#I don't draw my female characters enough

[cw-drixon]

Historical fashion study

[nox-in-a-box]

I kind of just made this one up as I went—it wasn't even supposed to have a background. But uh, here's the character that I named Daria for now.

[sunnycore]

I'm trying to diversify my cast of OCS and designs because I feel like I've become a one trick pony.

There's only so many times you can draw a disgusting hairy hippie guy before it gets boring.

[princessfroslass]

The way I am obssesed with Angel's relationship with the girls- and no, I don't mean it on a token gay guy on the gals group™ but rather how he seems to have this- older brother ish sense to him when he is with them.

He is the one that mocks Vaggie even on her lowest point but he was also the one to rush to her side when Charlie and Alastor left- no to mention he was the one leading the other guys to prepare the hotel later on.

He is the one the keep Nifty safe- even though he is extremely weirded out by her antics, and even didn't react with aggression when she was a bout to stab him (that shit wouldn't had flied with any character I tell you lmao) also LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE-

He is the one that protected Charlie from HIS abuser, shielding him from his world from day one- and overall just making sure she stayed safe, and away from Val.

And then there is Cherrie- his ride or die he trusts above anyone else. She is the one he rants to about his horrible day at the studio (which is bad enough to make her RUN to the Hotel after 5 months btw, so who knows what the hell was on those textes) tho I am inclined she is the older sibling at the relationship. I dunno she just has that vibe. She protects him alot more than he does her (that is not to say he doesn't protect her- he literally pushed her away from Pen's invention at the Pilot) and I like that, is a little change or dynamic with his other relationships.

I normally don't like to call a platonic relationship "sibling coded" unless is VERY explicitly implied that is the case, but honestly- with Angel I am willing to do an exception, because of this:

Is not far fetched to think Angel might had projected Molly onto his female friends- SPECIALLY Charlie, who was often draw with her on older sketches. Their dad was abusive, their relationship with their brother non-existent (this actually intrigues me alot because I can see Niss having beef with Angel but the fuck did Molly do?) and the mom isn't mentioned yet, so I am willing to think all they had was each other- flash forward to now, with Angel separated from his beloved sister, trapped onto an soul contract with his abusive ex, and meeting a bunch of girls that had reediming qualities- my guy had issues ok let him be.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Aaaaa Yuuna is so cuuutee 💗😆 Her hair is so prettyyy. But with the addition of the new Yuu I’ve come up with a theory that with the pattern the mangas have taken so far, they’ll start switching back and fourth between male and female yuus for the rest of the dorms:

Heartslabyul - Yuuken (Male)

Savanaclaw - Yuuka (Female)

Octavinelle - Yuuta (Male)

Scarabia - Yuuna (Female)

Pomefiore - Male

Ignihyde - Female

Diasomnia - Male

Just something I came up with that i wanted to share with you ^^ Also who is the manga artist for Scarabia 🤔

[Referencing the Episode of Scarabia!]

Lots of Yuuna-related asks recently (and for good reason!) so I decided to lump them all into one post :DD

Yes, Yuuna is very cute~ The alternating genders of the manga!Yuus has actually been a pretty popular theory for a while now, actually! Some believe this is meant to be the Yuus having the opposite genders as the Great Seven member of their respective books/dorms. But yeah, the pattern seems likely at this point.

The mangaka for the Episode of Scarabia is Majiko-sensei! They have previously contributed a chapter to the manga anthology. You can read more about their past works here.

I'm not sure if "[taking] care of [one's] appearance" is the right phrase to use (as it unintentionally implies other Yuus are slobs/don't care about how they present themselves, when that's definitely not the case)? Maybe it would be more accurate to say, "Yuuna has stereotypically feminine aesthetic tastes", though it's more immature and preppy than Vil's is. I think Yuuna has a cuteness that's more characteristic of Cater than Vil--but all three of them definitely have overlap in their interests in makeup, fashion, social media, etc. I feel like Yuuna would get along with them both!! We do technically see her interacting with Cater (they take a selfie before he departs for winter break) and are assumed to have already known each other due to the events of books 1 and 2. Too bad we don't really get to see them interact in those books... and that we won't see Yuuna interact with Vil for the Episode of Pomefiore. We'll have a new Yuu by then (which gets into my disappointment with never being able to fully follow a single manga!Yuu and their character arc through to the end of the main story...)💦

Yeah, it's nice to have variety in the manga!Yuus' personalities, skillsets, and interests! ^^ It makes them a lot of fun to follow, even if we know they'll only be with us for the length of one book/dorm.

I've personally really been loving Yuuta and Yuuna a lot. Yuuken and Yuuka are also nice, but I find that their general characters are kind of similar (athletic and level-headed) and don't differ enough to result in interactions unique from game!Yuu (with perhaps the exception of them being able to physically contribute to battles). This is not true of Yuuta and Yuuna, whose abilities extend to other areas and therefore have a larger impact on the world and its characters. For example, Yuuta's love of food + cooking skill has him shouting at Grim sometimes for not appreciating food, but it also becomes excellent leverage for sleeping over at Savanaclaw later in book 3. You can also see how Yuuna's outgoing personality would draw people to her and allow her to make connections.

The manga!Yuus also speak to the diversity of Yuus we see in the fandom. I know a lot of us were waiting for a girl Yuu (which we got with Yuuka), a Yuu of different body type (which we got with Yuuta), and a very femme presenting Yuu (which we got with Yuuna). Yuuken is also great because he was the first Yuu we got that actually had the ability and the confidence in his fighting capabilities to charge head-on into an OB fight.

As I state in my pinned post, manga raws generally come from Monthy GFantasy, which publishes new chapters of the Twst manga online each month. You must PAY to access those raws.

In the case of the Episode of Scarabia, the full first volume was released in today. It is avaliable on Kindle through the Amazon JP store. This is still something you would need to PAY for if you're interested in seeing the full thing right away.

I cannot provide full chapters to the public, as this is paid content that I receive from my own friends who subscribe to GFantasy and/or who bought the first volume of Scarabia on Kindle. You can make your own decision whether or not you wish to purchase for yourself; however, there is most likely a scanlation team that will put out an English version sooner or later. Again though, this would surely take some time to get done, especially when there's 4 chapters of Scarabia to translate.

[meanbossart]

Ask Compilation: Gorp, Questionable Child Rearing, Progressive elves and some campaign lore!

As always, I apologize if your ask isn't here/ hasn't been replied to, it is unfortunately impossible for me to answer to every question I get to the extend I would like to. Occasionally I also just don't have a very interesting answer to offer 😅 and I try to avoid spamming people's feeds! But thank you so much to everyone who interacts with my stories, characters, art, and is curious about my thought process and writing! The response is frankly just as overwhelming as it is deeply appreciated, and every word of encouragement or message about how I inspired you to draw or write more of your own stories makes my day.

DU drow and Gortash had what I would describe as a "Toxic Friendship". They got along well enough, had little friend dinner-dates, drank together, superficially shared their woes in ways that benefited no one, and DU drow ultimately had a great deal of respect for Gortash - except you would have never known that by the way he treated him.

DU drow belittled, harassed, and even destroyed Gortash's property on whim alone. Every compliment was back-handed and every display of friendship was somehow sarcastic. Gortash let everything slide right off his back for reasons I like leaving obscured. Here's a particularly intense write-up I did about their relationship a long time ago that still stands. I think it serves really well to illustrate how intense DU drow could still be about his friendships.

PFFTT, I don't know why that would be a female-child only thing, but maybe that's just a colloquialism?

DU drow actually talks pretty similarly to children as he does to adults! He just doesn't set the same expectations on them. Children don't ask stupid questions because the world is still new to them, nor do their respond reasonably to everything, they also don't understand some big words or complex ideas depending on how you present it to them - he understands this and adjusts accordingly. But otherwise his tone would be the same, even with his his own child. He's that guy who's good with kids on the basis of treating them as to-be adults rather than.. Well, just a child.

The Astarion assessment is fair, LOL.

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

(Surface) elven kind strikes me as fairly gender-indifferent overall! And while I enjoy theorizing about how their culture has shifted over the years from exposure to "urban life", for both better and worse, I like to think this is an aspect that has remained mostly unchanged, even for elves who may have had a really mixed-up upbringing from living in a city as diverse as Baldur's Gate.

I believe Astarion (and by extension Shadowheart and DU drow) are fully aware that they read as their respective genders and that for other races, such as humans, that means something; but for them that is a different custom that doesn't really apply outside of pronouns and reproductive expectations. So, I actually believe that Astarion would be pretty indifferent to life as a woman save for occasionally missing having a dick for the obvious reasons (only to then shift back and lament the opposite, probably).

ALL THE TIME!

But I know that you meant to ask if I will ever draw it.

VERY LIKELY THAT I WILL.

As a side note, thank you for showing interest and excitement for male-on-male sex that isn't just anal, LOL.

CW for the obvious, though nothing too descriptive or awful.

I understand if people disagree as a knee-jerk reaction, but I would say that Astarion's character demonstrates a shocking amount of self-control and emotional regulation. I went into this more in detail in an older post, but basically: the guy always brings himself down from his own outbursts, is exceptionally good at reading the room, is extremely forgiving and pragmatic, and knows when to send the jokes outside and respond to vulnerability in kind. I stand by this as more than a headcanon; it's in his actual writing and dialogue.

All that to say, I don't think Astarion would ever lay a violent hand on his own children. I also don't HC him as having endured corporal punishment as a child, hence not really having that instilled in his mind as a possible example to draw from.

I could see DU drow implementing physical punishments that he doesn't consider to be actually painful, like pulling, pinching, or squeezing a child while you reprehend them; things a parent might do because they think it's harmless. Astarion would probably be the one to say he's not really achieving anything - so it would likely be short-lived.

I DO think they would both be okay with setting up their children to pretty arduous physical labor, though, both as punishment and just in general to toughen them up. You could argue there's a way to do this that is reasonable, but they would prooobably push that line into dubious territory.

Buddy, WHO said low fat, what do you think the meat and taters that he's eating is swimming in!

But back to your question, he can enjoy a sweet treat every once in a while! He just far, far prefers savory. Personally, I think the guy would go crazy for a panettone. Or a big sugar-powdered crepe with some berries.

I kind of flew through the Circus in DU drow's playthrough because I was SO excited to get to Baldur's gate. They were only there long enough for DU drow to make Astarion mildly pissed off during the dryad's weird love quiz.

I also somehow missed Lucretious and never got the Dribbles quest - probably for the best.

Becoming a big ol' squid seems like a deal-breaker for his character in-game - so, same thing applies here. He'd let him down gently but potentially want a friendship for as long as DU drow is still himself.

... Buuuut it would never come to that; DU drow would most likely end his life pretty swiftly if he were to turn into a mindflayer, so Astarion wouldn't have much to worry about 😬

Alas, she pretty much never crosses his mind since he has no recollection of the type of relationship they had prior to DU drow's amnesia.

Or at least she won't as long as nothing weird ever happens that potentially jogs his memory 😇

Hello! I also love the escorts, but due to both DU Drow's and Astarion's respective attitudes towards drow and that kind of activity they didn't really hire his services. I do like to think him and his sister had a lot to gossip about as soon as they turned their backs, though, LOL.

[baldval]

Could you do individual head cannons of Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Niffty, and Husk's responses to a female reader asking to play with their hair?

PLAYING W THEIR HAIR!₊˚⊹♡

characters: charlie, vaggie, angel dust, niffty, husk

warnings: any of these could be read as platonic or romantic!!

a/n: the headcanons constantly change between general headcanons to more story-like depending on the character??? i just did whatever i felt like doing sorry if that feels confusing

CHARLIE:

ᯓ charlie is a busy girl

ᯓ and with everything that's been going on at the hotel, she most definitely needs some rest

ᯓ so just imagine her at her desk

ᯓ there are papers everywhere, on the floor, around her, under her

ᯓ she thought she’d only rest her eyes for a moment

ᯓ you cannot help but run your fingers through her hair as you walk by, wanting to brush it away from her eyes

ᯓ it will tickle otherwise

ᯓ you don’t want to wake her

ᯓ you know she needs rest

ᯓ but how can you resist when she looks so beautiful, softly breathing in her peaceful slumber

ᯓ and so your body moves of its own accord

ᯓ she lets out a small moan, her eyes flickering open in quizzical confusion

ᯓ and you retract your hand, hoping she’ll go back to dozing if you can just walk away silently enough

ᯓ long, warm fingers instantly grab at you, guiding your hand back to the soft, silky locks on her head

ᯓ “don’t stop,” she murmurs with a blissful smile on her face as her eyes close once more

VAGGIE:

ᯓ you can't help it

ᯓ you love playing with vaggie's hair as much as she lets you

ᯓ which is often, because she secretly loves it

ᯓ even if she won't admit it, vaggie sometimes craves the feeling of your fingers running through her hair

ᯓ in her defense, you have gentle hands

ᯓ for you, it's because her hair is soft

ᯓ and all too "sweepable"

ᯓ and you often brush the strands away from her eyes

ᯓ especially during lazy moments lying in bed, or canoodled on the couch

ᯓ other times, you'll lay against her chest, letting the rise and fall of her breath move you

ᯓ and you'll unconsciously reach up to toy with the soft ends of her hair

ᯓ or she'll occasionally allow herself to lay in your lap while you have your way

ANGEL DUST:

ᯓ angel loves when you play with his hair

ᯓ it's amazing how he immediately leans into your touch

ᯓ without any doubt, he's at his most relaxed when he feels the gentle sweep of your fingers

ᯓ could be in his hair, massaging his head, stroking his face or his neck

ᯓ although there's something about your fingers combing through his hair that just makes him feel so... soft

ᯓ and you know he loves it

ᯓ it's gotten to the point where you do it almost absently, out of habit

ᯓ sometimes he even falls asleep at your ministrations

ᯓ but he's also very aware of your touch

ᯓ in general, he's all too self-aware when it comes to people touching him/drawing within his personal space

ᯓ could be a consequence of all the abuse he's gone through, though he doesn't acknowledge it

ᯓ you don't even realise this, but you're helping him just with your calming touch.

ᯓ it comforts both of you, if in different ways.

NIFFTY:

ᯓ niffty is the type of person who just LOVES her hair

ᯓ she keeps it always knotless and almost impossibly clean

ᯓ she won't really let anyone touch it in fear of seeing it messy

ᯓ however there are some exceptions

ᯓ one of them being you, of course

ᯓ one day you comment how good she would look with two pigtail braids

ᯓ she turns to look at you

ᯓ "why, thank you! i just... i don't really know how to braid my hair"

ᯓ and so you offer to braid it for her

ᯓ and she accepts

ᯓ and she LOVES it

ᯓ not only the final result but also the way her head feels as your fingers separate her hair and start combing through it

ᯓ so from now on, whenever niffty is feeling like it, she'll ask if you can braid her hair

ᯓ and you'll accept it

ᯓ and you'll both love it

HUSK:

ᯓ when you first realised how much husk loved when you played with his hair, you were surprised

ᯓ because he loves LOVES it

ᯓ so let’s say you’re sitting on a chair or couch or whatever and he’s chilling on the ground between your legs while you guys watch a movie or show

ᯓ and suddenly, just because it looks so fluffy, you reach out and comb your fingers through his hair

ᯓ first time you do it he tilts his head all the way back to look quizzically at you

ᯓ and you apologize but he’s like “no no no- do it again”

ᯓ and you do and he sighs happily and puts his head back down

ᯓ as you get more comfortable with it and roam your fingers across his scalp

ᯓ and gently scratch his scalp he nearly starts purring

ᯓ generally, his body oozes with pleasure

ᯓ i’m talkin shoulders slumping, muscles relaxing, he probably goes kinda dead-weight

ᯓ when he relaxes his neck his head kinda flops either to the side or backward

ᯓ so either into your lap or against your knee or thigh.

ᯓ he can be pretty vocal about it too

ᯓ like a heavy but content sigh, or really long hum, or praises

ᯓ and when you play with his hair just the right way it’s all of the above

[soleminisanction]

So a while back I ran the numbers to confirm a suspicion that fandom trends towards a trans Tim Drake, and there's a lot of bits and pieces around his canon material that I think contributes to that interest. But there's a particular, subtle one that's been poking at my mind a lot because I think it might actually be a pretty significant factor that nobody really notices:

His costumes.

The original Robin costume, the one Dick and Jason wore, is childish but exposing. It's innocent enough when they're being drawn as spunky children, but during the period when Dick's still wearing it into his late teens and early 20s, it's practically as revealing as a lot of the women's costumes (and, in retrospect, almost certainly laid some of the groundwork for him sometimes being sexualized by the art and writing the way female characters normally are -- George Pérez, at least, absolutely put him on display every bit as much as he did Starfire and Donna).

Damian's costumes, meanwhile, lean more into archaic/fantasy armor designs and are thus largely genderless outside some vague allusions to the codename's Robin Hood roots. And Steph's is, well, a minidress, and one designed to show off her figure, drawing explicit attention to her femininity.

But then you have Tim's most iconic costume, his original one, which is not only fully covering in a way the original look isn't, it also, by virtue of being designed in the 90s, sports a very specific feature: molded body armor shaped to look like pectoral and abdominal muscles. In other words -- an idealized male body.

Not every artist always included that detail, but it was an explicit part of the design that you don't see as much these days, at least not for teen heroes. Which means it's inadvertently the perfect costume for a trans masculine Boy Wonder. It's got built-in body shaping. The cape and tunic layers even help to make his shoulders look wider.

Tim's second costume, the OYL later suit, doesn't explicitly have this body shaping element, but some artists still hint at it in the same way that Dick's Nightwing suits do (ie, we assume they're not showing off their real muscles with skintight suits for safety reasons, but who knows). Plus it comes with the bonus gay longing of changing the colors to mourn the dead crush he's too deep in the closet to recognize.

And then you've got his modern Robin look which has the same kind of shaping going on in a sleaker, more subtle way, though it can vary from artist to artist how much the red part of his suit is drawn as a breast plate vs. a part of the bodysuit.

As a bonus, the design also has a tendency to make him look lean and lithe, in an interesting contrast to Damian who, despite being physically smaller than Tim, tends to have a presence that makes him come across as stockier and more solid, possibly because he's more heavily armored.

You even see this with some of Tim'snon-Robin looks. I've mentioned this elsewhere but, the original Red Robin look making him look older when the cowl was up honestly makes a lot of sense. That suit was originally designed for a Dick Grayson who was pushing 60 to conceal the extent of his age while still communicating his maturity and development. It makes sense that it'd work the other way, to make 17 year old Tim look like he's in his late 20s/early 30s.

It's tunic over a body suit design is also just aesthetically pleasing in terms of forming an elegant male body type, the same way a well-cut suit can be. Again, it does especially nice things for the shoulders, which is why I personally prefer it to the fully bodysuit redesign they give him in the latter part of the series. Although as we can see from the details in Marcus To's art, even that body suit has seams strategically placed to suggest muscles.

And then of course there's the 2016 Rebirth era Red Robin costume, which is just a more heavily-armored version of his classic Robin look that's trying really hard to make him look masculine and mature, which means... exaggerated muscles.

And the thing is, it's not that this doesn't happen with other characters' costumes. But for various reasons it specifically didn't happen with the other Robin costumes, like I described at the start.

Which is not something I think people consciously notice. But I do know that, when I was writing my transmasc Tim fanfic a few years before realizing that I myself was also transmasc, one of the images that solidified the story for me was how good it would've felt the first time a transmasc Tim put on his new Robin costume and saw the Boy Wonder looking back at him. And I remember specifically thinking about how nice the shaped armor would be for that sort of thing.

It's kinda funny how an obvious attempt to enforce gender norms wound up, for lack of a better term, backfiring, at least in my opinion. There's just something about exaggerating the masculinity of Robin, a role designed to contrast and foil the already exaggerated masculine ideal of Batman, that makes it feel like a performance.

[dazeddoodles]

I saw an artwork about masc luz that receives different qrts on twitter. one side, masc luz is supported because the representation of gnc or masc bisexual girls is scarce in media. dana also confirms that she meant to design luz as a tomboy. on the other hand, a few hate masc luz because they think it's racist. it's the stereotype that dark-skinned women are seen more masculine. may i ask your opinion about this?

This is a difficult question to answer but as someone who's both brown and queer, I'll try to give my perspective.

First off I've never seen Dana call Luz a tomboy, in the interview I watched she said almost the opposite. She describes Luz as gender non-conforming, and how Disney tried to pressure her into either making Luz more feminine or just straight up a tomboy because Luz being gnc "would confuse the children".

And Luz's design always looked gnc to me, not masc or fem, at least in season 1 (IMO Luz's epilogue design is more masc-leaning). She even wore a suit and dress combo to Grom. But you have both sides either drawing her more feminine or more masculine.

Hopefully, it's already obvious why drawing her super feminine could be seen as problematic. The implication is that the artist doesn't see her as pretty enough with how she already looks.

As for drawing her masc. In principle, there's nothing wrong with it, like you said it gives representation to masc bisexual girls that is scarce in media. However, many only view it from a queer lens and don't bother looking at it from a racial point of view.

The problem is that Luz is the ONLY brown girl in the main cast. Every other primary female character is either white or light-skinned (Willow), and unlike Luz, they are all feminine presenting. Even Eda who has stereotypically "masculine" personality traits still dresses feminine.

There's also Camila and Vee but they're not as prominent until the last season, and both of them are also not very feminine presenting, like Luz they're also just kinda gnc. If you don't believe me compare how Camila dresses to how Eda or Lilith dress. Or compare how Vee dresses to how Amity and Willow dress.

So the fact is only choosing Luz to draw masc makes it seem like the artist associates brown skin with masculinity. After all, many who do masculinize Luz will keep Amity feminine, hell they draw her even more feminine than she is in canon.

The common answer I often hear is that Luz is more masc in canon so it makes sense to only draw her as "the masculine one". But as I already went over she's gnc not just masculine (at least before the epilogue). And not only that but often times people will take it a step further and make Luz a giant compared to Amity, despite them being about the same height (though Amity does wear short heels). Or make her super muscular when in canon Luz in weaker and Amity is the more athletic one.

This is something often done with wlw ships where one of them is brown-skinned. You'll see fans say stuff like they love couples with height differences, and then only ever make the brown one huge.

To give an example I recently saw the same discussion in the Wicked fandom of Gelphie shippers often drawing movie Elphaba and ONLY Elphaba more masculine despite being feminine in canon (yes she's green but she's played by a black woman and is half black in canon, look at her mom).

If the intent is representation, it must be asked why is it ONLY the brown girl given this treatment when she isn't completely like that in canon? It feels more like fans think one of the girls in a gay couple has to be "the man" and always choose the brown girl because they see them as less feminine.

My stance is that I don't think drawing Luz masc is inherently bad but how is she being portrayed compared to the other, lighter-skinned, characters?

[morganas-pendragons]

ease | celebrimbor

honest to god, I got this concept in the shower and it would not leave me alone. the prompt was found in the depths of the celebrimbor x reader tag (disclaimer: I am not a Tolkien reader, but I did grow up watching the movies and have done some research into the Silmarillion as I've been watching ROP) and this was born.

I've just found out some of the fates of these characters and I kid you not... I have a full fledged idea for a Celebrimbor/OC fic if my brain keeps this up

set during s2 of ROP, light spoilers ahead

prompt is here / this reader is a half-elven female who is gifted with magic. like I said, I am new to writing for this verse, so please be gentle.

***

You don't remember much about how you ended up in Middle Earth. There are glimpses, sweet fragments of memories that surface every now and again, but that is simply all they are. Glimpses of a time that has long come and gone.

Glimpses of who you were gone with it, like the receding tides of the ocean drifting further and further away.

The one thing you do remember with astounding clarity is your arrival to Eregion. You remember the front gates and how tired you were, and more importantly, you remember Celebrimbor. His complete and utter astonishment at your arrival was puzzling.

You didn't figure out why until later.

"Forgive me, but my healer tells me you have difficulties with remembering where you came from," He's standing in front of you where you sit in the healer's chambers of Eregion. You're surprised that they even let you in. Maybe he took pity on you. "Your injuries are minimal given how long he believes you were out in such conditions. Given your physical attributes, I would say you are at least Elvish. That would explain some of this. Do you remember your name?"

You didn't. The only things you had to remind you of who you were was the cloak around your shoulders and the circlet in your hair. A fine thing, crafted from what Celebrimbor later told you was pure silver.

"No...." You shake your head and wrap your arms tightly around yourself. He can't help but soften. You seem very lost. Celebrimbor is not one to take in lost souls, but there is something about you that draws in rapt fascination, and he is not willing to turn you away.

"You are no threat upon us. Now come. Let me introduce you to the great kingdom of the Elven smiths."

He extended his arm to you hesitantly. You found yourself taking it, staring up at him through a curious gaze as he dove into the histories of Eregion.

Weeks passed. You noticed the longer you were present in Eregion and in the forges that Celebrimbor was very particular about who was allowed to remain in his presence for long. There were his smiths, and his servants, but there were very few who were truly allowed to know him on a more intimate and vulnerable level.

You found yourself wondering why.

On a quieter day in Eregion's forges, you venture out of your room in search of Celebrimbor. Most of the staff is familiar with your presence by now. You've heard the whispers. They wonder how a forsaken Elf has managed to find her way into their King's good graces after such a short amount of time.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd arrive. Come. I have something to show you." Celebrimbor greeted. You followed him around the edge of the forge to a table in the center of the room where a familiar silver circlet sat. Your eyes widened. You had been wondering where it went. "I was given enough moonstone from a recent discovery to restore your circlet and add a singular gem to the center. What do you think?"

Again the eyes and ears are drawn to the pair of you. You can feel their questions burning through the air: Why her? Why is she in his good graces? What does a forsaken elf have to give to the Lord of Eregion and the Master Smith?

"Might we have a moment in private?" You ask. There is no hesitation in his response. Celebrimbor dismisses his smiths, and in mere minutes, the two of you are alone. He seems perfectly content to be with you where no other eyes can see. "I don't understand. We've only just met, and I don't even know who I am, but here you are reforging and creating something so beautiful for a stranger," You pick up the circlet with delicate fingers, turning it over to gaze at the gem in the center. It's a very delicate design that incorporates much of the Elvish culture within it. "Why?"

There's a beat of silence that you interpret as apprehension. Answering this question requires a certain sense of vulnerability that he so often shies away from.

What he does instead surprises you.

''Because," Celebrimbor's voice drops to a whisper as he settles the delicate circlet in your hair, and you can't help but smile at how gentle it is. "You are.. different."

That's all he leaves you with. You're left to wonder what about you is different. What about you puts him so at ease.

***

Celebrimbor had not told anyone outside of Galadriel, Elrond and The High King what was known of your origins. What little the two of you could come up with about them. All the five of you are aware of is that you hold a great power with magic that brings the skill of healing and persuasion of any life form, and that you fell to Middle Earth within its vast oceans and found yourself destitute mere miles away from Eregion.

"It's almost like your coming was a sign."

Your visions turn out to be correct, much to your horror.

After Gil-Galad and Elrond’s departure, you find yourself lingering in your chambers with your circlet poised in your hands as you internally fight through all the evidence you have lingering in your head. Celebrimbor doesn't know what to make of it, and neither do you.

That turns out not to be your concern once you see him trudging past your bedroom, muttering to himself in Sindarin as he attempts to massage his shoulder with his hand.

"Celebrimbor?" You call, mindful to call quietly so that his smiths and the staff do not hear you. He always hears you. Always has, always will. "Are you alright?"

His aspect says one thing, but his eyes say another. "There is always tension that builds within the muscles and tendons of the body after working vigorously in the forge. I am just stiff. It is not a concern you need to bother yourself with-"

You raise a brow at his veiled attempt to console you. It doesn't work. Glancing over your shoulder, you quickly follow on his heels to his chambers where you slip inside just before he can shut the door.

He freezes. The two of you are alone. Properly alone.

"This is quite.." You falter in search of the right word. "If anyone knew I was in here, it would arouse suspicion. I can tell you're in pain. We both know that you cannot alleviate that on your own." You pause to interject, "Only if you truly want the help. I would be happy to serve."

Realization dawns in his eyes. Neither of you are properly aware of how close you really are to each other, much less the fact that your hand is pressed against his heart. It flutters under your touch.

He's nervous.

Your creased brow softens when Celebrimbor winces again at the turn of his head, and your eyes focus on his neck. "I am in a great amount of pain," He confesses quietly. It's quite a feat for him to be so willing to be vulnerable with you. Especially when you have yet to see him ask for help from anyone else, including Galadriel or Gil-Galad. "And I would be much appreciative of the help."

Celebrimbor would never admit it out loud, but something swelled within him at the sight of your smile as you rushed back to your chambers to gather the oils you had stored there. He had come to care for you a great deal. That was dangerous. There was too much at stake with his House and his past... A past that he would rather never speak aloud for fear of having to truly relive it.

"You'd be more at least if you lie down," You remark softly, laughing as his eyes snap open in alarm. "The oils only work with skin contact. Are you okay with that?"

It takes him a moment to realize what you're doing: You're both asking for his consent, and you're giving him the opportunity to say no. It's just another thing that draws him to you.

You turn away to grant Celebrimbor a modicum of privacy while you prepare yourself and the oils you brought. By the time you turn around, you nearly drop the vials. You should have assumed he'd have scars. That there would be old burns and far more muscle that he could hide under those robes.

The only piece of clothing he was wearing covered very little.

"Celebrimbor," You whisper. He cannot help the shiver that runs down his body when your fingers come into contact with his spine. It has been centuries since he had last allowed himself to be touched, and to be touched in such an intimate and positive way was foreign. "Are you in pain?"

You already know the answer to this question. He lays down on the bed and tucks his hands under his forehead. There's several moments of silence that pass before you hear him murmur, "I have been in pain for quite a long time, nin tinu. There has only been one thing that alleviates it."

The Sindarin that rolls off his tongue rings clear in your head. My star.

"What eases your pain, My Lord?"

Your oiled fingertips, doused in lavender oil, have just made contact with his shoulders when he answers: "You. It has been you from the moment you entered my gates, and it will be you for however long you remain here, if you wish to remain here in Eregion with me. You are not obligated to do so. I know you want to regain your memories.”

You mull over his words as your fingers travel his skin. You mark your touch with firm yet gentle presses against the valleys of his back, dragging your fingers across raised scars that arouse much curiosity within you. Celebrimbor melts into the bed beneath you as he allows himself to absorb a touch he had not realized he craved so deeply for an entire lifetime.

"You have introduced me to such a peace since I have been here. A peace that comes from being in the presence of people who truly care about you, of people who truly want the best for you. That's why you have not told anyone of my heritage. That is why you keep me so close to your side. To protect me.” Your ministrations have had their desired effect, because the moment you dig your fingers into where he'd been trying to massage earlier, it elicits a low groan from his chest. "Never has this destitute elf felt such peace as I have learning and living with and from you. I would be honored and privileged to remain in Eregion."

He's thankful in that moment that his face is hidden. Celebrimbor grimaces as tears prick the back of his eyes, blurring the sight of the blankets beneath him. He'd never experienced something as trivial as being loved in such a gentle, genuine manner.

"Dorth... nev na nin."

Again it rang clear as day. You were realizing the longer that Celebrimbor spoke in the Sindarin tongue that you were most definitely familiar with it.

He's asking you to stay with him. Permanently.

"Roll onto your back," You whisper. He complies with ease, showing you a stunning shade of hazel in the eyes that look back at you. "I-"

It's right there on the tip of your tongue as fingers stained with lavender oil linger right at the hair on his temples. You know you have been drawn to him since you arrived. It's not the hesitation in confession, it's in his response.

His lips part of their own accord as you bend your head to press your forehead against his own. You both want to kiss the other, and badly, but this act alone is intimate enough. It is too soon.

Celebrimbor’s breath fans over your face as he shudders, eyes flickering upward to meet yours through the hair that veils your face. "Just let me..."

Celebrimbor parts your hair to tuck it behind your ear and lifts his head just enough to graze his lips against your cheek. It's barely a kiss, more the ghost of a kiss then anything, but the way it puts your body at such ease speaks more then a real kiss could've.

His heart is pounding when he meets your eyes.

You're laughing when you part. He doesn't know why. What Celebrimbor does know is that the stiffness in his muscles is gone, replaced by an inexplicable warmth he's never quite felt before.

The shade of your eyes has been illuminated by a silver the same color of the jewel in your circlet, which is now glowing from where it sits upon your head.

He'll have to question that later.

"Why are you laughing? It's quite inappropriate to laugh in such a circumstance-"

You press your fingers to his lips. Celebrimbor is blushing so hard you're sure that his cheeks will stay that color for the rest of the night.

"If you wanted to get unclothed in front of me to have me touch you, all you had to do was ask."

[familiarscars]

Devil's Night | Bad Omens

adult content | minors do NOT interact.

One day I woke up and wanted to be chased to the sound of Milagre.

⋆ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. Bad Omens X Female!Reader.

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒. It's devil's night and you've been invited to play. If you don't get caught by them, you win..

⋆ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆(𝐒). Foul language, alcohol consumption, masked men, stalking, reverse harem, why choose, taking turns, explicit sex, fear games, submission.

It's okay to not agree with the characters' attitudes during the fic. It's good to remember that the story is fiction from the author's sick mind and of course they will make dubious decisions according to my fantasies. Nothing is done to be compared to reality.

Devil’s Night.

The first time she heard those words, thought it was just another excuse for parties and excess, but here, in Detroit, it’s different. People speak of this night as if it were a tradition, passed down from generation to generation, almost like a silent pact that no one dares to question.

Yes, it’s Halloween Eve, but it carries a taste of danger that goes beyond costumes and carved pumpkins. It’s not about trick-or-treating; it’s more like… a rite of passage, where each person lets their dark side surface, testing their own limits and those of others. And the entire city, somehow, agrees to turn a blind eye to what happens in the shadows.

In the alleys and empty hallways, you can feel something waiting, hidden between the walls and beneath the fog that stubbornly refuses to lift. The seniors, of course, love it. They create challenges, make absurd promises to the freshmen, as if they’re initiating them into some ancient secret. But it’s not a secret; it’s more like a warning.

I don’t know exactly who started it—maybe some group many years ago, looking for a way to release their frustrations, or perhaps the city already came with this curse built in. But, either way, everyone participates, whether in the role of the observers or those who get lost in the night.

You were about to leave home, dressed up for another Devil’s Night in Detroit. Your friends had invited you over to drink a little before heading to the Lions' party, the fraternity responsible for the highest concentration of players that night. At first, you were ready to turn down the invitation, wanting to go straight to the celebration and get it over with once and for all, but seeing the flyer advertising the Geordin’s pub attraction made you change your mind.

Bad Omens was the main act in an intimate show, and you felt a bit excited to know they were back in town. It had been a while since you last saw them—if you weren’t mistaken, on the last Devil’s Night.

"Don’t tell me you’re not even a little excited to see him again…" Ash nudged your ribs with a playful voice, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"They’ve grown so much since the last time I saw them, Ash. They definitely have no idea who I am."

"And what if I told you that’s not exactly true?" Ashley’s glittering eyes blinked behind her long lashes as if she had some valuable information. She rested her hands and phone under her chin while watching you finish getting ready in the mirror. "I messaged Steve; we chat sometimes, and when he told me he’d be in town, I didn’t fail to mention your name…"

"I can’t believe you did that!"

"I scored us four VIPs tonight thanks to my shamelessness. No need to thank me, babe!" Ash winked and blew a kiss at her own shoulder, ignoring when you rolled your eyes at her boldness.

You didn’t want to admit it, but a strange sensation was building up in your stomach, making you feel cold with every step you took out the door. According to your friends, you looked good enough to draw a crowd to your feet, and deep down, you hoped they were right.

Geordin’s was, as always, sweltering, packed, and filled with people dressed up in Halloween costumes. You were just in a short black dress and heavy makeup—this date was special, a night for vixens to leave their homes in their smallest outfits, best heels, and bold eyes to be, for one night, what they longed to be all year.

At the bar, you grabbed a drink and walked with your friends to the VIP area near the stage. With each minute closer to the performance, your stomach grew colder, while your friends chatted excitedly beside you, never quieting for a moment. It had been a long time since you last saw him, and you tried your best not to expect him to remember any fragment of the past Devil’s Night.

“Welcome to the show of bad omens, my friends,” said the recorded voice from the speakers, making the crowd go wild.

The lights went out, and your body froze in place as the intro to the first song began. His voice was still unmistakable and unique, pleasing to the ear, even live, weaving together with the guitar and drum solos as if they were one.

When you turned to the stage, Noah was gripping the microphone with his eyes closed, and you allowed yourself to take in the melody, singing along with all your heart as you remembered why this was your favorite band. At the end of the third song, he glanced over the crowd as if looking for something, seeming about to give up, until his eyes finally landed on you.

A jolt of electricity surged from your legs, coursing through your entire body. Noah gave a brief smile and bowed his head, waiting for the next song’s intro. You knew the setlist, and this wasn’t one of the songs played at previous shows. In fact, you recognized it instantly; it was your favorite track.

Careful What You Wish For hadn’t been played in recent shows, but he knew how much that song meant to you, and he’d included it in Detroit just to show that he did, indeed, remember you. Something damp threatened to pool in your tear ducts; this song reminded you of moments you’d rather forget, moments the band had made more bearable to face.

As the final song ended, the lights went out, and the guys left the stage to the applause of the crowd. Your heart was still racing from the mix of emotions caused not only by the show, but by the series of subtle glances he had thrown your way during the pauses between songs. You bit your lip gently, gripping your glass a bit tighter, wondering if it could be a sign.

But you quickly brushed off that foolish thought and shook your head, dismissing it.

You and your friends finally arrived at the fraternity party, and all of you, including yourself, were buzzing with excitement to start the real celebration. Everyone was in costume, music was blasting, the smell of marijuana filled the air, and alcohol was flowing freely.

It seemed like the perfect night.

“I wouldn’t recommend drinking too much,” Ash warned, pointing at your glass as you sipped the colorful drink through a straw. “The games start in a few minutes, and you won’t want to be throwing up during the hunt.”

You laughed, remembering what happened last year when you mixed a few drinks with cheesy snacks, resulting in a puddle of vomit that took you home before you even considered playing the traditional hunt.

Every year on Devil’s Night, the Lions held a hunt in the Shadow Woods. The game involved all the guests being released into the forest, blindly searching to capture as many targets as they could until they reached the other side. With no flashlights or any source of light, identifying anyone became nearly impossible as everyone wore masks to hide their faces.

A certain chill lingered in your stomach, and a tremor in your legs threatened to shake your confidence, but you preferred to think it was because of the drink, not the fear of who your potential hunter might be. Your mind raced through quick strategies to avoid being caught, though not knowing the Shadow Woods at night made it all the more difficult.

With your feet firm on the earthy ground, you were as ready as the other competitors. You looked around, feeling adrenaline pulse through your veins, filling your brain like a song made to build tension until reaching its peak. You felt ready for whatever the night had to offer.

The whistle blew.

Your legs pushed you forward, running as fast as you could, straining your vision to dodge trees and jump over branches. You listened closely to the sound of dry leaves and twigs that snapped underfoot as the predators ran. All of them were desperate, hungry in their hunt for prey. At the same time, it felt frightening; it was exhilarating enough to make you push for more speed.

Energized, you glanced over your shoulder now and then, trying to detect any approaching threat, but as you pressed on, you heard fewer footsteps. Breathless, you slowed down and marked the trees with your fingers as you continued to walk carefully.

Your steps froze in place when you suddenly heard heavy breathing. The footsteps behind you moved over the dry leaves, signaling that your hunter was approaching stealthily, like a snake. Slowly, you realized your feet didn’t obey the commands in your head—they wanted to keep running, but your body remained there, unmoving.

He knew there was no point in running. He knew you were lost. He knew you didn’t want to go anywhere.

“Good girl.” His voice whispered close to your ear, making you jump in shock. “You didn’t let anyone else catch you. You waited for us like a good girl.”

“She knew that no matter where she hid tonight, we’d find her.”

“We always find you…”

Through your peripheral vision, you counted all four of them, gathered in balaclavas, closing off any way out. Swallowing dryly, you felt your breathing falter as they each took a step closer, forming a claustrophobic barrier around you.

“Now you’re ours.” Noah’s voice echoed in your ear as you felt the fabric of his balaclava graze your cheek. “Once you lose the game, you become our prize.”

A brief jolt made you sit upright when you felt something wrapping around your wrists; he was tying your hands together with a rope. The remaining length of material was used to fasten another knot around your neck, this time slightly tighter.

In your mind, there was no room for doubt, because you remembered the main rule of Devil’s Night. You were free to make your desires real for one night.

Why not surrender to them?

Slowly, Noah pulled you along the length of the leash, and stumbling a little in your own steps, you followed him. He exuded a scent of sweat mixed with Savage cologne; his arms were exposed by the black tank top, and he wore cargo pants and boots. Each determined step he took made you tense up, fearing what was to come, and the walls in the form of men surrounding you added to your apprehension.

Your steps halted when the tall man pulling your collar from the front froze in place. The forest offered little light, and thanks to the moonlight filtering through the gaps in the trees, you could see the intricate tattoo designs on his back, partly covered by his tank top.

A breath, subtle but present, brushed your ears with warm breath from behind.

"How about a game?" Folio’s voice was so soft it seemed to dance at a unique frequency. "We’ll ask a question, and for each wrong answer, you lose a piece of clothing."

"A game is only interesting to me if both parties are involved. In that case, what do I get if I’m right?" You dared to respond, challenging him with a side glance.

"Don’t act as if you don’t like the idea of not being in control for a few hours…" Folio taunted, stepping closer with a deadly step. His body was too close this time. "All you desire is for the reins to be in someone else's hands, just for one night, someone who knows your dirty mind well enough so you don’t have to spell out what you need. Am I wrong?"

You weren’t afraid of anything and made a point to shake your head in defiance.

"Wrong answer."

"Not at all!" you contested without much conviction. Deep down, defying him and contradicting yourself with feigned reluctance was part of your game.

The cold wind touched your back just as one of their fingers slid the zipper of your dress down, exposing your bare skin. Slowly, you felt the fabric glide down your body, leaving a trail of goosebumps wherever it passed.

You shrank a little, feeling a hint of discomfort when you noticed several pairs of eyes observing your exposed form, but a tug on the leash immediately made you lift your chin.

"Don’t you dare lower your head, darling" another voice murmured as a finger traced along your chin, the wetness of a tongue brushing against the skin of your ear. "Not when you have a body like this. We can savor you without even touching. Consider yourself a goddess, displayed for adoration and worship."

Gently, he slid his hand from your chin to reach your cold-stiffened nipples, slow circular movements warming your thighs as Jolly’s voice stimulated you, his hands exploring your body without any rush.

They wanted you to surrender.

Indeed, you were already theirs.

For just one night, you belonged to them.

In front of you, Noah watched you with a tilted head, as if watching an intimate moment of pleasure was amusing to him. He wrapped the excess of the leash around his hands until it tightened, lifting your neck up toward him.

In one last visceral glance, Noah pressed his lips against yours.

A fierce kiss, charged with desire pent up since the last visit, filling every corner of your mouth, leaving you wanting for absolutely nothing. Between breaths, you let out a contained, low moan as those hands moved from your chest down to your hips.

His fingers, when they found your entrance, sent a current of electricity through the rest of your body. Jolly was warm and soft as a rose petal, he tortured you with the slowness of his synchronized movements on your clitoris and during the kiss you held Noah's lips between your teeth gasping a heavy moan.

Noah smiled, feeling how his body twitched in his friend's hands, he released his lips and dragged them down his face, allowing his moan to reverberate through his ears more clearly.

Just when you were about to give signs that you were going to collapse under Jolly's fingers they suddenly stopped. You panted and wanted to show that you were disappointed, but you didn't have time, Noah pulled you by the collar and turned you so that you were facing away from him. A quick scream escaped your lips at the surprise of the impact of your hips against his, you felt his bulge harden and let out some air through your nose.

A soft hand ran its thumb over her face, a caress similar to the one she felt on her ass as Noah explored her. At the same time they used their thumbs, Noah lifted your dress until you were completely exposed to prepare you, he dipped his fingers in your wetness and seemed to delight in it. Their eyes were fixed on the man before them, gently brushing strands of hair away from his face and lifting his chin.

“Good girl, good girl.” he whispered, sliding his thumb into your mouth, without breaking eye contact, you sucked his finger slowly until you reached the tip.

You watched as Folio grunted and finished sliding his cock into his free hand and bringing it closer to your face, passing it across your lips slowly. You moaned from containing the desire to take him in at once, and from having Noah playing with his head at your entrance in rotating movements. Little by little you relaxed and used your tongue to greet him and a smile formed on your lips when you saw him sigh once again.

Folio grabbed your hair with a little force and demonstrating that the provocation had made him lose his mind, he shoved his dick into your mouth at the same time as Noah entered you. Your screams were silenced by Folio's cock, you used your tongue to drool all over the compliment and without the help of your hands that were trapped you covered his head with the roof of your mouth. As you sucked him, you felt Noah bump his hips against yours in strong thrusts, pulling the collar from your neck each time he penetrated and stopped with his rigid member inside you.

Your legs shook from the force he used, you pressed him against the walls of your pussy and heard him mutter yet another curse due to the lack of space. Her head didn't stop for a single second, going down and up, sucking Folio's cock while he helped her with his hand in her hair.

With each of Noah's thrusts, you felt Folio's cock tear into your throat and you dedicated yourself to not leaving a single space without the contact of your tongue. He pressed your head down more and you enjoyed the taste of the skin trying to contain the entire volume. Noah grew harder and harder inside you and in an explosion of sensations for a few seconds your legs seemed to float.

This was the effect of the devil’s night.

It allowed you to fulfill even your darkest fantasy.

For one night.

[neomujinjja]

Getting the Inside Scoop

Pairing: Prince! Yunho x Princess! reader

Length: 2,057 words Genre: fluff(?)

Synopsis: Tini, who just happens to be a journalist, is certain that the relationship between Yunho & Y/N is fake. The prince and princess might have fooled the rest of the kingdom but Tini is sure that they know the truth. The couple's bond has to differ behind closed doors, and Tini is determined to prove it. And they might just be right or are they?

Warnings: outsider pov, oc characters, female reader, undercover character, spying/ slightly voyeristic character, illegal filming, invasion of privacy, yunho & reader are the focus w/o being the focus

Note: i wrote parts of this late at night & without my glasses; i tried my best to catch any spelling mistakes but no promises

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── ⋆⋅ ಇ ⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ಇ ⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ಇ⋅⋆ ──

Tini watched as Yunho and Y/N waved to the televised crowd. The two stood together with no space between them as the tall male's arm rested around the other's waist. "There's no way that they're like that in real life," they scoffed into their drink. Their roommate, Tia, turned to them in disbelief.

"But they're always like that in public. Why would it be fake?" she asked with her eyes studying the couple on the screen.

"Exactly, that's why! We always see them being intimate with one another; not to mention no one seems to talk bad about their relationship. Don't you think it's suspicious? I'm sure they're faking it," Tini exclaimed before turning to her roommate with an intense gaze.

"Well, it's not like someone would necessarily talk negatively about them. Lest you want to be harassed by their supporters online," Power, another roommate, chimed in.

"Plus they're like Prince Charming and a Barbie Princess brought to real life; what's more compatible than that?" Tia piled on to Power's comment. Tini huffed with an eye roll, they were certain that the 'power couple' were putting on an act.

"I'll prove it. You guys and everyone else will have no choice but to face it when I do," Tini stated, more determined now to reveal the false couple.

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that?" Power asked, lifting their attention away from their phone.

"I'm sure there's a position available that'd allow for me to get close enough," Tini mused aloud, shrugging their shoulders carelessly. Tia shook her head in exasperation before asking the obvious question.

"Is there a reason to why can't you stick to your actual job? And I don't know actually interview them?"

"Because they'd, of course, lie about their relationship in a public interview. But they might be more upfront if they're unsuspecting so this has to be an undercover job," They replied as if the answer was plain. Both of Tini's roommates rolled their eyes with a sigh of annoyance. But the journalist didn't pay them any attention rather focusing on the TV where Y/N was giggling as Yunho leaned down to whisper to them.

❀‿‿‿‿‿‿‿❀

Tini hurried their pace, struggling to keep up with the supervisor. His long legs made it a difficult job. "You'll be responsible for looking after the rooms on the second floor's West Wing. It's not too extensive, it consists of mainly guest rooms along with a drawing room, music room, and conseveraty," The older male explained as he led Tini towards a set of grand stairs. "I'll give you a tour and explain the standards of cleanliness we expect. Then you'll shadow another employee for a week before being expected to work without intensive help," he continued without sparing a glance backward at them.

"And what about the East Wing? What's on that side?"

The male stopped, now abruptly turning to face Tini. It was miraculous that neither of them had slipped at the sharp pause on the stairs. His eyes scrutinized them in silence before he spoke again. "What's on the East Wing is of none of your concern. Your area of responsibility is the second floor West Wing; the rest of the house should not matter to you." His words came out harsh and cold as he stared daggers at Tini.

"Now, Seonghwa, there's no need to be so rude to our new hire for being curious. The East Wing is mine and Yunho's private space; we'd prefer it if you'd stick to maintaining just the west side for us" a soft and elegant voice spoke up from the landing for what Tini assumed to be the second floor. The pair raised their head to see Y/N leaning over the railing in amusement, a gentle smile on her face. They were wearing a slim-fitting A-line dress, different from the bigger flared dress she wore in public. Y/N commanded the same respectable energy in her casual outfit as she did in her fancier ones; and Tini would have been enamored by the female if they didn't focus on her words. 'Does that mean no one was allowed on that side? Why would a loving couple need an entire hall to themselves?' they thought to themselves. It was likely Yunho and Y/N shared separate spaces but they needed to investigate to be certain.

"You're correct, Your Highness. My delivery was rather unbecoming of me," Seonghwa spoke, facing the woman before turning to Tini once again. They watched as Seonghwa's jaw tightened but regardless he made an effort to apologize to them in front of Y/N. "Is there anything I could assist you with, Your Highness?" the male asked, returning his attention back to the princess on the top of the stairs.

"Yes, if you don't mind going in my stead, I was actually on my way to bother Wooyoung for some refreshments. Don't worry, I'll keep them company," Y/ N stated and Tini could see why she was highly regarded by those who worked with her. Despite the respectable air that Y/N carried, she treated the people around her as if they were her equals. However one would think the royal would be more cautious towards newcomers given her status in life. It piqued Tini's curiosity; how could a princess be so certain that someone wouldn't try endangering her?

"Very well."

Tini hugged the guardrail closer, allowing for the head servant to pass them. They watched as Y/N gestured for them to join her on the landing. This was exactly the opportunity that Tini needed, perchance the royal couple would be forthcoming with their staff.

"Could I ask for your name? It would be rather rude of me to continue to address you in such a general way."

"Tini, your highness." Tini wasn't used to the formal way of speaking that Seonghwa and Y/N seemed to have mastered. They hoped that they wouldn't offend Y/N in this conversation but Tini wasn't going to let this chance go to waste. "What's it like? Being in such a loving marriage with Prince Yunho, I mean" they asked. Y/N seemed taken aback by the question but her face quickly morphed into a love-struck expression.

"It's truly like those in the children's stories we've all grown up with. I could not ask for a better husband than Yunho," the female said with a sigh. There was an endearing smile on her face as she messed with the lone ring on her finger. "I've been honestly blessed to experience the type of love that Yunho gives me," she continued. Tini stared as Y/N resembled an image of a shy schoolgirl as she spoke of her husband. While they still wanted proof, their stance wavered at the woman's words and actions. It wasn't the way Tini had expected a fake couple to speak of one another.

"That sounds nice, I'd hope to have a smidge of the love that your relationship has," Tini mentioned with a polite smile despite the unwant for personal romantic relations. Y/N's smile grew larger as she nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes, I wish the same for you and many others. There's no beating the happiness one has when in a healthy loving relationship, be it familial, platonic, or romantic." Their conversation was interrupted as Seonghwa and another man joined them. "Well, allow me to depart first. I do hope to see you around, Tini," Y/N said with another smile before walking off to the mysterious East Wing, the new male following behind her. So that hall wasn't completely off-limits and it seemed Tini might have an unexpected in.

❀‿‿‿‿‿‿‿❀

Tini didn't see either counterpart of the royal couple until 3 weeks later. They stopped at the slightly jarred entrance, watching as the couple seemed to be in deep conversation. This was the perfect opportunity. Would they act differently if they believed that there were no eyes watching them? The two were huddled close together but their angle of sitting obstructed some of Tini's view. But they continued watching as nothing happened between the husband and wife. Tini huffed in frustration before knocking at the room's door. The couple jumped apart, sliding ever so apart on the sofa, as they turned their attention to Tini.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your highnesses, but do you need this room any longer?" they asked crassly, bowing to showcase their regertfulness.

"Oh, Tini, Hello. Ba-" Y/N paused to cough, her hand coming to rest on her chest. "Yunho, this is the new hire I was informing you about," Y/N stated, smiling over the couch at the undercover journalist. Tini stayed silent, observing as Yunho inspected his wife before turning to regard them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tini," he said, giving them a head nod in greeting. "Y/N had informed me of your interesting inquisitiveness," Yunho continued with a laugh as the mentioned female lightly smacked him on the arm with a pout. Tini could see how they managed to convince the entire kingdom of their love; the royal couple acted very naturally with each other. At this moment, they didn't differ from an average couple that Tini would encounter.

"I apologize if my question came across as rude, I didn't mean for it to come out that way," Tini spoke up, bringing the duo's focus back to them.

"No need, it was not taken as such," Y/N reassured them, her sunny disposure returning as she did.

"Although, I would advice working on your word choice for the future. It would be best to do so, so as to not offend any of our potential guests," Yunho suggested as he stood. His hand reached out for Y/N's, allowing for her to join him as well. "But let us not stop you from working, please resume your cleaning." The royal couple left at the male's words, hands still grasped in one another's as they did.

❀‿‿‿‿‿‿‿❀

This was Tini's big break. They finally snuck into the East Wing. It had been rather easy as the space wasn't actually guarded; the royal couple instead trusted their staff to not enter without permission. The naivety of the duo, despite their status in life, continued to puzzle the journalist. But Tini wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. They would take the moment to properly snoop into Yunho and Y/N's most private space. The pair's living arrangement would be the pièce de résistance that would prove Tini to be correct. Turning on their camera, they began walking down the hallway. Hung on the walls, to Tini's astonishment, was Yunho and Y/N's wedding photos; they were able to recognize the outfits from the articles detailing the event. Oddly, none of the photos displayed in frames were ones that Tini had seen in magazines before. Though even odder, this was the only place in the royal's home where photos were hung. Tini walked further, peeking their head and camera into doors they came across. So far, they'd found a game room, a personal gym, and a library. No sign of separate bedrooms or living spaces, and luckily no sign of either Y/N or Yunho.

"You're staring, you know?" They heard Y/N's voice, and curiosity getting the better of them, they decided to follow where the sound came. Tini tried peering into the crack of the door, but the small crack wasn't big enough for them to properly see in. Sticking in their camera, Tini was able to see the expanse of the bedroom alongside the couple. Yunho laid with his head across Y/N's lap, her hand gently fussing with his hair. "You're staring as well," he replied back but neither moved to look away.

"Hmm, I like looking at my husband's face."

"Is that so?" the male readjusted himself, propping up onto his elbow and twisting to face Y/N. She nodded as both she and Yunho lessened the gap between themselves.

"Yes, very much so," the female answered with a cheeky smile on her face. Yunho chuckled before kissing the smile off of Y/N's face. Her hands came up to cradle the man's face, giggles escaping from her mouth as their lips separated before joining once again. Tini backed away from the door, leaning against the wall in shock. Luckily the blissfully kissing couple was unaware of their presence outside of the room.

[occasionallyinlovewithmovies]

I watched Saltburn and I can't help but draw parallels with two other movies - Call Me By Your Name and Atonement. I'm not talking about characters and their similarities because the post will be long enough even without it. I was looking at those movies from a perspective of imagery, cinematography, shots and overall aesthetics. I really wanted to point out a few:

A protagonist accepts an invitation to join a wealthy family living in a medieval castle/ mansion

2. All the longing captured in one gaze

3. Sexual fantasies

4. Family breakfast chaotic energy

5. Lounging by the pool and sunbathing

I mean these are practically the same shots. And if you rewatch those scenes, camera angles are almost identical. And some more:

6. Sneaking nature of the characters and their love for peering through the door crack

7. A disastrous dinner party that turned into a search:

8. Blond, female character makes a shocking discovery on the premises of the mansion

9. All the guests/staff watch the character leave the estate

Plus some honorable mentions:

These shots specifically

Cecilia picking up a shard of a broken vase from the bottom of a fountain

Oliver picking Felix's death stone

And I have to give a shout-out to these iconic looks

Well, those are the ones that caught my eye after the first watch of Saltburn. Such kind of movies are visually satisfying, so I don't mind seeing similar patterns being recycled. Please, do add other details to the post if you can spot something else!

[adorkastock]

Hello! I was looking for some standing poses yesterday, using all three sites, and I ended up just having to kind of blindly scroll through the “General poses” DA folder and clicking on the “more like this!” deviations in the side bar. I ended up snagging a pose or two from you and a cluster from JoonPubStock, I think her name is.

I was specifically looking for poses I could use for costume design/ideation, where I could draw a fairly neutral front-ish pose that still had a little personality in like, how the hips were canted, arms folded, head tilt, etc, that I could draw and then come up with clothes ideas on like, layered tracing paper or something. Character design lineup/paper doll kinda thing. I think I ended up using one of your OG Sailor Moon poses as a jumping off point, since they are more static, though they had a little too much anime sass for me to use for my character. :(

Next time you’re doing file maintenance stuff, could I request adding “standing” to the list of pose types/subfolders/tags? And, if it’s not too much trouble for the next round of website iterations, being able to filter using multiple tags at once? Like, being able to specify that I want to look at single, female, slim, standing images instead of having to look through each category individually.

Thank you so much for all the work you and your team do, as well as the network of pose artists you collaborate with! And thank you for offering so much of it for free, and for the other tools you’ve developed and shared. As an unemployed, disabled, non-university-student artist, these resources are really, really valuable. I appreciate you!!

I hear you but there's a few challenges with this because *most* poses are standing. It's the same reason I don't tag myself as a model because it's mostly me. But maybe I can still help by directing you to something like my Character Reference Sheet Pack or maybe even some of the standing poses in the free Anniversary Pack. There's also the old 3D model packs which might be *too stiff* for this but could be a jumping off point. The farther back you scroll on in the DA archive the more static the poses will get because I didn't have a camera good enough to catch much movement or action. Here's a few from Shoots 1-25 that might be helpful for the type of thing you're looking to do. I am SO helpful the stock is useful! 🥰 Hope this helps and Happy Drawing!

[idontliekmondays]

excerpts from a daily mail article released shortly after her arrest

When members of the Geneva High School role playing club asked 16-year-old Lindsay Souvannarath to choose a character they were expecting an elf, a sorceress or perhaps a female warrior.

But the shy, clean-cut teenager opted for a rather more unsettling choice, presenting them with a detailed pencil drawing of her chosen persona - the 'Nightmare Nazi'.

The trench coat, jackboots and gas mask were unmistakably those of an SS soldier; the skeletal hands clutching a vast dagger more akin to dark fantasy art.

Former classmates at Geneva High recall Lindsay Souvannarath as a shy, withdrawn youngster, who had few friends and instead sought out after-school groups and writing clubs to express her creative side.

But she was also prone to bouts of anger and violence - allegedly stabbing another student with a pencil in one outburst and occasionally letting slip an alarming infatuation with the Third Reich.

'On first impressions I didn't think there was anything too strange about her,' he told Daily Mail Online.

'She could be funny and intelligent but most of the time she was quiet and not very warm or outgoing.

'One year her character was a sort of Wonder Woman-type heroine, then all of sudden she tells the group she wants to be a Nazi ghost.

'You choose your species and come up with a back story. Hers was that her character was a guest from a crazy, dark Nazi universe.

'It's supposed to be a game in a medieval, fantasy setting but she would just argue if she didn't get her way.

'So we went on our quest with a robot, a couple of elves, wizards and this weird Nazi.

'Aside from the character's background he didn't do anything racist or too alarming. We didn't know about her interests at that time so we just got on with it.

Ms Szigeti recalled how Souvannarath began to idolize black-death metal bands in her mid-teens.

She became particularly infatuated with Varg Vikernes, a white supremacist musician convicted in 1994 of killing a rival guitarist and burning down three churches in Norway, describing him as 'cute' and writing essays about him.

'Her work was always dark and full of violence, there were soldiers and Nazis and all this weird stuff,' Sabrina said.

'She acted normal on the surface. She was never physically violent but she would get aggressive and upset if you criticized her.

'Everyone was uncomfortable but we just avoided trying to start a fight with her. 'If you asked her straight up 'are you a Nazi?' she would argue that she wasn't.

As far back as 2007 - when she was just 15 - she allegedly wrote 'free speech is dead' in one forum, adding: 'That's why we need people like David Duke to bring it to life again.'

In another warped entry, writing that same year under the pseudonym Snoopyfemme she wrote: 'They use sex in commercials all the time to sell products. Why don't they ever use violence?

'Wouldn't you love to see a bunch of guys tearing each other apart with machine guns to get a bowl of Cheerios?

'Sure, it might traumatize our children, but in my opinion, children aren't being traumatized enough.

'The only reason for Americans to breed is to create more soldiers to fight for freedom. We need to weed out the weaklings early on. Survival of the fittest, man.'

'She was very odd to the point among a lot of our classmates that no-one was surprised by her arrest.

'She was a very lonely person - but she isolated herself. 'From what I remember she was even suspended for stabbing someone with a pencil in middle school.'

'She was known for putting spells on people. She would do it by saying weird things and then putting on a curse - obviously we did not take her seriously.

'She would break out into laughter in the middle of class for absolutely no reason.

'When we saw that Lindsay did something like this, nobody was surprised. She was the one most likely.'

source

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi :) Before I ask my question I just wanted to say that I love how you characterize the twst boys in your writing and always take the effort of digging deep into these extremely (sometimes almost mind blowingly) complicated characters.  

So I am one of those people who loves making and seeing art of the twst boys genderbent. As I sometimes do admittedly lament twisted wonderlands lack of female cast members at times (though I do understand that having an all male cast is part of the games genre!) 

Anyway I was just wondering if the twst cast members were girls, would that in any way change the character development and dynamic of Epel and Vil in book 5? Because a large part of Epel's character development centres around his narrow, traditional ideas of gender roles and his internal need to feel “tough and manly”. Then Vil teaches him that femininity does not necessarily mean weakness and blah blah we know the story. Long story short, if Epel was a girl would that change her views on strength in any way? Would she feel the same need to be super tough and manly like her male counterpart? Would this change rewrite Epel's character arc entirely? Just wanted to know what you think. 

Hello and thank you for the compliment ^^ I work hard on my posts but especially on the analysis ones so I'm always really happy to see such positive reception to those efforts!

I love seeing Twst genderbend AUs too :DD My favorite interpretations have to be by tribbutribby (aka bunnyshadeow), who has made a few zines (Twisted Bimboland) with that theme in mind. I love how they don't just draw "the Twst boys, but with boobs"; they thought through every character and how they would actually be as a woman, from the designs to the personalities. For example, their fem!Leona has short hair because female lions don't have manes and their fem!Jamil is described as a cool onee-san type, which totally fits with what we know about Jamil. I also love that they actually have a variety in body types! Fem!Riddle is short and flat, fem!Floyd is tall and lanky, fem! Azul is more plump, fem!Jack has thunder thighs, etc. Highly recommend their works, CANNOT RECOMMEND THEIR WORKS ENOUGH!!!

If NRC were an all-girls school, I think the conflict between Epel and Vil in book 5 would have to be considerably rewritten. We could still explore gender identity and expression, but it would have to be framed differently because of Epel and Vil, the main players, being women and not men. I guess it would still be possible to have Epel have outdated views on gender roles (tradwife!Epel?????????), but it doesn't make much sense since... Epel's technically at an elite school instead of preparing to be a wife or something. That might also lead to a very stereotypical message with Vil coming in and telling Epel "actually, you can girlboss too".

It might be interesting to see an interpretation in which Epel is forced to live by gender roles, but then she tries to rebel against it + disparages femininity by being a tomboy?? And then the lesson Vil ends up instilling in her is that femininity shouldn't be underestimated, it can be a strength too. That would be similar to the original message imparted onto Epel, and I think it would be more nuanced and less predictable than the girl power version.