursued that education on her own time...then that would suggest that she wanted to be in politics, something completely antithetical to the version of Jinshi that we know. (And even if we suspend disbelief past the point of reason and say that she magically ended up with this training she doesn't want, the only way that skill would ever come to light is if she were consistently using it in front of people, which...I don't think she would do if she wanted to avoid politics that much.)

If Jinshi doesn't have this disinterest, we have a completely different character. Which is completely fine, there's nothing wrong with that at all, plenty of character traits and archetypes can be interesting or entertaining. But I don't think a version of Jinshi that remotely resembles the canon version of this character is possible if Jinshi is now a young woman.

I think having a politically-savvy female character to contrast with Maomao would be very interesting (and given a few things I've heard, I'm hoping we might see some of that in season 2), in the sense that any power a woman has in this setting has to be carefully managed and, often, fought tirelessly and intensely for. Except for Maomao, who is...pretty much just living her life. Don't get me wrong, she does still have to be careful, and there is still a significant amount of danger she faces, but there's a surprising amount of leeway she's given, courtesy of her unique position and the fact that she has Jinshi (and. sort of? Lakan? maybe?) in her corner. And she gains a degree of relative peace in spite of her circumstances, without having to become a courtesan or concubine or politician. So for a young woman who is in a political or politically-adjacent situation to look at Maomao and go, "Well why do YOU get this degree of freedom but not ME, why do YOU get to be yourself, but I have to curate every aspect of my being?" would provide a complex and highly gripping dynamic. But I don't think a female version of Jinshi can provide that dynamic.

The only potential way female-Jinshi ends up anywhere close to the character we have in canon is if the entire gender landscape of this story is flipped--if women were the ones with social and political power, and men were the ones who had comparatively few choices afforded to them. (And this, of course, means that pretty much all of the characters have to be genderbent, which I do always find to be a really fascinating thought exercise.) But while a Reverse-Gender-Landscape version of this story isn't...a horrible idea, necessarily, I think there are very few writers out there with a deep and nuanced enough understanding of misogyny and gender politics to pull off a "What If Matriarchy Instead" story without having it fall completely flat.

But if the question becomes, "Would a female character with Jinshi's qualities still be compelling, or would she just be annoying," then. Well my answer is the same as it always is: any type of character with any combination of qualities can be compelling in the hands of a skilled enough writer.

[seamayweed]

Sea! I have read the kisaeng!seonho fic and i am enjoying it lots

Could you share some tips on how you do plotting? I'm really struggling with plots and making plots. I feel it has a lot to do with character motivations but at the same time i am at a loss

Also please do you mind telling me what's your writing process 🥹

aaaaaa godot, thank you so much for letting me know that you are enjoying my concubine!seon-ho fic and for expressing interest in my plotting/writing 😭 you are such a good (incredible) writer yourself and honestly i feel very flattered and am squealing a bit inside <333

1. plotting

you are very right that it has everything to do with character motivations! the key word here is ‘conflict’ since that’s what’s going to generate your plot. the questions you want to ask are: (a) what is the goal of your protagonist? (b) what is the goal of the other characters/antagonist(s)? (c ) how does the protagonist achieve their goal and how does the antagonist get in the way of the protagonist’s goal? (d) what do you want this plot to reveal about your protagonist and the other characters/antagonist(s)?

let’s play the above questions through on my fic as an example (mainly the seon-ho vs. bang-won (and bang-gan) conflict):

(a) what is my protagonist's goal?

seon-ho’s goal is to gain political power to make his mother’s dream come true and make the world a fairer, better place for bastards and slaves etc. he also believes that creating a country of subjects (the goal of nam jeon and his faction) will help him achieve that goal.

(b) what is the goal of the other characters/antagonist(s)?

his goal conflicts with bang-won’s and many others’ anti-bastard sentiments. bang-won wants to become the king and disenfranchize bastards. he believes that the king should be the one with all the power instead of subjects.

(c ) how does seon-ho achieve his goal?

by becoming a royal concubine and the king’s sword and using that power to free slaves and help baekjeong and start a small revolution, by gaining the people’s support and mythologizing himself as the river-blessed sukui and becoming a symbol of hope for them, by growing close to the queen and saving her, by forcing his father’s faction to side with him and make him their figurehead, by trying to bear the king a son - all for his plan to eventually become the queen, the highest, most powerful position he could work his way up to in order to build the country his mother envisioned.

(cc) how do the other characters achieve their own goals / foil his plans?

they try to stop him/take that power from him, i.e. they try to find justification to depose and execute him. bang-won is the one who is the most prominent and vocal in opposing him in court, using reasons such as seon-ho causing unrest in the country or poisoning the queen, while the actual mastermind behind this poisoning/framing plot is bang-gan. bang-gan tries to poison seon-ho too to make him infertile so he can’t bear the king a son and become queen.

the antagonists' actions and the protagonist's reactions or vice versa are what generate the plot: seon-ho becoming a royal concubine and gaining power makes the antagonists feel threatened and retaliate. bang-gan trying to frame seon-ho so he’ll be deposed/executed and can’t become the queen backfires since seon-ho managed to find the ‘culprit’ and save the queen, leading to him being celebrated by the common folk as a hero instead. bang-won and his faction calling for seon-ho’s deposition/execution + bang-won’s own obsession with him are exactly what seon-ho needed to pressure and scare his father’s faction into supporting him and making him their figurehead since he’s their best defense against bang-won right now, therefore bringing him closer to his goal of becoming queen.

(but then hwi betrays him like in canon, leading to his fall right as he was soaring high and taking important steps towards achieving his goal etc. etc.)

after the first rise and fall arc, i’m now in the middle of writing the next arc which is about the rape in ihwaru and its fallout which i intend to conclude in the next 2-3 chapters (about two thirds done). this, too, is only part of bang-won & bang-gan's retaliation against seon-ho, a way to kick him while he's already down and break him to make sure he can never rise again. the ball is in seon-ho's court now and the next chapters are going to explore how he's going to handle this and what actions he's going to take in turn. as you can see, plot generates more plot, and the motivations/goals of seon-ho vs. bang-won or bang-gan are what continuously drives them on. they keep thinking up new ways to achieve their own goals / foil the other’s plans in this violent, bloody power struggle.

(d) what do i want this plot to reveal about my protagonist and the other characters/antagonist(s)?

there are a million things i wanted to reveal about seon-ho with this plot, but to keep it short: i wanted to show that he is very much a political player too and a competent one at that, that he can make elaborate plans and execute them, that he may use his father's/seong-gye's methods but is not like them in the ways that matter, that he cares about his mother's dream and is willing to do anything to make it come true, that he can go toe to toe with bang-won, prove himself his equal/match and earn his grudging respect. i wanted to show bang-won's growing obsession, how he wants seon-ho, to possess him, as much as he wants to crush him. i wanted to show that bang-gan is like bang-won, but also different from him, jealous of his brother for having the spotlight while sticking to the shadows and using more underhanded tactics like poison, not caring if innocents get hurt in the process etc.

like dialogue and sex, plot can be characterization too, the characters' actions and reactions and inactions revealing who they are and what they think/feel.

though of course this is first and foremost an extremely self-indulgent fic and all of these plots are strongly influenced by my own preferences too: for one, i really wanted to see seon-ho have more power than in canon as a royal concubine. for another, i wanted to write all the noncon too - for the politics and the sex to be inextricably entwined; for it to be a political battle waged not only in court but also on seon-ho’s body.

2. my writing process

(a) daydreaming, research, brainstorming with or without a friend etc.

(b) basic notes/outline: i just basically word vomit all the random scenes, bits of dialogue, plots, twists and turns etc. in a doc. sometimes the vision is so powerful that i just need to get it all written down at once. then i sort the notes, arranging them chronologically. since i’m a sucker for symbolism or items having meaning and playing an important role later on even if it’s not that apparent at first, i try to incorporate those too. it’s where i also think of elements that i want to plant in the first few chapters that are going to play a role for the ending since i really love bookends. this becomes my outline for the story that i try to stick to.

(c ) chapter notes: i copy and paste the relevant basic notes into the chapter i’m working on and start to refine them, make them more precise, add to them, until they start to resemble the bare bones of a chapter. all that’s left is to flesh it out/write the scenes out.

i like to begin with dialogue. actions/motions/gestures and descriptions can come later. i always try to boil it down to its essence so i can avoid getting bored/stuck on a scene and so i can move on to the next story beat faster. if i feel inspired, i splurge on the description. if i don’t, i don’t force it. i used to be a wordier writer, but nowadays i prefer a cleaner, more precise style.

(d) cutting board: this is where the sentences and paragraphs that don’t fit go when i don’t have the heart to delete them or think i might be able to use them later in a different scene or chapter. it helps me write more freely without being scared of deleting/losing good bits.

(e) EDITING, EDITING, EDITING!!! i’m the type that obsessively rewrites/edits a chapter until my eyes fall out. in some rare cases a chapter is already perfect as is (happens more often when i’m on a writing roll) and only needs minimal editing before posting, but this is the exception and not the rule. 

(f) chapter title and summary: though this isn’t always the last step. sometimes i already know what the title and summary are going to be from the start.

(g) rinse and repeat of steps (c) - (f) for each new chapter, with some research in-between, adding more ideas as they come and the story advances. if i start to get too lost in the details, i can always go back to the basic notes/outline to reorient myself and see what comes next.

the result looks like this in my gdoc (‘COMMENTS’ is where i put the screenshot of comments and reply to them):

thank you so much for this very nice ask!! hope this reply didn't hit you over the head with how long it is and that i could help a little 💙💙💙

[aajjks]

TC!dad!JK

so jackson was right, he was with asami and to hear jungkook say he was ‘doing something really important’ with her only raises your suspicion. what could he have been doing with her that’s so important? you feel a little offended considering not too long ago jungkook was cursing you out for having a laugh with someone meanwhile he’s ‘doing something really important’ in his concubine’s bedroom.

he’s a hypocrite but you won’t say that out loud

“aw man, i can’t seem to remember what i was going to ask you. probably wasn’t important” you shrug. “goodnight, jungkook”

you turn around and swiftly head back to miriam to go get jinseoul which leaves jungkook confused as to why you’ve suddenly forgot what you were going to ask him. he’s sure you’re lying and kept the truth hidden from him (like you always do). it’s moments like these when he finds it hard to read you. did you think he was doing something with asami? because he wasn’t. unlike jungkook, you don’t press for answers. you take what you saw and go on about your day. completely detouring your original plan to apologize and be with jungkook again. instead, you forget your apology, get jinseoul from miriam, and retire to bed.

he watches every move you make: from waking up in the morning, bathing both yourself and your son, when you feed your son, when you style your hair, which oil you use to make yourself smell more enchanting, jackson watches it all through the keyhole of your bedroom door.

it seems that you and jungkook didn’t make up last night which means you were probably pissed when you saw him coming from her room.

‘yes, king jeon’ jackson thinks to himself. ‘keep fucking up so she can land in the palm of my hand’

he hopes jungkook’s fucks you over today and he’s conjuring up a plan to ensure you both remain as separate as parallel lines but maybe you can help him with that. if everything goes according to plan, he’s sure the two of you will be divorced and you’ll be all his. jackson will love you the way you deserve to be loved since your so-called “husband” is shit at getting anything right about you.

“slow, jackson. take it slow” jackson says aloud before leaving your bedroom door to tend to his duties not knowing that jisung saw the whole thing.

dear mother,

i can’t do it anymore. i can’t seduce him, mother. last night he choked me and threatened to hurt me if i didn’t tell him the truth. please, can i come home? i don’t want to do this anymore.

-あさみ

dearest daughter,

that just means he’s a little rough in bed, honey. remember your reward and give me what i want.

-あやめ皇后

mother,

i can’t. he scares me. he said he’ll never love me. i want to come home. please allow me to return home. please! why can’t you get him yourself?

-あさみ

dear asami,

are you questioning me? if you do not do as i say it will not be him that kills you. instead it will be me. do not write me back until their relationship is in pieces and you’ve seduced him.

-あやめ皇后

“king jeon?” jisung knocks on the door before entering his office. “you won’t believe this but that man queen y/n talked to at the garden? i saw him stalk the queen through the keyhole of her door”

~🫧

Jungkook knows what to do now, of course, he’s infatuated with you, and that brings a smile to his face because he’s got just the plan.

He will kill two birds with one stone. “Good work Jisung.” He says, even though internally, he’s fuming that this guy has the guts to fall for you when everyone knows that you are Jungkooks.

It will be really fun to kill him. “keep an eye on the creep and make sure that he is not near my wife or I’ll have your head.” He instructs Jisung and soon he’s taking his leave.

Jungkook grits his teeth, how could he even think that This nameless guy could have you? He knows that empress Ayame has something to do with this and maybe a few tricks will do the trick.

Jungkook will have to do the trick now- it will hurt you- but he’s just trying to save your tumbling relationship.

Maybe he could use Asami as a bait and get her to seduce Jackson even though it maybe hard because he’s obsessed with you.

But everyone has a weak spot, and he’s already found Asami’s.

Her mother has one motive and that’s having Jungkook- Asami is willing to do absolutely anything for her mother- and even if Jackson won’t fall for Asami-she could fall for him because she obviously doesn’t love Jungkook.

She will not want to disappoint her mother. So to put his plan in action… “Call the Princess for me” he commands the servant standing right next to the door.

She Will just have to help Jungkook into eliminating Jackson if she wants to go back to Yamato with her mother’s approval.

After a few minutes, there is a knock on his door, and he allows them to come in.

“Welcome Princess..” he smirks when she cowers, “ Oh, don’t be scared. I’m sorry for my rough behavior with you earlier, but I was just too angry… not at you but rather at your mother.” He signals the servant to leave.

“tell no one to disturb me while I’m in a meeting with the princess.” And like the obedient servant he is, he leaves. “So Princess.. your mother wants you to seduce me.. doesn’t she?” He smiles. “oh yes, please sit down because you’re going to be here for a long time.”

The poor girl looks so scared. He almost feels bad for her, but she tried to manipulate you. Jungkooks smile falters. “ you will have to seduce someone else for me, and then you can write a letter to your mother that you have managed to seduce me and put a crack in my marriage with my wife… and guess what I’ll even play along.”

“what do you say? Either you agree to my terms and conditions or I execute you right here.”

[princepsumbra]

Leo: A Fódlan Biography

PERSONAL INFORMATION

GENDER. Male

AGE. 21

HEIGHT. 5′8″

BIRTHDATE. June 30

CREST/HOLY BLOOD. Technically yes; he does possess unspecified blood of a First Dragon. It is the author’s personal hc Leo has Ground Dragon blood. 

CLASS. Unaffiliated Assistant Professor of Dark/Reason Magic

AFFILIATION. Kingdom of Nohr

BIOGRAPHY. Born the second son--a proverbial spare--Leo survived two wars and watched his brother ascend their kingdom’s throne. With a strong desire to make a name for himself beyond that shadow, he eventually found his way to the Officer’s Academy. He is both an accomplished mage and equestrian and holds a decent talent for swordcraft. As befitting a prince, he prides himself on impeccable manners and holding his emotions close to his chest. This Academy will give him a chance to learn new ways of magic while also realizing his own potential. 

PERSONAL HISTORY

Year ??? ~ Born to King Garon and an unnamed concubine 

Year ??? ~ Survives the Concubine Wars 

Year ??? ~ Sides with Corrin in her war for peace; upon its end, works tirelessly for the betterment of Nohr

Imperial Year 1180 ~ Enrolls at the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach

INTERESTS. Reading, Strategy, Spellcraft, 

LIKES. Horses, stars, tomatoes, horticulture, chess                                                  DISLIKES. Wasting time, bad manners, abuse of power, selfishness, his parents, excessive sunlight                                                                                                                  STATUS. Prince of Nohr 

CLOSE ALLIES: Corrin, Xander, Camilla, Elise, Niles, Odin, Pelleas 

DINING HALL PREFERENCES

LIKES. saghert and cream, pheasant roast with berry sauce, beat meat teppanyaki, pickled rabbit skewers, daphnel stew, gronder meat skewers, derdriu-style fried pheasant, vegetable pasta salad, vegetable stir-fry, grilled herring, fish and bean soup, two fish saute, bourgeoise pike, sauteed jerky, sauteed pheasant and egg, garreg mach meat pie, pickled seafood and vegetables

DISLIKES. sweet bun trio, peach sorbet, onion gratin soup, country-style red turnip plate, fruit and herring tart, fisherman’s bounty, fish sandwich, spicy fish and turnip stew, sweet and salty whitefish saute, super spicy fish dango, cheesy verona stew, gautier cheese gratin, cabbage and herring stew, small fish skewers, fried crayfish

DINING HALL NOTES

FAVORITE DISH.   𓆱

"My gods, this tastes amazing! Oops, did I say that out loud?"

LEAST FAVORITE DISH.   𓆱

"Was this marinated in poison?"

WITH CORRIN (WIFE)  𓆱

“Our time together is precious. I enjoy every moment with you.”

TEAM TIME GUIDE

FAVORITE TEA. Dagda Fruit Blend,  Almyran pine needles

CONVERSATION TOPICS. A new gambit. A strong battalion. Close calls.  Equipment upkeep. Evaluating allies. Exploring the Monastery. Mighty weapons. Monastery rules. Monastery security. Overcoming weaknesses. Potential training partners. Reliable allies. Someone you look up to. Tell me about yourself. The ideal professor. The last battle. The library’s collection. Your ambitions. Capable comrades. Garden mishaps. Classes you might enjoy. Plans for the future. Books you’ve reach recently. Things you find romantic. 

TEA TIME QUOTES

GREETING.   𓆱

(1) "Thank you for the invitation. I have a little spare time.” 

(2) “Hm? I was reading this fascinating book...” 

(3) “What is it?” 

FAVORITE TEA.  𓆱  

“A lucky guess, perhaps? Nothing refreshes the mind quite like a strong cup of tea.” 

FIVE STAR TEA.  𓆱

“Such extravagance should not be wasted. Thank you for sharing.” 

BEING OBSERVED.  𓆱

(1) "Is my collar inside out?”

(2) “Tell me, have you read any interesting books lately? I finished one last night...” 

(3) “You have quite the astute stare.” 

QUIPS. 𓆱

"I’m used to more overcast climates.”  “Hmm...”  “I hope my siblings are faring well.”  “Ah, it’s still quite hot.”  “Please, enjoy your cup.”  “(Sighs) “What hobbies do you enjoy?” “How embarrassing...”

ENDING.  𓆱

"Spending time with allies is always enjoyable. Thank you.” 

FINAL COMMENTS.  𓆱

(1) “Teaching has proved quite the challenge.”  ANSWER. Nod, Sip tea     (2) “What are your thoughts on attempting new strategies? One can’t learn without trying things out first...” ANSWER. Commend, Chat (3) "I wield the divine tome Brynhildr. Its power is formidable. If you have questions about it, please ask.” ANSWER. Nod, Sip tea (4) “Admittedly, there are some things I do not fully understand, such as the intricacies of morality.” ANSWER. Nod, Admonish (5) “I quite enjoy going out for a daily ride on my horse.”  ANSWER. Laugh, Praise (6) “My biggest desire is to see my country prosper.” ANSWER. Nod, Sip tea   (7) "My siblings oft drove me up a wall growing up, yet I can’t imagine life without them. Such is the way of families.”  Answer: Nod, Laugh (8) "Battles are like games of chess. Though the stakes are considerably higher...” ANSWER. Nod, Chat, Sigh     (9) “Over my lifetime, I’ve observed that many people tend to hide their true selves behind a mask. Do you find that to be true?”  ANSWER. Chat, Admonish

MISCELLANEOUS DIALOGUE.

GIFT GUIDE

FAVORITE GIFTS. Arithmetic Textbook, Book of Crest Designs, History of Fodlan, Riding Boots DISLIKED GIFTS. Stylish Hair Clip, Training Weight, Armored Bear Stuffy 

GIFT QUOTES

DISLIKED GIFT.  𓆱

"Seriously? I can only guess you were trying to do something nice.” 

LIKED GIFT.   𓆱 

"For me? I appreciate the gesture.” 

FAVORITE GIFT. 𓆱

"How did you know this was my favorite? Thank you.” 

LOST ITEMS

NOTEBOOK OF SPELLS. A small book that’s heavily annotated. The cramped yet elegant handwriting crowds into the margins. It probably belongs to someone who enjoys studying. Location found: Dining Hall

METAL HEADBAND. A simple, curved hair adornment. It probably belongs to someone who is fastidious about their appearance.  Location found: Stables

CHESS PIECE. A well made, hand carved piece of dark wood that’s clearly part of a set. It probably belongs to someone fond of strategy.  Location found: Library

LOST ITEM QUOTES  OWNER.  𓆱

"I’ve been looking for this! ...Ahem. Thank you for returning it.” 

NOT OWNER.  𓆱

"This belongs to someone else. Cleaning up after others is quite the thankless task.”

BATTLE QUOTES

MOCK BATTLE RETREAT.  𓆱 

“To think I’ve been bested here...”   ( *Byleth specific  ) "Professor, it appears I have much to glean from your methods.” 

FIRST KILL.  𓆱

"No mercy for those who stand in the way of justice.” 

MONASTERY QUOTES

CHOIR PRACTICE.  𓆱  

(1) “My talents lie in other practices than singing.” 

(2) "....I hope no one can hear me.” 

COOKING. 𓆱 

(1) "While I’ve improved a bit, I’m still no great chef.” 

(2) "I’ve prepared this myself--rest assured, it shall be delicious!” 

(3) "A prince I may be, but I cannot always rely on others to provide meals when necessary.” 

TUTORING

INSTRUCT

BAD.  𓆱

"A disgraceful showing.” 

Critique: I suggest explaining this in a manner best suited for beginners. Console: I have faith I can learn this material. 

GREAT.  𓆱

"This was an inevitable result.” “Learning something new is one of life’s pleasures.”

PERFECT.  𓆱

"I knew I could reach greater heights.”  PRAISE. "Together, we can achieve great things.”

TASKS

STABLE DUTY. 𓆱

“Taking care of the horses is no small thing. A knight relies on the health and well-being of their steed.”

WEEDING. 𓆱  

"...Must we do this in the middle of the day?” 

SKY WATCH.  𓆱

“I prefer the ground, but I appreciate the view from so high a vantage point.”

CERTIFICATION EXAMS 

  FAILED.  𓆱

"I cannot gain perfection with such an abysmal performance.” 

PASSED.  𓆱

"This confirms what I already knew.” 

UPDATE GOALS

REASON. 𓆱  

“Professor, while I possess great skill in the art, there is always more to discover. I have dedicated my life to the study of magic; allow me to continue my research under your guidance.”

Riding  𓆱  

“Horsemanship is a skill I’ve been pursuing since childhood. I find it freeing when riding my horse across an open field, and the strategical advantage the added height gives me is invaluable. I would prefer to continue exercising my mastery in this area.” 

Authority 𓆱  

“My brother once told me I needed to be more confident. Despite our differences, I still wish to emulate him as a perfect example of princely conduct. I am not against seeking counsel when needed. This is a challenge I am determined to overcome.” 

LEVEL UP

0 TO 2 STATS UP  𓆱  

“(Sigh) I need to study harder.” 

3 TO 4 STATS UP  𓆱   

“Growth in any form is better than none.” 

5 STATS UP  𓆱  

“Polishing my talents, as expected.” 

6 STATS UP  𓆱  

“Yes...these are the limits of my true potential.” 

UPON REACHING LEVEL 99  𓆱    

“Am I finally worthy of my place in this world?” 

BUDDING TALENT

“Every day I discover new things about myself.”

NEW SKILL

“With this, I can employ a variety of new techniques!” 

RECLASSING   𓆱    

(1) “New experiences are a fact of life.” (2) “Untapped power at my fingertips...” (3) “Is my uniform on inside out?” 

BATTLE QUOTES

WHEN SELECTED

FULL/HIGH HP  𓆱   

“Prepare to drown in the dark!”

MEDIUM HP  𓆱    

“I will not fail.”

LOW HP  𓆱   

“Are you sure this is the best approach?”

ENEMY DEALS 1 OR NO DAMAGE OR MISSES 𓆱   

“Fools.”

CRITICAL ATTACK  𓆱  

“It’s too late for surrender!”  “Nothing but cinders.”  “I warned you I’d show no mercy.” “You can’t hide from me.” “With the divine power of Brynhildr!”

GAMBIT  𓆱  

“Risks are the reward of the confident.” 

GAMBIT BOOST  𓆱  

“There is no escaping.”

DEFEATED ENEMY 𓆱   

“Pathetic.” “I cannot fail.”  “Is that all you have to offer?”

ALLY DEFEATS ENEMY  𓆱  

“You have my thanks.” “Excellent! We showed those fools.” “Not a move wasted.”

ALLY HEALS/RALLIES  𓆱   

“I’m impressed.” “Thank you.” “We will stay sharp!” “I can continue to fight.” “Shall we show them our might?” “Unparalleled excellence.”  “I’ll do what no one else can.”

DEFEAT QUOTE

CASUAL  𓆱    

“I’ll fall back.”

CLASSIC  𓆱  

"Fiends! That I...should pay with my life...for never being strong enough...”

THE ADVICE BOX

"I’ve a brilliant mind for all things academic, yet when it comes to fashion and other abstract ideals, I’m a bit absentminded. What can I do to overcome this flaw?”

>Who cares about fashion! >Try writing a daily checklist (Correct answer) >Do nothing. It’s funny.

[fordecree7]

THE BIBLE BOOK OF GOD

Ecclesiastes 2

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The Vanity of Living Wisely

12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

The Vanity of Toil

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2 Diane Beauford

[jellyfitzjelly]

ok anon, it's probably silly of me but i like you so i am contractually obligated to share my favourite shows for you to watch! The links are youtube playlists. :D

Legend of Zhen Huan (you can sometimes find it titled Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan or Empresses in the Palace): a 2011 Chinese period drama following the rise to power of a young woman in the imperial harem during the Qing dynasty. Don't let the number of episodes frighten you! You will be left wanting for more at the end of every episode! I guess you can say the drama is "old" by internet standards, but I think it aged gracefully. There clearly was budget invested on costumes and locations, so even now you can find people making gifsets on tumblr of the costumes! This is the drama that got me into Chinese dramas. It is SO good! The romance is incredible. I highly recommend it! If you can read Mandarin, I recommend reading the books it is based on, I've heard good things about it! The series recently received a new, excellent translation thanks to the awesome Magpie Brigade team. You can watch it all for free on Youtube. Stay away from the Netflix version titled Empresses in the Palace, which boils down a lot of the storyline into 6 humonguous episodes for western audiences.

Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (also titled Legend of Ruyi) was originally slated to be a spin-off of Legend of Zhen Huan following Zhen Huan's emperor son and his love story with his childhood friend. It was eventually cut off and the series now stand on its own, though the drama is still based on a novel by the same author. The drama follows Ruyi Ula-Nara's journey from being the emperor's childhood sweetheart to the disgraced empress. Again, don't let the number of episodes put you off! I swear you WILL devour them all! The drama is very beautiful and relatively recent! It's free on youtube with English subtitles. It's heartwarming, romantic, tragic... I love rewatching it.

Nirvana in Fire is, simply put, The Count of Monte-Cristo but chinese version lmao. A young man comes back under a new identity to clear his dead family and army from a sinister plot that costed him everything, but also to help his childhood friend become the new Emperor. It deals with a lot of themes and does it quite gracefully, and has great, complex antagonists. It's also one of the first dramas I watched! Funnily enough, this is an adaptation of a BL (Boy's Love, aka yaoi, aka Men Loving Men) novel. You'll only get crumbs of it in the series tho because of Chinese censorship.

Magnificent Century is a Turkish period drama centering around the rise to power of Hürrem (known in the West as Roxelana), from slave to legal wife of the sultan. The story is set during what is considered the golden age of the Ottoman Empire: the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (fun fact: he's actually known as the Legislator in Turkey thanks to his many reforms). This show is actually a soap opera, so it's quite dramatic but oh so gripping! I believe it also dates from 2011, so you may find it a bit cheap looking especially in the costuming department, but don't let that frighten you! After years of mourning the fact I couldn't find it anywhere, they finally put it on youtube with english subs! I know it looks super long, but trust me you will find yourself binge watching it at 4am...

Magnificent Century: Kösem is a spin-off following another famous sultana, set roughly almost a century after Hürrem's story. I actually never watched more of a few episodes because its storyline is basically the same as in its original series... Nonetheless, it is more recent and has much more budget, so you may want to start with this one especially since you don't need to have seen Magnificent Century to watch this one. Choice is yours!

The Rebel Princess (also titled Monarch Industry) is a costume drama set in a fictional, ancient dynasty. It follows a princess and her marriage of convenience to a freshly promoted general. The drama is very beautiful and the romance is so good! It's also packed with action and plot twists! I literally binge-watched it. The drama features a lot of veteran actors, so the acting is really good. Available on youtube with english subs. I didn't watch it on YT so idk about the quality of the subs. I can give you alternatives should they prove subpar!