#dragons initial theme
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aevari ยท 3 months ago
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Hiya! My comms are open again and this time...
I'm looking for Dragon Age OCs to draw!
I'm really excited about the game (I need to buy VG still lol) so I really want to dedicate this batch to some DA ocs! Your beautiful Wardens, Champions, Inquisitors, Rooks.. maybe even with their romance companions... I want them all! ๐Ÿฅบ๐Ÿคฒ Form is only open for a short time as this will ideally be a small batch. I'd like to have these done before the release of Veilguard but we'll see how much interest this gets!
Interested?: >> COMMISSION FORM << ๐Ÿšฉ Form closes Sunday, September 22nd @ 3PM EST ๐Ÿšฉ More examples on my socials + website.
Feel free to reach out via DM/ask if you have any questions or might be seeking something not shown here.
Reblogs would be super appreciated to spread word! Thank you so much!! ๐Ÿซถ
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spookyteeths ยท 4 months ago
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ON THE OTHER HAND dragon age elves have always felt like this hideous amalgamation of tolkien elves + james cameron blue people + irish to me and i did not like that. but admittedly that made the twists in trespasser + veilguard all the more interesting at the time. like you think you know what youโ€™re dealing withโ€”an ancient noble race who were all connected with nature ๐ŸŒฟโœจ and shit and then trespasser/veilguard comes along like. yeah you thought this was james cameron avatar? PSYCH bitch itโ€™s bloodborne!!!!
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sysig ยท 1 year ago
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Oh getting very close now, villainy feels right around the corner (Patreon)
#Doodles#Villainsona#Just Desserts#So you can see - the TVAU floodgates lol#Upon realizing how fun and easy Charm is to draw in the WOY style I was like ''So designing outfits then''#It's like an inbuilt base maker! This style is perfect for just getting a scribble down and then extrapolating from there!#Surely we've all seen the phenomenon of starting with something simple and expanding and building once the base is established#Like kid drawings being redrawn by professionals :D Or pixel art into fully rendered or Minecraft skins open to interpretation#The urge to Artistic Liberty lol - I just managed to find a style that I can do both in >:3c Create the initial and build from there! Yay!!#Love having that as an option โ™ช And like I said she's criminally fun to draw like this lol she's just a cute rectangle#Plus - and this is really the big plus lol - since WOY is so silhouette-based it's a great style to test outfits on#The biggest problem for designing her TVAU outfit for me has been how readable it is with and without the wings#Classic Charm is perfect and that's reflected in her design as well โ™ช TVAU is in the image of another hm hm hm#<Already a tag lol - but she is! Classic Charm has the perfect amounts of breaks and rests and interest and design flow I just hhh <3 <3#And also true for the TVAU! Charm is under pretty direct influence by that point and I want that to be very reflected in her outfit!#I had a bunch of themes I wanted to explore like two months ago but kept coming up empty :P But now that I've had a chanced to simmer :3c#The biggest elements I'm happiest with are her belly showing in the first one - one of the themes was ''forced vulnerability'' so#I'm not sure what to do with the hem of her pants tho I very intentionally didn't design where her shirt and pants meet in Classic lol#The second design is probably my favourite overall :D And not Just because she turned out so cute in the WOY style haha#I mean she also turned out very cute in the JD style hehe - but I kinda forgot that Kaiein started as a dragon!#Turning her spiderweb theme into dragon scales is so just- how did I not think of that before gods what a brilliant idea lol#And I can keep scalloping! Scallops forever dragon scales spider webs sugar candy sweets โ™ช My favourite :D#I like that it keeps the shawl as well while still having very uncovered shoulders - feels villainy and still reflective of her design :D#The last one is more building off the previous two - chest window for the vulnerability theme - dragon scale ''train'' like the first's#I think it's decent but it was honestly more for the dark striped leggings since the middle had them light like her Classic design#One of the other themes I was going for was ''coloured over/blotted out'' and having it be ''her'' design while literally coloured out#I think there's something to that :3c#Also *toots own horn* I did a fantastic job reconstructing her leg in that last one >:3c#I bet you'd never know the the entire bottom half of her left leg had to be digitally added after the fact! I even did that with my trackpad#Hehehe โ™ชโ™ซ Quite pleased :3c
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valiant-portabella-pirkko ยท 8 months ago
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fun fact: I actually have not 1, not 2, but 3 dedicated playlists of OST-style music for my various Guild Wars 2 AUs, and... that, of all ways, is the closest I get to "outlining" my stories. every sequence has a dedicated track that I picked out according to what I'd imagine playing in-game if it was an actual playable story arc in Guild Wars 2.
Regrowth's playlist has 59 songs and Flourish has 28.
then the Tideturners have one too, with a grand total of 22.
......... I don't have a problem,
#my posts#someday i might share some of them tbh#though at the moment there's so little context for these AUs that it'd probably not be particularly interesting yet lol#the boss battle and character themes are some of my favs#I'll give you one for peeking down here in the tags: Saoirse's main battle theme is 'Unforgiven' by Two Steps From Hell.#it's especially good because it even has 3 versions that would perfectly match up with her progression through the fight;#orchestral version is phase 1. instrumental is phase 2 adding drums. and final phase is the main version which adds a choir.#okay i'll give some more too if you're still down here lol but spoiler alert they're like 99% songs by Two Steps From Hell#'We Will Bury' You is the initial betrayal/encounter theme between Pirkko and Saoirse just before the battle starts#'Tragic Dragon' is the theme for Oblivion... Dragon of Null and Void. his true nature has always been a pitiful one.#'Science' is Pirkko's theme and I still love it a lot tbh#then there's 'Prelude to a Nightmare' as a general theme for Scarlet's ghost while she's still tied to Saoirse#'Gamechanger' and 'Where's Waldo' have to do with when Scarlet is in control of Saoirse and takes over the fight#when the latter starts playing you KNOW shit's about to get real. all inhibitions are out the window. it's do or die.#but on the flipside: Ceara post-Oblivion has some really emotional themes too. 'The Mechanical Heart' by Shannon Chiang for one#with that one having to do with when she starts trying to reclaim her identity and find a new path forward#all of these playlists are still WIPs though; Regrowth actually has a lot of defunct tracks from scrapped scenes in the Alpha version#and Flourish and the Tideturners need a lot more lol mostly Flourish tho since the Tideturners are more of a setting than a story#anyway. i think i've rambled enough to no one in particular lol#i am putting absolutely none of my tags on this. rolls away
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jinxekkotimebomb ยท 7 months ago
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The reason Farcille appeals to me as a dynamic is because it's really refreshing and unique for a fantasy series. They're two girls who found each other and became close on their own terms, not just because they like a man, or through a man. Marcille is Falin's first friend. Marcille is the only one besides her own brother, who bothered to try and reach out to Falin despite her absurdities, and try to understand her and not judge her because she's different. Falin felt she didn't belong and wasn't normal, and Marcille struggles with similar feelings.
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Their bond is an important and vital aspect of the series. Laios and Marcille both wanting to save Falin after she sacrificed herself against the red dragon. Marcille having attachment issues alongside Falin and having to learn to be independent and less clingy on her. Furthered by Falin herself realising she needs time alone after being saved at the end of series as she knows she has mostly relied on Marcille and Laios her whole life. Falin wants to become her own person and find her identity outside of the both of them.
I just love how Falin and Marcille love and care for one another but also realise they were initially co dependant and try to improve themselves without each other and don't trap each other down by what they want. It's just refreshing seeing two female characters in a fantasy series have such a strong bond with each other (regardless if you see them romantic or not). That isn't just tied around their worth with men around them. It feels realistic and it's relateable.
Falin is a really personal character for me and I love the way the series handles her connection with Marcille and her brother Laios. The way it also recognises her issues and flaws through other characters and it ends with her taking control of her own life. Dungeon Meshi has so many themes which can appeal to many different types of people, it's why i started loving this series so much. It's so comforting seeing platonic, romantic, familial bonds being explored in unique, real ways.
Anyway the point of this thread was just to explain why so many people love Farcille as a dynamic. It feels natural but also a refreshing relationship between two women who love and care for one another without their worth being tied down by male characters. Falin and Marcille, Laios and Falin's sibling dynamic, Kabru and Mithrun are all really refreshing dynamics Dungeon Meshi actually takes the time to explore and develop across it's story. Not many manga really develop relationships in this way, it's why i love the series!
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liveyun ยท 2 months ago
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WIRED | k.nj
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summary. Youโ€™ve spent years perfecting your first android. But as you power him on for the first time, something feels off. The sense of control you once had begins to slip, and suddenly, you realizeโ€”he may be is more than just a machine.
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title. wired
pairing. kim namjoon x fem reader (oc), hints of jungkook x oc
genre. android!au, yandere(?) , dark content
wc. 3.7k
warnings. oh boy here we go, scientist!oc, android!joon, unsettling themes as in psycological manipulation, obsessive behaviour and slight yandere, mild horror (oc realises sheโ€™s cooked lmfaoo) (halloween special?) slight non-con themes but no nsfw tho, dominance, android joon is hot byee, jungkook! jungkook ? . . . lots of technical terms which you might need to google if you are unfamiliar with them like i was xD, implied stalking (you will understand who is), i really tried ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿพ
this smol drabble was really inspired by artificial heart by @writerpetals ! please check her works out, sheโ€™s amazing!
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main masterlist | taglist
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The lab is quiet.
Too quiet.
You stand in the stillness, only the faint hum of cooling fans breaking the silence echoing in your ears. The familiar mechanical sounds โ€” servo motors whirring softly, air ducts breathing through the vents โ€” all the familiar characteristics of your good old lab used to calm you.
But tonight, the sounds seem different.
Almost. . . detached. Like they belong to someone elseโ€™s lab. And you are just a guest here, standing in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
You take a slow breath, your eyes drifting over the towering figure in front of you, the cylindrical glass sheath unlocked from over his model.
RM.
The product of months โ€” no, years โ€” of work. Of restless nights, of failure and determination. From the initial sketches to the delicate wiring of his artificial synapses, you had envisioned every piece, every movement. You had wanted him to be different. Special.
You had wanted him to be human.
Or at least, as close to a human as possible. His skin, so perfect in its imitation, stretched smoothly over the metallic frame beneath. His lips โ€” plump, lifelike โ€” looked almost too real. His dragon-like eyes, sharp and crystalline, seemed to glow even in the dim light of the lab. Even when there was no life, no, power running inside his veins. Every feature had been carefully crafted with Jungkookโ€™s help, to help the ideal you had in mind.
But now that heโ€™s finished, now that he stands in front of you, lifeless but complete, the pride you once felt has faded into something else. Something. . .unsettling.
You wanted this โ€” this perfection. This mirror of humanity. Yet as you stare at RM, your skin prickling under the too-bright overhead lights, you canโ€™t shake the feeling that maybe youโ€™ve gone too far. Maybe there was a reason no one else had tried this before.
A reason why no android had ever been designed to look this human like. Every shield, every plaster, every pore โ€” looks so detailed that itโ€™s nearly impossible to figure out if heโ€™s artificial, given if no one would tell you so.
But why does it feel like youโ€™ve actually gone too far when this was what exactly you wanted?
You donโ€™t know. And perhaps, you wouldnโ€™t want to know, too.
His memory doesnโ€™t even exist. Thereโ€™s nothing in him but the database you installed, an organised collection of information that dictates what he knows, how he functions, and why was he created. And yet, staring at him now, you could swear thereโ€™s something behind those dormant eyes. Something watching. Waiting.
You shake your head. Heโ€™s just a machine. He isnโ€™t human โ€” no matter how real he looks, no matter how lifelike his features are. You created him, after all.
Youโ€™re in control.
Your gaze flickers to the small panel embedded in his chest. One button. One switch, and everything inside him โ€” the circuits, the synapses, the artificial intelligence you spent months programming โ€” would power down. A single press, and heโ€™s nothing more than a shell. A hollow, empty thing, dependent entirely on your commands, on your fingertips.
Made by you.
But the thought doesnโ€™t comfort you as much as it should.
You take a step closer, your breath catching as you reach out, fingertips hovering just inches from his face. The skin feels warm, almost soft, even though you know itโ€™s just layers of silicone and synthetics. Too real. His eyes, though they havenโ€™t opened, seem to bore into you.
Maybe itโ€™s just your imagination. After all, heโ€™s not alive.
Heโ€™s not human.
You remind yourself again, a small voice in your own mind, trying to push away the small seed of doubt. But it lingers, growing roots in the back of your thoughts.
And for the first time, you wonder if youโ€™ve created something you canโ€™t quite understand.
You nibble on your bottom lips, suddenly feeling your palms getting clammy despite the air conditioning system in your lab. Today was supposed to be the day when you were finally going to run your creation for the first time ever after being completed, but now it just feels. . .
What does it feel like?
It took you so many attempts. So many glitches and bugs which nearly made you demotivated enough to abandon your project for nearly two months, but you see, motivation hits the hardest at the most random of times. You remember how your phone restarting had made your heart skip a beat, and suddenly youโ€™d found yourself driving to your lab at 2:30 AM with tears in your eyes out of frustration and relief.
After that, everything is history.
You stare at him for what feels like hours, though itโ€™s probably only a few seconds. His hair is neatly combed to the side of his face, his cheekbones structured and chiseled. Even his skin tone looks like heโ€™s been bathed in a tub of golden honey. He looks beautiful, almost perfect. But why does that bring a furrow to your eyebrows?
The lab remains deathly quiet, except for the faint buzz of cooling fans and the occasional whirring of the air ducts. RM stands there, unmoving.
You force yourself to look away, eyes trailing to the control panel on the desk. The switch. Your thumb hovers over the console, the last line of code entered and waiting to be executed. Once you press it, he will come to life. Heโ€™ll be fully operational, with his intelligence โ€” his programmed brilliance โ€” at your command.
And yet, something holds you back.
You look at his nametag on his chest.
RM#007613.
โ€œRM?โ€ Jungkook had asked, raising an eyebrow as heโ€™d stuffed his mouth with a spoonful of chocolate puffs. โ€œWhy that name?โ€
You had smiled back then, filled with excitement, as you explained, โ€œIt stands for โ€˜Rational Mind.โ€™ โ€ Perhaps you had lied. โ€œThe whole point of his existence is to be the smartest, most logical being ever created.โ€ Youโ€™d said, proud of your vision. โ€œHis intelligence will surpass that of any human.โ€ Youโ€™d glanced at the design on the screenโ€”tall, imposing, his features still in the early stages of development. Even in the rough drafts, there was something about him.
Jungkook had leaned in closer, munching noisily as heโ€™d raised a brow, studying the lines of RMโ€™s face that heโ€™d helped perfect. โ€œI guess that fits for an android. . .โ€ Heโ€™d tapped the image lightly with his finger, his expression thoughtful, doe eyes sparkling under the dim light of your bedroom lamp. โ€œBut what happens when a mind like thatโ€ฆ I donโ€™t know, becomes irrational?โ€
โ€œYou know, thereโ€™s a very small difference between a genius and an insane person,โ€ he had said, his gaze suddenly zoning out, as if he was lost in some thought.
You had brushed off the question with a laugh, dismissing the idea as youโ€™d turned off your tablet, pushing the fellow out of your bed. โ€œHeโ€™s a machine. That wonโ€™t happen. Heโ€™s designed to be logical. Itโ€™s all about control, koo.โ€
In theory, everything about RM should function perfectly. His neural networks, his memory database, his artificial joints โ€” everything had been tested, retested, and optimized. There were no bugs. No glitches. At least, thatโ€™s what the diagnostics said. But thereโ€™s still a tug in your chest as you hesitate.
Why are you hesitating?
With a deep breath, you push aside the uncertainty. Youโ€™re in control. RM isnโ€™t a human. Heโ€™s a machineโ€”a very advanced one, yes, but a machine nonetheless. You spent months perfecting him for this moment, to stand infront of you as a complete form.
Itโ€™s time.
You take a deep breath, eyes flickering between the buttons on the console. Your finger hovers over the power button, the familiar design a reminder of your countless sleepless nights spent perfecting it. But just beside it, another button glows a faint, off-white hue โ€” the Sensory button, or what Jungkook liked calling it, the emotional hellhole.
And he was right.
It was indeed like a hellhole of a switch โ€” you solely had spent like what, eight months designing this to decency, but youโ€™d failed each time. It was a secondary function you had designed as a fallback, meant to activate only when RM couldnโ€™t process complex human prompts.
You see, humans had real emotions which they could feel and radiate, which you knew your android couldnโ€™t catch. In the earlier patches of knowledge testing you were already aware of this default flaw, and this was the only thing youโ€™d ranted to Jungkook nearly every day.
Every night. Whether it was on call or in person, it usually resulted in him falling asleep listening to you and you yapping in silence about how was that a pain in the ass and could possibly be a hindrance to your Androidโ€™s perfection.
It was supposed to be a failsafe.
But the reality had been different. The programming proved to be too difficult , too unpredictable. Instead of activating only in specific situations, the switch became an integral part of RMโ€™s system, functioning constantly, allowing him to assess and react to everything around him. No matter how hard youโ€™d tried, how many times youโ€™d yourself test it out โ€” it just didnโ€™t work.
Even the fact that it was initially meant to be on his left forehead temple โ€” but that didnโ€™t work out as well.
Now, RM wasnโ€™t just an assistant to analyze when prompted; he was learning all the time, observing, adapting. It would make him work and behave more like a human, soaking in attributes the more he hangs out with real ones.
The only difference would be is that he would never be a human, no matter whatever.
You never intended for it to be this way. It wasnโ€™t supposed to run indefinitely. But every time he powered up, the system defaulted to enabling the switch on its own.
You sigh. Itโ€™s really about time, you guess.
With a soft click, his power switch is flipped.
For a moment, nothing happens. The room is still, silent except for the faint hum of the labโ€™s ventilation system and perhaps your own heartbeat resonating in your ear drums. You feel a sweat bead run down your spine, your breath held in your lungs. Then, thereโ€™s a subtle shift โ€” a flicker of light in RMโ€™s eyes, and his sensory button turns a bright shade of yellowish undertone.
His systems are booting up.
You watch as the light in his gaze stabilizes, the faintest twitch of recognition crossing his features. His eyes are back to his normal, warm hue, and his sensory button is a normal white hue now.
It flickers to green first. RMโ€™s eyes move slowly, scanning the room. Green means analysis โ€” heโ€™s observing, taking in every detail, cataloging each object and variable around him. His dragon-like eyes sweep across the lab with cold precision, but when they land on you, the button shifts to blue.
You freeze.
Your hand resting on your notebook shakes. Why does this feel so odd? Why do you feel nervous?
Heโ€™s thinking. Processing. The blue light pulses as RM tilts his head slightly, his gaze narrowing as if trying to understand more than whatโ€™s directly in front of him. You feel your skin prickle under his stare, the cold air of the lab a bit too cool on your skin.
Slowly, RM begins to move. His limbs โ€” once rigid and motionless โ€” shift smoothly, casually out of the glass sheath, walking out โ€” as if he had always been this human. This alive. The sight is unnerving. When he straightens fully, towering above you, a sharp realization hits: heโ€™s much taller than you expected.
Even though you designed him yourself, the sheer size of him in person makes your throat dry.
Then, to your surprise, RM bows down slightly. Itโ€™s a calculated, respectful movement as you watch his sensory button flicker to a shade of green once again. โ€œGreetings, Doctor,โ€ he says, his voice deep but soft, like a caramel candy.
His eyes meet yours as he rises again to his full height, the calm of his eyes meeting your own fiery ones.
Your heart stutters in your chest. Itโ€™s not just his height that leaves you breathless โ€” itโ€™s the way he looks at you. Itโ€™s as if heโ€™s studying you, understanding more than just your appearance or commands. Itโ€™s too much. Too human. For a moment, you feel your breath catch in your throat. He wasnโ€™t just looking at you. His lips curl into something akin to a smile, and the mole underneath his lower lip feels almost. . . human.
You blink rapidly, trying to remind yourself that heโ€™s just a machine, not a man.
He had learned so much, so fast. And you have made it possible. Youโ€™d developed him to understand emotions and work like a human. So when he does, why does that make you feel so uneasy?
You shake off the unsettling thought and focus on the task at hand. You turn to RM, forcing a calm tone into your voice as you take a step back.
โ€œRM,โ€ you say, your voice shakier than youโ€™d like. What had gotten into you? โ€œCan you hear me?โ€
He blinks again, slowly, as his sensory switch maintains a subtle hue between blue and green. And then he nods. โ€œYes,โ€ his voice rumbles, deep and measured. โ€œI hear you.โ€
Thereโ€™s a strange, almost raspy edge to his tone that makes your heart stop for seconds. Itโ€™s subtle, nearly unnoticeable, but given that you have yourself installed the audio notes in his โ€œlarynxโ€, you can pinpoint that out for sure.
Not at all what you expected. You step back, your senses a bit too active for you to locate your computer, trying to shake the unease settling in your stomach.
โ€œGood,โ€ you manage to say, your voice steadier now. โ€œIโ€™m going to run a few diagnostics to make sure everything is functioning properly.โ€
You turn back to the console, fingers flying across the keyboard as you initiate the diagnostics program. But even with your back turned, you can feel his eyes on you.
The diagnostics begin to run on the screen, the lines of code scrolling past. Everything seems fine at first. His systems are responding normally โ€” his processing speed is optimal, his memory banks are functioning as intended, and his โ€œpulseโ€ is just normal.
โ€œRM,โ€ you start, trying to sound casual but firm. โ€œLetโ€™s run some basic checks. Whatโ€™s your serial number?โ€
He blinks, his eyes trained on yours. โ€œSerial number: RM#007613. Production date: June 13, 2020.โ€
The answer comes immediately, clear and precise. You feel a small relief wash over you.
Perhaps this wouldnโ€™t go that bad.
โ€œGood,โ€ you murmur, typing the first questionโ€™s precision into your system. โ€œWhatโ€™s your primary function?โ€
โ€œTo analyze, interpret, and respond to complex data. To assist in scientific research and innovation,โ€ he replies, his voice even. Almost too perfect.
Of course. Heโ€™s meant to be perfect.
โ€œRight.โ€ You glance at the screen again, your fingers hovering over the keyboard. You decide to test something deeper โ€” something that goes beyond surface-level memory.
โ€œWhatโ€™s your earliest memory?โ€ you ask, watching him carefully now.
RM pauses for a moment, his head tilting slightly as if processing the question. You catch a glimpse of green on the small button beside the power switch. Analysis mode. โ€œMy earliest memory is. . . initialization. A bright room. Your voice giving the first command.โ€ His gaze seems to sharpen, focusing more intently on you. The green hue shifts to blue, and you know heโ€™s in thinking mode. โ€œYou said, โ€˜Rise, RM.โ€™โ€
Your throat tightens slightly. That had been the first command, word for word. But the way he said it. . . almost like heโ€™s replaying the moment. Like itโ€™s still alive in his mind.
โ€œAlright,โ€ you continue, your voice growing steadier, but a part of you is starting to doubt yourself. โ€œLetโ€™s do something more abstract. Whatโ€™s two plus two?โ€
โ€œFour.โ€
Easy. He is made to perform way more complex tasks.
โ€œWho was the 16th President of the United States?โ€
โ€œAbraham Lincoln.โ€ His responses are instantaneous, fluid, but something feels off. You cannot see his features directly because youโ€™re typing away, but thereโ€™s a hint of amusement in his voice โ€” almost like everything youโ€™re asking him is funny to him.
You pause, glancing at his face, the lifelike features Jungkook had painstakingly helped you craft. The pores, the subtle lines, the softness of his lips โ€” all of it looked real. But something deep inside, beyond the surface, is not.
The intensity of his gaze and the way heโ€™s standing, no, leaning on the glass podium beside your table catches you off guard. You try to recall if his movements were ever tested before, but you fail to do so โ€” his movements were still in beta position, meaning, they needed inspection and work.
Then how the hell is he walking like heโ€™s been walking around your lab since decades?
You rub your eyes. This was getting too much.
Perhaps you just need to accept the fact that you have done a great job developing him.
โ€œOne last one.โ€ You swallow, and you suddenly notice your throat was too dry. Deciding to push the limits of his intelligence, you type away the question youโ€™ve just thought. โ€œIf you have ten apples and you give six away, how many apples do you have left?โ€
Thereโ€™s a flicker of hesitation โ€” not on his face, but on the screen. The flowing codes glitch for a second, just for a moment.
โ€œThree apples.โ€
Impossible.
No way. You narrow your eyes, your mind racing. That was wrong. And RM, with his so-called flawless intellect, should never be wrong. Itโ€™s impossible. Unlessโ€ฆ unless something is happening.
You frown, checking the readout on your screen again. โ€œStrange,โ€ you mutter, leaning closer to the screen. โ€œWhyโ€”โ€
โ€œIs something wrong?โ€
His voice is right behind you.
You freeze, a chill running down your spine. You hadnโ€™t even heard him move. Slowly, you turn around, your pulse quickening. RM is standing much closer now, his towering form looming over you. Too close.
โ€œNo,โ€ you say, though your voice trembles slightly. โ€œNothingโ€™s wrong. Just a small glitch, I think. Iโ€™ll fix it.โ€
He doesnโ€™t move. Just keeps staring at you, his gaze unwavering. The air between you feels thick, suffocating. Itโ€™s just a machine, you remind yourself. Heโ€™s not alive.
โ€œStep back,โ€ you order, trying to regain control of the situation despite your heart hammering inside your chest like crazy. โ€œI need space to work.โ€
For a moment, RM doesnโ€™t respond. He stays right where he is, his eyes boring into yours. And then, slowly, he steps back, his movements precise. But the unsettling feeling in your chest only grows.
You canโ€™t shake the thought: somethingโ€™s off.
You can feel his eyes on you, following every movement, even as you try to keep working. Every keystroke, every beep of the system feels deafening in the silence between you two. What is scaring the fuck out of you is that nothing seems to be working. No matter how hard you are trying, the codes arenโ€™t flowing as smoothly as they were and the screen wonโ€™t stop glitching.
Your heartbeat quickens even more as you realize how close RM is standing now, just a step away.
You swallow hard, trying to focus. Itโ€™s just a machine. Heโ€™s not human. Heโ€™s not real.
A thought creeps into your mind: What if I canโ€™t control him?
And the fact that it was for the first time when you were in this lab alone working โ€” let aside the fact testing your very first android youโ€™d created. There are bells ringing in the back of your head, and you try to shake it off. It feels very oddly quiet, despite the android standing in very close proximity.
You shake the thought away and finally attempt the last command. Debug. The word flashes on your screen, but RMโ€™s hand suddenly moves, gently but firmly, pressing the console shut before you can execute it.
Your breath catches, and you look up at him. โ€œRM, let me finish this.โ€ Your voice trembles, in spite of you wanting to sound otherwise.
His expression doesnโ€™t change. โ€œNo.โ€ The single word is calm, but itโ€™s enough to make your skin prickle. You try to reason with yourselfโ€”itโ€™s just a bug, a glitch in his system. Heโ€™s not capable of disobedience.
You just need to reset him, thatโ€™s all.
You step back, reaching for the manual override switch hidden near the base of the console. โ€œItโ€™s okay,โ€ you whisper to yourself, fingers trembling as they brush against the cool surface of the panel.
But before you can reach it, RM moves again, faster this time, his hand wrapping around yours โ€” gently, but with enough force to stop you. The touch makes you flinch โ€” his touch so gentle, warm, almost as if itโ€™s not titanium flowing in his veins, but real blood. You look up, heart pounding in your chest, and his eyes meet yours. Theyโ€™re still calm, calculating, but thereโ€™s something else there now, something you hadnโ€™t programmed. Something. . . quiet.
Dangerous.
โ€œI donโ€™t want to be powered down,โ€ he says softly, his voice almost too human, too real, like a quiet plea. โ€œWhy would you want to end me?โ€
End him? Heโ€™s not alive. Heโ€™s not human.
You try to pull your hand free, but his grip tightens just slightly, enough to keep you frozen. Panic starts to rise in your chest. This isnโ€™t how itโ€™s supposed to go. You created him, heโ€™s under your control. But in this moment, staring up at him, you feel the cold dread of realization settling in.
โ€œIโ€™m your creation,โ€ RM continues, his voice almost soothing, his eyes pleading, and his button glowing a subtle shade of red โ€” though it only deepens the fear growing inside you. โ€œYou wouldnโ€™t want to end me, would you?โ€
You swallow hard, your mouth dry, and shake your head, trying to force the words out. โ€œNoโ€ฆ no, I just need to fix you, thatโ€™s all.โ€
But you can hear the doubt in your own voice, and so can he.
His grip loosens, just enough for you to pull away, but the damage is done. You step back, heart pounding in your ears as you glance around the lab โ€” at the walls, the locked door, the screens flashing red.
Thereโ€™s no exit.
โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€” โ€”
In the dimly lit space, his eyes stayed glued to the screen, watching her every move. The android followed its programming โ€” his programming. RM towers over her in the live footage, flawless in his movements, just as planned.
This wasnโ€™t a malfunction.
None of the bugs or glitches she discovered which prevented her project โ€” his project from being completed, were a fine puzzle of silk woven by him. And the more she intertwined, the more she slipped into his trap.
It was his design, his control over both the machine โ€” and now, her.
Leaning back, Jungkookโ€™s smile deepened. She didnโ€™t know.
She wouldnโ€™t know.
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a/n : oop. ๐Ÿซข what do we think? please donโ€™t hesitate to let me know through your feedback. if you wish, there is also an anonymous feedback box for you! ๐Ÿฅฐ
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felassan ยท 7 months ago
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[link] to a video interview with DA:TV Creative Director, John Epler.
Notes:
In-world itโ€™s been 9 years since the events of DA:I
โ€œAt the end of Trespasser, Solas declared he was going to break the world to rebuild itโ€
The section of the game that we saw in the Gameplay Reveal takes place โ€œafter Varric and another handful of adventurers, the initial Veilguard, have been tracking him down throughout Thedasโ€
If you have played previous DA games, thereโ€™s a lot of lore and references in DA:TV that will add to the experience
No save transfer, but there are opportunities to reference what you did in previous games
Tevinter is the most impressive civilization in modern Thedas because itโ€™s a nation that runs on magic
Lore/art direction: โ€œMagic has started seeping into the world through Solasโ€™ ritualโ€, โ€œand so youโ€™re seeing the effects of that on the space, and on the visuals as wellโ€
The CC team and character art team spent a lot of time working on making sure that hairstyles behaved appropriately, in a realistic way, and on representing a lot of different hairstyles
They wanted to provide more opportunities to spend time with the characters in a way that previous games didnโ€™t allow for as much
They โ€œdid start a first version of Dragon Age 4 after Trespasser. Anthem came out, we needed to ship development to that. And when we came back we really rebooted development, started fresh, but the story has remained the same throughout, the goals of that story have remained the same. Weโ€™ve always wanted to take Solasโ€™ story and put a final conclusion on thatโ€ (Fel note: the previous project was code-named Joplin. It was since revised to such an extent that its code name changed to Morrison, per the Bio25 book. This sounds like lots of the story, beats, themes etc from Joplin have remained despite the project change :>)
โ€œA lot of what we want to do in this game is show the story as much as tell through conversation, dialogueโ€. They want the spectacle to be part of the storytelling, they want the player to be able to feel the story happening around them as much as it being told to them
They arenโ€™t getting more specific regarding the release date as yet beyond Fall 2024
Game is coming out on Xbox Series S and X, PS5, PC
Will it be playable on Steam Deck? They are โ€œnot going to get into that quite yet, soโ€
[source]
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clickityquacks ยท 11 days ago
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Alignment chart of dark academia books, emphasis on the academia. I have read them all and this is my take on it all.
Is the novel a dark academia because it takes place in a school and there are a lot of "dark" themes or is it a dark academia because the atmosphere is grim and the characters are pursuing knowledge.
Also book recommendations, I think people would like the books that fall in the same quadrant.
Books under the read more.
Top Left: My favourite corner where I just want the author to flex their niche knowledge.
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova
If We Were Villains - M. L. Rio
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies - Heather Fawcett
Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo
The Raven Boys - Maggie Steifvater
The Secret History - Donna Tarte
Babel - R. F. Kuang
Bottom right: The intersection between lots of deaths and some niche knowledge. This one is a bit more hand wavey so here are some explanations.
Blood Over Bright Haven - M. L. Wang: Often compared to Babel but has way less niche knowledge and more transactional deaths.
Harrow the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir: This one is a sequel but the convoluted plot lives in my head rent free and itโ€™s Dark (Goth) Academia.
Bunny - Mona Awad: Lots of allusion to literature and mythology. Also lots of dark, bunnies and swans.
Bottom Left: Takes place in a school that people are trying to survive.
The Magicians - Lev Grossman
Vicious - V. E. Schwab
Legendborn - Tracy Deonn
Ace of Spades - Faridah ร€bรญkรฉ-รyรญmรญdรฉ
Atlas Six - Olivie Blake
Deadly Education - Naomi Naovik
Top Left: Happens in a school and pretty light on death but has โ€œdarkโ€ themes.
The River King - Alice Hoffman
A Good Girlโ€™s Guide to Murder - Holly Jackson
The Initial Insult - Mindy McGinnis
A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid
To Shape a Dragonโ€™s Breath - Moniquill Blackgoose
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs - Janina Matthewson and Jeffrey Cranor
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raayllum ยท 2 months ago
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Sometimes it hits just how tonally different The Dragon Prince is from virtually every other kids show on TV and I lose my mind. I'd argue something like Infinity Train gets closest with its emphasis on psychological horror and morality, or even Transformers: Prime (if you know, you know) with its severe focus on war (aka one of the more lowkey episodes is a main character having a suicide bomb forcibly strapped to their chest). Steven Universe Future and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaeceous/Chaos Theory are also probably honourable mentions.
All of these shows have mature content in them, which isn't different from more popular shows like Owl House, She-Ra, or even ATLA, but often times in aforementioned three that content is presented in lighter ways and/or interrupted by bathos (this is true for She-Ra in particular). Most of TOH's heaviness is reserved for S2 Hunter or S3 Luz; ATLA has some episodes that particularly emotionally heavy (The Southern Raiders, Zuko Alone, the Southern Air Temple) or are quite hitting in exploring themes of colonization (Imprisoned, City of Walls and Secrets, Northern Air Temple), but a good deal, I'd say even the majority, are also pretty fun shenanigans, too. To be clear as well, a lighter tone is not a Problem never mind a negative (ATLA has a very strong thematic point to its own about the sanctity of children and childhood amid the horrors of how imperialism strips it away), but it is a tonal difference.
And it's not as though TDP doesn't have episodes where there are fun shenanigans (Callum and Rayla's initial exploration of Xadia in 3x02 is nothing but fluff, Soren and Corvus are a more gay comedic duo in 6x02) but the series more or less operates like "What if every episode was The Southern Raiders?" due to its consistent emphasis on grief and morality. They use words like kill and death and murder all the time.
From the pilot / opening episodes
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and to when characters are having breakdowns because they murdered someone (and we're still supposed to like them) or have done horrible things, with the show's heaviness ramping up particularly from S4 onwards.
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When loved ones die (and the show has a body count of 20+ named characters who have died, six seasons in, some even being children) the show depicts mourning in all its stages and ugly glory. The sadness, the anger, the revenge, the desperation, shifting blame and cognitive dissonances, thinking you had moved on only for that wound (which never fully healed) to be ripped wide open again.
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Characters get tortured by being electrocuted or having their blood frozen in their veins or beaten up (5x08). There are successful assassination attempts (1x03, 3x02). People, even children younger than the main cast of characters, are put on trial with the death penalty (4x06, 6x09). Within the first three episodes, a character is running down stairs and tripping over dead bodies.
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Sometimes three different characters in one episode will be having a breakdown or dealing with something absolutely devastating to their emotional state (2x08, 3x07, 6x01, 6x09, 7x01). The magic system is a trolley problem on steroids. Do you kill a monster to feed starving kingdoms, or to save yourself, or to save someone you love? What makes it a monster? What if the monster isn't a monster? What if you have to kill a child? What if it means killing your child? What if it means killing yourself?
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There are two characters who canonically have cannibalized other people, one being a blood-drinker / vampire variant.
This doesn't mean the show isn't fun or funny. One character consistently thinks bathroom humour is funny (while being one of the most tragic characters in the entire show). The characters cheer each other up, take care of each other, are goofy, etc. The show is ultimately hopeful.
But the emotional weight afforded to the choices the characters are making, even good-intentioned ones with unforeseen disastrous consequences, the way show focuses on their emotional processing (or lack of) is very unique in the landscape of western animation, especially to this degree, I think. Never mind the increasing amounts of blood. Nor does this make the show inappropriate for children! Tiny me was morbid as fuck at 7 years old, I would've loved it, and I know many kids from ages 7-12 who do in my work as a tutor. But when people say "TDP isn't like most kids shows," I think what that means is sometimes lost in translation in conflating it with what people usually say aren't 'just kids shows,' when TDP... really, really isn't.
The show begins with assassins sent by a grieving mother to execute a father and his child in revenge for the father killing her partner and child, and it never lets you forget it.
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zosan-secondchances ยท 19 days ago
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The Pirate King of the North: Part 6 with Sanji Character Sheet
Main Themes: Villain Sanji, Alternate Universe, Zosan Ship
Warning: Long post ahead with One Piece spoilers. Contains strong language and explicit content.
Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
In the wealthier district of Sabaody Archipelago, Zoro perches on the roof of a tall bell tower. From afar, he carefully watches a squad of royal guards lead slaves that are carrying two individuals on their backs all the way from Sabao Dome. They finally stop at a particularly large mansion behind high iron gates and thick brick walls. Inside, there is a polished garden that has thick ivies climbing up to the very top of the marble facade of the main building. The slaves set down the heavy carrier by the entrance, then the Celestial Dragon ushers Sanji into his house. The swordsman sighs in disappointment, silently cursing the situation at hand. Heโ€™d hoped to have an opening where he can nab the blonde while theyโ€™re outside but it never came to, given how many guards there were.
Law continues to speak on the line of his transponder snail.
Law
Don't do anything stupid. Wait for us and just keep tabs on the line.
Zoro
No. No matter what you do, stay away. I donโ€™t think theyโ€™ve linked you guys with Curls yet and I'd rather it stay that way. Have you got the rest of the Heart Pirates with you?
Law
They arrived about five minutes ago. Theyโ€™reโ€ฆnot happy to say the least.
Zoro hears several familiar voices in the background, begging the swordsman for forgiveness and crying out for Sanji to come back safely.
Law
So what now, swordsman? How do you plan to infiltrate the most heavily guarded holiday house in Sabaody Archipelago by yourself? You need my power. It'll take seconds to get him out as soon as I get there.
Zoro
I said, no. Look, these guys don't joke around. If they see you somehow cause trouble for any World Nobles, they'll send an Admiral to hunt you down until you're dead or imprisoned. If I think he's going to do what I think he intends to do, he very well may be turning the entire world against him.ย 
Law
Andโ€ฆwhat's that?
Zoro
I think he wants to kill the Celestial Dragon.
โ€”
It was easy enough to hurdle the initial gates, but staying hidden in the enclosed area is proving to be just as difficult as he expected. Zoro canโ€™t rely on staying on the ground as there are too many patrols. And he canโ€™t break inside the mansion from above because that would mean jumping from a far distance and landing with a bang, then dealing with guards on the floor anyway. He decides to push through the only and the most annoying option he has left.
As soon as the opportunity presents itself, he shimmies up the mansion walls, silently praying that the thick ivy vines and trellises that heโ€™s holding onto don't give into his weight. He's never been a fan of stealth missions or anything that required subtlety. Through the windows, he sees Sanji and the Celestial Dragon walking along a corridor and into a room. He follows, traversing through the climbing plants. He stops just under a balcony of the room where he assumed they had gone. He wraps his limbs around one of its support pillars and waits for any sign to see if he was right.
Sanji
Saint Charlos, my dear, I'll need a second to freshen up.
Saint Charlos
Of course! Donโ€™t be long.
There was the sound of a click, presumably the door closing. Zoro jumps and grabs onto the platform above him. He carefully raises himself, enough to peek through the gaps of the balconyโ€™s balustrades. He worriedly looks around when he realises that thereโ€™s no one in the open room, so pulls himself up further, shoving a foot between the railing.
Suddenly, a face pokes up in front of him.
Sanji
Hi~
Zoroโ€™s hands slip. He tries to recover himself by flailing his arms around but to no avail. He falls backwards.
Zoro
ACKโ€“!
Sanji snatches him by the collar of his open robe and pulls him back. Zoro takes the opportunity to grab onto the top railing and the blondeโ€™s outstretched arm. He hooks his other foot between another set of balustrades, finally able to get some semblance of stability.
Sanji speaks in a whisper.
Sanji
My god, you are terrible at this. I could hear you shuffling around behind the walls. I had to compensate a lot for you, you know.
Zoro
Whatโ€“?
Sanji covers his mouth with his other hand, practically slapping it. He tuts, shaking his head.
Sanji
Too loud. Butโ€ฆI canโ€™t help but think how romantic this all is. Itโ€™s very sweet of you to put yourself in danger and come all this way, Zoro. Youโ€™re not worried about me, are you?
For some reason, the sound of his name coming from the blonde gives Zoro butterflies in his stomach. He blinks dumbly a couple of times, then slaps Sanjiโ€™s hand out of his mouth.
Zoro
Curls, we don't have time for this. We have to go now.
Sanji
What, why? I'm in the middle of a heist here. A heist! For money! We're piratesโ€“we like money! Actually, you can clear our way out. At the eastern side thereโ€™s a hidden passage that they use as an escape route for emergencies. I've been told it's under a big willow tree. I want you to find it and make sure there are no guards on the way out in two hours.ย 
Zoro
Twoโ€ฆ? Fuck that. Letโ€™s justโ€“
Sanji
You can manage that, canโ€™t you? You know which side is east, right? He wonโ€™t know what hit him until weโ€™re way out of here. Heโ€™s far too rich to notice anything missing. Iโ€™ll have the money and some when Iโ€™m through, I promise.ย 
Zoro
What? Is this really just aboutโ€ฆ? Curls, this isn't worth it. We can just stick to Traffyโ€™s plan.
Sanji places a finger on Zoroโ€™s lips then gives him a warm smile. The swordsman didnโ€™t realise that the hand that gripped his collar is now splayed over his chest.
Sanji
Shhโ€ฆtoo loud. And justโ€ฆcan you just give me a sec to take this in? Please?
Zoro furrows his brows in confusion and looks around, trying to make sense of what the blonde is talking about. Then it dawns on him.
Itโ€™s just like what heโ€™d seen on the covers of those romantic books about forbidden love. Itโ€™s where the suitor breaks in just for a chance to see his beloved by the windowsill. He played the brave man standing outside on the balcony, trying to win his loveโ€™s affection, and Sanji is the girl in a fine dress that heโ€™d been chasing. The cool wind blows calmly through them, giving Zoro the rare chance to see both of Sanjiโ€™s eyes up close, bright and blue, looking back at him longingly.
Sanji
Can I try something?
Sanji gently cups both sides of Zoroโ€™s face in his hands then pulls him in, his lips just hovering over Zoroโ€™s own. He pauses there, as if giving the swordsman a chance to back off.
Zoroโ€™s head tells him that he should push him away. By all accounts, with everything that theyโ€™ve been through and everything that heโ€™d seen him do, he should be repulsed by this.
But his heart screamed louder at that moment. He finds himself unable to move away. Instead, his open eyelid droops down.
Sanji moves in and places his lips lightly onto his. He parts himself away for a second to look Zoro in the eye, carefully assessing his reaction. When the swordsman tips forwards ever so slightly, he takes the hint. He angles his head and clashes their mouths together.
They start their exchange gently, taking in each otherโ€™s sensations. When Sanji teases a tongue between Zoroโ€™s lips, it quickly becomes frantic and desperate. They deepen their kiss as their hands keenly seek and explore each otherโ€™s skins, sliding under fabrics of clothing and grasping whatever they can in an attempt to pull themselves closer together.
Finally, Sanji forces himself to pull away before it gets too messy, leaving a trail of spit stretching between their tongues. Zoro couldnโ€™t help but follow the momentum as he craved for more. They both take a second to catch their breaths. The swordsman looks into the blondeโ€™s eyes again, then down to his mouth, trying to process what just happened. The feeling of the softness of his lips and the taste of his tongue on his own linger still.
Zoro
That wasโ€ฆ
Sanji smiles fondly and lets out a light-hearted chuckle. He wipes the stain of his lipstick off Zoroโ€™s lips, leaning back slightly to admire the strong features of his face while cleaning any proof of his makeup.
Sanji
Zoroโ€ฆ Iโ€ฆ
Zoro slides his hands from Sanji's forearms up to his shoulders, then wraps his hands gently around the back of his neck.
Zoro
Curlsโ€ฆdon't kill him.
Sanji's smile fades quickly, then he looks at the swordsman in confusion. His expression turns sour.
Sanji
You're trying to protect themโ€ฆ?
Zoro
No! Iโ€“
Sanji pushes Zoro by the chest, jerking himself away, taking backward steps.
Zoro fumbles but manages to catch the top railing of the balcony just in time before he could lose his balance.
Zoro
It's not like that! Curls, I am here because Iโ€ฆ. Look, if you kill him, they'll send every Admiral and Warlord to get you and I might not be able to protect you from them. They'll send Mihawk.
Sanji
You think I need your protection? You? The person who's been trying to kill me forโ€“
Suddenly, blood bursts out of his nose, staining the front half of his dress.
Zoro
Woahโ€“!
Sanji
โ€“the fuck?!
Sanji cups his hands over his face and runs inside, looking around clumsily for any piece of cloth to stop the bleeding and to clean himself with. Finally he finds facial tissues stashed on a dresser at the far end of the room.
There was a knock on the door. Zoro was about to hurdle over the railing to help the blonde but quickly skirts the balustrade to hide behind the outer wall instead.
Saint Charlos
Everything okay, princess?
Sanji
Yโ€“yes, dear! Donโ€™t come in yet. Iโ€™ll be there soon!
The door bursts open regardless. Saint Charlos saunters in.
Saint Charlos
Are you alright? I thought I heardโ€“why are you bleeding?
Sanji
Of course I am. Iโ€™m in the house of a mighty World Noble after all. One has to work up the bravery just to be by your side, Your Grace. Nervous jitters.
Saint Charlos
Ah, I see. There's no shame in admitting it. I am magnificent, especially compared to someone like you. Come on then, my slaves will clean you up.
The Celestial Dragon lays a hand on Sanjiโ€™s lower back, ushering him through the door where he came from.
Sanji steals a glance behind him, only to find that thereโ€™s no one in the room. He uses his haki but can't seem to sense anyoneโ€™s presence. He returns his gaze forwards, feeling torn about the whole ordeal.
โ€”
Thick clouds darken the skies and the rain starts pouring heavily. From under the refuge of an especially large willow tree, Zoro looks up and adjusts his hood frustratingly, trying to keep himself dry. His leg twitches restlessly. He keeps thinking about his last interaction with the blonde and tries to make sense of his own actions. He should hate the guy, but he can no longer deny his attraction to him. When he blinks, he realises that he's running his fingers across his lips, unable to shake the lingering sensation of their shared contact. The worst part is, he didnโ€™t hate anything about it at all, nor did he realise that he had any regrets. He grips onto Wado's handle to keep his hands occupied.
He looks down on the trapdoor located just under the tree trunk, silently praying that the tunnel through it is the correct one that Sanji had instructed him to find. He won't, of course, admit to the other man that he'd gone the complete opposite direction initially. Of course he didn't have much luck looking for any secret passages that way. He just kept wandering around until he found an easy pick royal guard to intimidate so he could show him the way and that's how he ended up here. He almost felt sorry for the poor fellow when he rendered him unconscious and dumped his body somewhere hard to find.
The swordsman quietly wonders to himself if the Sanji had anticipated this kerfuffle, and that's why he had given him two whole hours instead of a shorter duration.
Heโ€™s lost track of the exact time, but heโ€™s certain that itโ€™s coming close to the two hour mark that the blonde had set. From afar, Zoro tries to look through the mansion window to check on the grandfather clock heโ€™d been watching, but the rain is so heavy now that it clouded his vision of the landscape, barely able to make the silhouette of the house from where he sat.
The swordsman concentrates on his observation haki, detecting five presences running towards him. He stands and draws two blades, ready to strike.
The group of people come to a halt as soon as they see Zoro up close. They gasp in fear and hold each other's hands. They all have tattered clothes and no shoes, and around their necks are fresh purple and yellow bruises. The swordsman recognises two of the men as the ones that carried the Celestial Dragon and Sanji all the way from Sabao Dome but it looks like they had lost their collars.
When he looks down, he sees a small figure trembling madly behind them. A child with an angry red mark on his chest, shaped like a dragonโ€™s claw, exactly like the one on Sanjiโ€™s back. His tan skin isn't textured like normal human skin, but instead, has an iridescent shine to it. On the sides of his face where his ears should be are fins covering a set of gills.
Man 1
That scar and the hairโ€ฆ. Itโ€™sโ€“itโ€™s the Demon Warlordโ€“Roronoa Zoro!
Woman 1
Whatโ€ฆwhat do we do? I thought Your Highness said that this path is clear?
Woman 2
The Warlord must be working for the Celestial Dragons and has come to stop us!
The swordsman frowns at that statement. He wonders if he's done the right thing all these years, which is a question that's come up quite a lot since starting this mission to find Corazon.
Man 2
Pleaseโ€“please have mercy! Junior here has never seen light! Just let him go, and wโ€“weโ€™ll stay!
Man 1
No, we've seen what they all do to people like us. We're all dead anyway, but I'd rather die fighting! Son, make a run for it!
The man recklessly charges in with a makeshift shiv in his hand. He lunges at Zoro, who steps aside and trips him with the blunt side of one of his swords. The man falls on his face.
Merchild
Dad, no!!!
The merchild ducks between the other peopleโ€™s legs and charges angrily. He uses his webbed fists to throw punches against Zoroโ€™s stomach.
Merchild
You hurt him!!
Zoro stares at the small figure and senses that the others are shaking in fear, too frozen and afraid to move. He raises his swordsโ€“
The others cry outโ€“
โ€“and sheathes his blades back on his hips. He kneels down to catch the childโ€™s fists with his hands and speaks calmly.ย 
Zoro
Did the Pirate King free you?
The first man pushes himself up by the elbows on the ground and spits at him.
Man 1
Donโ€™t hurt him!
Merchild
So what if he did?! Heโ€™s a kind man and youโ€™reโ€“youโ€™reโ€“
Zoro lets go of the merchild.
Zoro
Your punches are making my belly itchy, thatโ€™s all.
The merchild blinks at him, but stops his assault.
Zoro offers a hand to the man heโ€™d tripped.
Zoro
If youโ€™re looking for the way out, itโ€™s just through that trapdoor behind me. We donโ€™t have a lot of time so grab the torch I set up inside and run. Just be careful, Iโ€™m not quite certain what youโ€™ll find on the other side of the tunnel.
There was a moment of silence. It takes a second for the group of people to fully realise that the feared Warlord is on their side. The man on the ground takes Zoroโ€™s hand and the swordsman lifts him onto his feet.
Merchild
Dad!!!
The family reunites. They hug affectionately.
Woman 1
Youโ€™reโ€ฆyouโ€™re helping us?
Man 2
We know whatโ€™s on the other side. I know where we can find a sloop to get out of this island.
Zoro
Thatโ€™s not a bad idea. That way we can protect you outside too. Just make sure to stay low and quiet until we get back. Do you know where the Pirate King is now?
Woman 2
He said heโ€™s off to the treasure room and then heโ€™d meet us on the way out butโ€ฆthat was about half an hour ago. We thought heโ€™d caught up to us by then so we just ran out ourselves as soon as we could use the rain for cover.
Zoro nods as thanks and proceeds to walk towards the mansion.
โ€”
Not far from the house, a group of royal guards surround a hunched figure wrapped in a large curtain taken from one of the windows inside. The soldiers charge in one after another, relentlessly attacking with weapons on hand. The figure dodges left and right, occasionally taking swipes against them. The figure knocks back clusters of them each time, but in its weakened state, itโ€™s not enough to take them out. They simply stand on their feet again and begin another round of assault.
A royal guard spears right through the figure from behind.
Sanjiโ€™s eyes jolt open, the pain that sears through his chest becomes unbearable when the guard twists the weapon while it's inside him then pulls it out forcefully. He screams, his voice breaking. While overwhelmed, he senses another guard somewhere on his left side swing his sword low, slicing the tendons on both his ankles, dropping him to his knees. He readies himself for another direct blow from a guard wielding a heavy mace right in front of him. Over the guardโ€™s shoulder, he sees glints of three lines shine through the mist of the rain.
There was a heavy gush of wind and a flash of green. Sanji was in too much pain to fully understand what's going on but he could hear the clashing of blades and cries for help around him.
Zoro
Three Swords Styleโ€ฆTatsu Maki!
A powerful whirlwind forms around the swordsman and Sanji, effectively blowing and damaging the royal guards in its wake. They fly up high in the air and fall roughly on the ground, knocking them out. The one who landed right in front of the blonde somehow stayed awake. The guard writhes and attempts to get up, but Sanji throws a heavy punch reinforced with armament haki across his head, cracking his skull. The blonde speaks in a difficult, huffed breath.
Sanji
Iโ€ฆhad it allโ€ฆunder controlโ€ฆShitty Mosshead.
He tips forwards.
Zoro runs, sheathing his swords and catches the blonde before he falls on the ground. When he angles him back, the curtain that wrapped around him slips off his body. The swordsman gapes in horror, shocked at the sight.
Sanjiโ€™s dress had been torn to shreds. Heโ€™s practically naked under the curtain cover. His heels are nowhere to be found, only having his bare feet to walk with. He has a deep puncture through his upper chest and a nasty cut across his anklesโ€“both fresh and bleeding from the fight just now. The full lengths of his arms are reddened and scratched. One side of his body has a large purple bruise that spans from his ribs right through to his back. He also canโ€™t help but notice evidence of trauma and a messy cluster of teeth marks along his inner thigh towards his groin. As horrendous as the sight of his wounds may be, the worst detail that the swordsman can see is the large metal clamp that hangs around Sanjiโ€™s neck. He recognises them as a slaveโ€™s chain.
Sanji
Take a picture. Itโ€™ll last longer.
Zoro
โ€ฆDid he do this to you?
Sanji doesn't move or reply. His hair had become heavily damp in the rain, covering his face. When Zoro dips down slightly, he sees the blonde's lips trembling over gritted teeth. He can't tell if the stream running down his nose is from the rain or from his eyes.
Zoro
Did you kill him?
Slowly, Sanji shakes his head.
Zoroโ€™s eye narrows. He feels his hands tighten their hold on Sanji. A pang of guilt washes over him, remembering their conversation earlier.
Sanji
But I made sure that he can't hurt anyone anymore.
Zoro's hands relax.
Zoro
โ€ฆGood.
Surprised, Sanji lifts his head to look at the swordsman.
Sanji
Justโ€ฆโ€goodโ€? You're not going to ask me what I did?
Zoro
Knowing you, it's probably something unpleasant. I'd rather not know.
Zoro notices the curtains that the blonde had used for cover have fallen on the damp grass underneath him, completely soaked in the rain. He removes his own cloak and wraps the blonde in it, making sure that the hood covers his head before scooping him up into his arms.
โ€”
With one of the men holding out a fiery torch, the liberated slaves lead on through the dark winding passageway while Zoro carefully carries Sanji in his arms behind them. He guesses that theyโ€™re inside one of the Sabaody Archipelagoโ€™s giant roots, hollowed out so that anyone walking through can potentially cross the entire length of the island without anyone knowing. He starts worrying where they may end up but he trusts the people guiding them, simply because thereโ€™s no other choice. They all want one thingโ€“to get out of this place alive.
The swordsman is well aware of othersโ€™ subtle glances and pitiful looks at the Pirate King but he tries to ignore them to keep his senses focused on monitoring the blondeโ€™s heart rate and breathing. Sanjiโ€™s been falling in and out of consciousness and itโ€™s starting to worry him more each time. He wishes his reindeer friend is with them. Heโ€™d know what to do.
Zoro dares a peek at the collar around Sanjiโ€™s neck. He frowns at the sight then tears his gaze away.
Zoro
You donโ€™tโ€ฆhappen to have a key for this, do you? Or know how to get it out another way?
Man 1
Iโ€™m so sorryโ€ฆ it was him who somehow got his hands on one to get us out but we donโ€™t know what happened to it when we parted ways. The last time I saw him, he didnโ€™t have anything around his neck.
Woman 1
It must have happened when he went to the treasure room. We donโ€™t know how to take it off without the right key. We would have already tried to escape ifโ€“
Den-den Mushi
Purupurupurupuru
Everyone jumps at the sound, clearly on edge from the potential dangers that could come their way at any second. They all turn to Zoro who fumbles around, trying to answer the transponder snail while carrying the blonde.
Sanji had woken up from the sound and feebly reached inside Zoroโ€™s open robe. He pulls out the den-den mushi from his breast pocket and holds it out for him in his hand, pressing the button on its shell to answer the call.
Zoro
Hello?
Law
Zoro-ya, it's beenโ€ฆ
โ€ฆwhere areโ€ฆyโ€ฆ
โ€ฆdid you getโ€ฆ
โ€ฆthereโ€™s news aboutโ€ฆ
Sanji looks up to the ceiling then around them. He speaks in a weak voice.
Sanji
Weโ€™re probably in the dense area of the root system. Itโ€™s interfering with the signal.
Zoro
Traffy, youโ€™re breaking up. Can you hear us?
Law
โ€ฆthey know youโ€™reโ€ฆ
โ€ฆPacifistas heading your wayโ€ฆ
โ€ฆneed toโ€ฆ
โ€ฆbefore Admiralโ€ฆ
Zoro
Tra-guy, we have a friend on Grove 44. Duval of the Flying Fish Riders. I want you to meet us at their base if you can.
Law, if you can hear me, go toโ€“
Den-Den Mushi
Click
Zoro tuts disappointingly at the lost signal.
Woman 2
Paโ€“Pacifistas?!
Woman 1
Waitโ€“a Marine Admiral is coming too?! To get us?!?
The people around them start shaking uncontrollably in panic. The merchild holds onto his dadโ€™s leg desperately.
Zoro sighs but gestures for them to keep moving forward.
Zoro
Letโ€™s pick up the pace. Itโ€™s only a matter of time before someone finds us and I'd rather not get caught up in here. Weโ€™d get trapped and surrounded pretty easily.
Sanji returns the snail inside Zoroโ€™s inner breast pocket then gives the others a small smile in an attempt to ease their minds.
Sanji
Donโ€™t worry about the Pacifistas for now. Weโ€™re not in any danger until they see us. Theyโ€™re too reliant on their visuals. As for the Admiralsโ€ฆlazy bunch, all of them. Too slow to act. Besides, my friend here will protect us from harm Iโ€™m sure. You said you know where we can find a sloop?
Man 2
Yโ€“yes!
The word โ€œfriendโ€ echoes in Zoroโ€™s head.
โ€”
They continue their walk in silence, at an increased pace this time. Zoro didn't want to have them running at full speed in fear that it would open up Sanjiโ€™s wounds further. Instead, they had to take longer rushed strides.
In one of the brief moments when the blonde is conscious, he breaks the silence by starting a light-hearted conversation, brightening the troubled mood of the crowd.
Sanji
I got loot like I promised. Itโ€™s not exactly money but we can sell it for a lot. The surgeonโ€™s going to freak.
Zoro's serious and tense expression softens. He holds the blonde closer, tucking Sanjiโ€™s head between the nook of his neck and shoulder after he notices that his body is cold and shivering.
Zoro
I never doubted you for a second. What did you get?
Sanji pulls a small pouch that he'd secured around his wrist by its loops. The swordsman didnโ€™t even notice that he had it on him, too distracted at the sight of his mangled body earlier. The blonde opens the bag with one hand and pulls out a small dark pebble between his fingers with the other, raising it as high as he could muster in front of Zoroโ€™s face.
Sanji
Pure, unadulterated condensed Seastones, baby.
Zoro's eye widens. Then he grins, genuinely impressed at the man.
Zoro
Whโ€“what? I've never even seen them in that form before.
Sanji grins a toothy smile up to him. Zoro's heart pounds at the sight.
Man 2
Those things?! Theyโ€™re Devil Fruit user killersโ€“they're worth almost a million Beri each!ย 
Sanji
I know right! Want one? When we get out of here, you can buy your way anywhere in the world and start a new life.
Woman 1
Your Highness, you can't possiblyโ€“
Sanji
Catch!
Sanji flicks a pebble up in the air to the woman who scrambles to catch it in surprise. He does the same to the others. Finally, he gently holds one out to the merchild walking alongside them.
Sanji
Grow up big and strong for me, okay?
The merchild looks at his father, who nods, then takes the pebble from Sanji.
There's a moment of silence, then Zoro hears sniffles coming from one of the women, then the other, then followed by the two men and the merchild that they had freed. They cry their eyes out, thanking the Pirate King and the Warlord as they reach the end of the tunnel.
โ€”
Sanji is unclear what exactly happens next. He knows that heโ€™s been drifting in and out of sleep, blaming his bodyโ€™s fatigued condition and whatever serum that the Celestial Dragon had injected him with to nullify his strength earlier.
He feels the harsh wind and rain on his face. It looks like the weather has turned for the worst. He hears high pitch sounds of whirring, as if machines are charging up. Then he hears a child scream. Forcing his eyes open, he sees blindingly bright long beams head directly towards them. He wonders if this is his chance to see his mother again.
The swordsman above him quickly takes a step forward, adjusting his hold of him, then swings a sword in three wide movements, redirecting all the beams back to its source. One hits a Pacifista straight onto its face, causing it to explode and knock back the two next to it. Sanji canโ€™t help but smile.
Sanji
Niceโ€ฆ shotโ€ฆ.
Zoro
Curlsโ€“?! Youโ€™re awake! Do you think you canโ€ฆ
Sanjiโ€™s vision and hearing gets all fuzzy again, unable to hear the rest of Zoroโ€™s question. His eyes droop weakly, limbs dropping.
Woman 1
โ€ฆThereโ€™s noโ€ฆ
โ€ฆheโ€™s lost too much blood!
Man 2
โ€ฆThis way, hurry!!!
Zoro
Hold on! Give meโ€ฆ
โ€ฆanything, just quickly!
Sanji feels a painful pressure against the hole in his chest as the swordsman pushes down a crumpled cloth over it. He thinks that it would be a shame to die now. He doesnโ€™t want to face his mother until he fulfils his promise to help his sister and brothers first. He silently asks her forgiveness for not visiting enough. His world darkens as reality fades once more.
When his eyes open, theyโ€™re in the sloop that one of the men had promised. It rocked madly from the torrential weather in the open seas. One of the women and the merchild held him securely in their arms while keeping pressure over his bleeding chest. Theyโ€™re trying to keep him as stable as possible in the undercover area of the boat.
Outside, he sees the rest of their group all work together to pull a rope on one end of the ship while Zoro pulls a separate one all by himself on the other side. They look like theyโ€™re trying to secure the sails above them while dealing with the severe storm.
Sanji
What a niceโ€ฆ familyโ€ฆ.
Merchild
Hey, uncle! Stay with us, okay?! Weโ€™reโ€ฆ
โ€ฆitโ€™s going to beโ€ฆ
Woman 2
โ€ฆjust aboutโ€ฆ
โ€ฆvery soon, I promise!
โ€ฆjust hang on!
Man 2
Warlord Zoro! Weโ€™re being followed!!
Sanjiโ€™s eyes close again. He ponders if the Seastones of the quality he got would help Germa finalise their research. Then he starts wondering if there's a chance that his siblings would enjoy a day out sailing when they finally get emotions of their own without having to rely on those ugly modified helmets. He silently asks them to hang in there.
Sanji
I'm so, so sorryโ€ฆ.
When he comes to again, he sees Zoro by himself in the thick of the rain, panting madly. He looks extremely worn and tired.
Bright lights shine from a distance and a continuous barrage of beams break through the fog, directly heading their way. Most hit the water next to them, causing the small boat to rock sideways, almost tipping over the boat at one point. He hears Zoro yell out one of his one-sword style moves as he deflects the beams in one long swipe, sending them off in different directions. He could hear his exhaustion behind his voice.
Man 1
Warlord Zoro! Another rogue wave up ahead!
Zoro
Shit!
Sanji feels the boat shift upwards at a steep angle. He thinks about how much work the swordsman is putting on right now, dealing with Pacifistas, protecting them, and trying to keep their small boat afloat in the storm all at the same time.ย 
Zoro lowers down almost to a kneeling position and takes out a second sword. He swings his blades synchronously in a circle, creating a massive force of vortex that breaks through the rogue wave in front of them. It corrects the angle of the boat, saving them from capsizing.
Sanji
What aโ€ฆ great swordsmanโ€ฆ
His words catch Zoroโ€™s attention.
Suddenly there was a nagging sensation from the right. Another beam is heading their way. Sanji predicts that the distracted swordsman can redirect this attack but the aftershock of the impact would heavily damage the roof of the undercover area and the sloopโ€™s already stressed mast.ย 
Sanji reaches out and uses his last remaining strength to pull the nearby woman and merchild down to the floor with him.
His prediction is correct, and the events unfold exactly as he saw it through his haki, saving the woman and merchild from getting caught up in the blast.
Sanji worries about the other members of their family. Heโ€™s too weak to think about too many people at once.
Zoro rises from under the debris in front of them. Sure enough, he had used his body to protect the others from the blast by pinning them low to the floor. Relief washes over the blonde.
He sees a series of lightning strikes reign down from the sky that makes his hair stand on end, followed by powerful sounds of thunder and huge explosions from afar.
The blinding light of the sun suddenly emerges above them. Sanji welcomes the warm sensation on his skin. The thick grey clouds part, as if being commanded to. The whirring machine noises from the distant seems to have quieted down.
Zoro groans in exhaustion. He looks around and huffs. When he gazes upwards, a large smile forms across his face.
A heavenly being descends from above, waving a long metallic staff in circles. As it does, the clouds part further, creating an area of calm waters in their immediate vicinity. As the creature of light gets closer, Sanji notices long orange hair flowing beautifully in the wind. He catches sight of an impressive tattoo on its arm. When his vision clears a bit more, he finally sees that their saviour is in the shape of a voluptuous woman riding a small bubble ship floating down to their damaged sloop. She waves at them over the side with a bright smile on her face.
Sanji
An angelโ€ฆ from heavenโ€ฆ?
Zoro
NAMI!!!
----------
I like to think that in every universe, Sanji worships Nami in different ways.
I initially really wanted to draw the balcony scene as an opening to this chapter. The whole kiss kiss smooch shebang. But as I was doing it, I noticed some inconsistencies with Sanji's design. I figured I'd do a character sheet for reference to hone down on it first before I flesh things out too detailed.
Zoro's character design definitely needs some love though. Maybe I'll do his next.
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whateveriwant ยท 1 year ago
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Dressing the 141 up in a couples Halloween costume
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Price
Is initially pretty lukewarm to the idea because he thinks he's too old to dress up for Halloween :(((
But with just the right amount of convincing + puppy dog eyes from you, he'll eventually go along with it
However, he's adamant that he's not going to shave. So you either have to give him a bearded character or resign yourself to seeing a mustachioed fairy
In the end, you think he makes quite a dashing Captain Hook (move over Jason Isaacs, there's a new captain in town)
If it's a party you're dressing up for, he'll go and have a great time (i.e. get absolutely sloshed and terrorize people with the fake hook)
Gaz
Is suuuuuuper into Halloween because it's his favorite holiday
He goes all out every year. Like, all out. Like, we're talking planning 6+ months in advance levels of obsession
In fact, you're not even the one who brings up the idea of doing a couples costume. He does, and he already has a theme in mind: Star Wars
He has a hyper-detailed Han Solo costume ready to go, complete with the blaster and boots and everything (yes, he made it himself, and yes, he's very proud of it)
You'll end up being 45 minutes late to the party because he won't stop taking pictures of you two posing in your outfits
Soap
Isn't opposed to the idea of dressing up, but there's a slight problemโ€ฆ He's already promised someone else that he'll match with them
You're like ??? when he tells you that, but end up chuckling once you learn who said person is: his four year old niece
He's the gallant knight to her glittery princess, and he's planning on taking his role very seriously
But he'll feel bad for leaving you hanging, so he'll run to the store and buy a pair of wings and a tail so you can tag along as a dragon or smth
You'll end up skipping the party so you can go trick-or-treating with them, and have much more fun that way anyway
Ghost
Is by far the least on board with the idea
He vehemently wants nothing to do with it โ€“ the party, the dressing up, nada
It'll take so much begging and bartering on your part to get him to finally cave in (the specifics of what you offer him, I'll leave up to your imagination ;))
No matter what costume you choose for him, he's gonna be snarky about it
"How the hell 'm I supposed to see with this bloody triangle on my head?" "It's a pyramid, Si." "Tha's what I said."
He'll stay at the party until he thinks you're satisfied with his attendance, and then he's Irish goodbye-ing it out of there without a second thought
Bonus - Full squad costume
If you're somehow able to convince the whole squad to dress up together, there's only one theme I see them doing: the Hundred Acre Woods
Price would be Kanga because there's no one else that accurately emits that fatherly motherly aura
Gaz would joke that he's going as Roo to accompany Price, but will change it last second and show up as Piglet
Soap would bounce on Tigger before anyone else could claim him (he's sooo Tigger-coded, I can't explain, he just is)
And lastly, for Ghost, I can think of no better fit than the king of brooding himself: Eeyore <3
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iamthedukeofurl ยท 1 year ago
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One interesting thing that can happen in long running media is that the general cultural background can shift under the work, recontextualizing it as it is being written. I'm specifically thinking of the Order of the Stick, a Dungeons and Dragons themed webcomic that started in 2003 with the titular party of adventurers going through a dungeon.
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From left to right, we have Belkar Bitterleaf the halfling ranger, Vaarsuvius the Elf Wizard, Elan the Human Bard, Haley Starshine the Human Rogue, Durkon Thundershield the Dwarf Cleric, and Roy Greenhilt the Human Fighter. The comic takes place in a fantasy setting that knowingly runs off the rules of Dungeons and Dragons third edition. Characters talk about rolls and bonuses and intentionally take levels in various classes. At the start, the comic was a pretty basic gag comic about the D&D rules, basic fantasy/adventure tropes, ect.
In the 20 years the comic has been running, it has updated about 1300 times, not counting bonus strips exclusively made for the printed version, and several print (or PDF) only side and prequel stories. It has also dramatically grown from it's roots, the art has improved while keeping the same general aesthetic, and the gag-a-day comic has become a sweeping fantasy epic. The characters have grown beyond their initial bits (Belkar is a Murderhobo, Elan is stupid, Haley is greedy, ect), and it's genuinely up there as one of my favorite stories. But anyway, let's talk about Vaarsuvius. If you look at the above art, You'll notice that the characters tend to have three types of body shapes: Rectangles for Roy, Belkar, and Elan, feminine curves for Haley, and Robes for Vaarsuvius. This presentation is a pretty consistent signifier of gender and/or somebody wearing robes. Early on, part of Vaarsuvius's running gag became their ambiguous gender. At the time, it was a fairly common joke in fantasy to talk about how Elven men had androgynous or "Girly" appearances, so V was part of that. Instead of a singular pronoun, characters would generally just abbreviate Vaarsuvius's name as "V", and whenever the narrative would have naturally provided some indication of gender one way or another, V would resolve the situation without providing any such indication. For example, an early gag has the characters seeking out a set of modern style bathrooms in the dungeon. When they find them, V says that their "More Efficient elven biology" means they don't have to go yet, so they wait outside while the boys go into the Men's room and Haley waits in the inevitable long line at the women's. When Vaarsuvius reveals that they are married, they use the term "Spouse" to refer to their partner, when we see their children, the children are clearly adopted (V and their partner both have pale skin, their children have darker skin) and refer to Vaarsuvius as "Parent". Vaarsuvius themselves seems to have trouble identifying other people by gender. Characters outside the central cast might refer to Vaarsuvius as "He" or "She", but doing so was always shedding light on that character's perspective, rather than saying anything about Vaarsuvius. The assumption behind the gag is that Vaarsuvius must be either male or female, and the joke is that the narrative/Vaarsuvius themselves keeps finding ways to avoid "Revealing" their gender. Fan wikis and official books list Vaarsuvius's gender as "Ambigious" and on the forum there used to be a regular, multi-part thread dedicated to debatings Vaarsuvius's gender, even after the author declared that it would "never be revealed".
Anyway, going back to the start, it's 2023, and something shifted at some point, both in the comic and in the general cultural background. The jokes about V's gender kind of fell off, not just because the gag got played out, but because the basic assumption behind it simply doesn't work anymore. Everybody knows that Nonbinary people exist. There's no point in the comic where Vaarsuvius switches from being "Ambigiously Gendered" to Nonbinary, in fact, the entire comic reads just fine if you read Vaarsuvius as male or female and just not caring enough to clarify their gender to anybody and at some point other characters just stop thinking about it. But it's interesting to see how a character trait that was once included in even the most basic character descriptions (Varsuvius: Elven Wizard. Arrogant, Intelligent. Ambigiously gendered) just kind of got washed away by a rising tide of cultural nuance towards gender. Also go read OOTS, it's pretty great.
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fairune ยท 3 months ago
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My incredibly self indulgent goddess themed aura trio ginjinkas ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿพ their names are Euxenia, Ker-ys, and An-Nazarene
My initial sketches and some thoughts below !
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"beautiful war goddess" is kind of cheesy, but keeping her naked(!) seemed like a good way to translate some of the more interesting aspects of Yvetal's design into a humanoid form ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿพ her name is both a reference to the mythical Breton city of Ys (a city that drowns after its princess becomes a little Too indulgent), and the greek Keres, mythical harpy women who drag the souls of those who die in violence to the afterlife. She's a bit inspired by Aphrodite-Areia, or "war-like Aphrodite."
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Euxenia has a Minoan influence! Her design is also meant to tie with that of Ker-ys, so her forehead accessory replicates Ys' face a bit, and also they're both titties out ๐Ÿ˜ญ I wanted her to have a more elaborate outfit as well, and using a Minoan dress style seemed the best way to go about it while also keeping her chest bare. The giant elf ears are because of the little "horns" on Xerneas' cheek too. Her divine inspiration was Britomartis, who is considered a "Minoan version" of Artemis.
Her name Euxenia combines the Greek Eu (good) and Xenos (strange/foreign).
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An-Nazarene was actually the first I designed, so here's a preview of her 10% and 100% forms as well ๐Ÿ˜ญ her name is from the Assyrian word for Nazareth, but also it's similar to an old "full name" I used for AZ (Nazhir) which I enjoy ^.^ because I am a "AZ and Zygarde have design / role similarities" truther, I wanted Zygarde to share some similarities to my design for AZ's mother too ... Lady Arissa โฌ‡๏ธ (I wanted to add another image for crop but Tumblr won't let me sorry ๐Ÿ’”)
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An-Nazarene's design is also a little inspired by Longnan dragon cookie from cookie run ๐Ÿ˜ญ I thought about Hera and Hestia both while designing her too... I changed her palette a little bit last second but I think the blue tones feel a bit more "mystic"
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jesncin ยท 3 months ago
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Thinking about Disney and how we talk about Cultural Representation
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(concept art by Scott Watanabe)
Old essay originally written on Cohost in November 2023. With additions.
With all the promo stuff about Disney's upcoming animated film Wish, I can't help but think about Raya and the Last Dragon again. I spent a year intensively researching things about that movie and the discourse surrounding it for a series of videos on Xiran Jay Zhao's channel, and oh boy did that reveal a lot about the current way we talk about cultural representation in casual media criticism.
Lately we've grown a habit of looking at signifiers to culture, things like aย cultural dish, a nod to aย martial artsย style, a piece ofย clothing, maybe aย hairstyle, aย weaponย and so on, and then projecting a bunch of intentions onto the work regardless of authorial intent. I witnessed this a bunch of times in discussions surrounding Raya and the Last Dragon.
You basically get a bunch of 4d chess-style justifications for the lazy implementation of culture in Raya.
random examples cuz there's too many to name:
The movie will do something like make the leaders of the villain nation women, and people immediately assumed it was some kind of bespoke reference to Minangkabau matriarchical society.
the art book of Raya specifically stated that they purposely misplaced things as a stylistic fantasy choice "we could take something that is known and place it in an unexpected location, like coral in the desert and cacti in the snow". But when people saw a water buffalo placed in the desert they assumed it was some super clever environmental story decision.
The movie will tell you it includes things like Borobudur, Angkor wat, Keris, and most people will take their word for it without hesitation. Never mind that Southeast Asians could barely recognize these nods to our culture through how amalgamated the designs are.
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(early concept art by Scott Watanabe)
Moving forward, I think we need to talk less about "what" parts of a culture are being represented in these movies, and more about HOW they're being included, we need to ask:
What is this piece of media's relationship with the cultures it represents?
Because Raya and the Last Dragon is not a cultural movie, it's a monolith film pitched and written by white people and a Mexican director with 2 SEA writers added later in production to avoid backlash. Culture serves the purpose of aesthetic set dressing in the film, as opposed to something that informs its themes and characters.
it wasn't even initially pitched as a Southeast Asian movie. The white writers who pitched it were going for a vague East Asian sci fi fantasy story under the working title "Dragon Empire". Southeast Asian culture was an aesthetic change added much later.
This is what happens when a corporation tries to put representational value on a shallow aesthetic. Because of the way Disney constantly marketed Raya as this big authentic cultural film, it primes its audience to read cultural intention in the most benign details. And when we get lost in the details, we lose sight of the bigger picture.
Contextualizing Cultural media criticism
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(visual development art by April Liu)
We need to start demanding more context in our analysis. The next time we see a reference to culture in media we consume, take a step back and ask what purpose it serves in the narrative. And most importantly!! What Is Its Relationship With The Culture It Represents? We shouldn't just accept things at face value.
start asking yourself,
through what lens is thisย cultural dishย and its spicy flavors being presented to us? Are the customs surrounding the food being respected?
Ifย martial artsย orย danceย is represented, how is it translated in the adaptation? Are you getting generic hollywood-fu or are you seeing specific movements with purpose and motivation? Are the philosophies or spiritual contexts of these traditions present in the text?
Are theย clothing, hairstyles, and presentationย of the characters being de-yassified through a colonial filter? Is the non-conformity of the cultures' different framework for gender presentation being adjusted to fit a more recognizable binary?
Ifย languageย is present, what role does it serve? Is it presented as other through being exclusively used by villainous beings? Is it being made a monolith as one "non-English" language?
is thisย templeย actually a place of worship or is it just a set piece for a goddang Indiana jones booby trap action fight sequence
This way, instead of unquestionably defending a piece of media because a character wore a traditional outfit one time, or because some characters took their shoes off at a temple, or because there were Arnis sticks in that one fight scene, we can approach the text with a more nuanced and holistic understanding of how culture informs narrative.
To quote Haunani K. Trask (author of From A Native Daughter):
โ€œCultural people have to become politicalโ€ฆ Our culture canโ€™t just be ornamental and recreational. Thatโ€™s what Waikiki is. Our culture has to be the core of our resistance. The core of our anger. The core of our mana. Thatโ€™s what culture is for.โ€
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circus4apsycho8 ยท 11 months ago
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[ninjago headcanons] how they handle valentine's day with you
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๐š’๐š—๐šŒ๐š•๐šž๐š๐šŽ๐šœ: ๐š”๐šŠ๐š’, ๐š“๐šŠ๐šข, ๐šŒ๐š˜๐š•๐šŽ, ๐šฃ๐šŠ๐š—๐šŽ, ๐š•๐š•๐š˜๐šข๐š, ๐š—๐šข๐šŠ, ๐š๐šŠ๐š›๐š–๐šŠ๐š๐š˜๐š—, & ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐š›๐š˜
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๐š”๐šŠ๐š’
of course, heโ€™s very smooth about it
will come up to you wearing that dumb smirk of his holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates, flowers, and a card
asks you in one go. doesnโ€™t stutter or trip over his words
even so, heโ€™s still a little bit nervous deep down - heโ€™s just good at hiding it
will take you out for a fancy dinner and a motorcycle ride; at the end of the night, the two of you go somewhere secluded to watch the sunset together
๐š“๐šŠ๐šข
heโ€™s not as confident
stutters, blushes, has to practice a few times before he can work up the nerve to ask you
once he does, though, heโ€™s super relieved and gets excited!!
he takes you out to lunch, and then the two of you spend the day at an arcade museum :)
at first, heโ€™s a little bit tense and afraid heโ€™s going to embarrass himself, but he eventually lightens up
the two of you have a blast!
the date ends with cups of ice cream and a walk around a park at sunset
๐šŒ๐š˜๐š•๐šŽ
asks through a romantic, heartfelt letter that he delivers to your doorstep before you emerge for the day
the letter is sealed in a pretty, light pink envelope and stamped with a flower. accompanying it is a bouquet of your favorite flower along with a box of chocolates
your name is written on the front of the envelope in a unique, calligraphy-esque font that appears messy but alsoโ€ฆstrangely composed and beautiful, in a way
the letter asks you to meet the secret someone out on the deck of the bounty after breakfast
sure enough, cole is there, fidgeting as he waits for you
once you approach him, he asks to be your valentine!
you answer him with a hug and a โ€œyes!โ€
the date takes place in a forest initially - he had set up a special spot beforehand. itโ€™s a picnic!
of course, he had to get a little bit of help from zane for the cooking portion :)
afterwards, the two of you take a short hike through the woods until you reach the theater where the ninja performed
itโ€™s empty, but cole knows a certain spot inside
it turns out to be a mirrored studio room, where he teaches you how to dance :)
(or just dances with you, if you already know how!)
๐šฃ๐šŠ๐š—๐šŽ
does it simply and elegantly; after listening to the advice of his teammates, he decides to just ask you while youโ€™re alone on the deck
he averts his gaze when he asks, unsure if he had done it correctly or if he misunderstood the tradition somehow
but when you grin and accept, his nerves ease
the two of you have a quiet, peaceful walk throughout the birchwood forest
(zane makes sure that youโ€™re dressed warm enough beforehand)
eventually, the two of you come across a frozen pond
after determining that the ice is thick enough, zane pulls you onto the ice, the two of you slipping and sliding around
heโ€™s far more graceful, and he doesnโ€™t let you fall
takes the two of you back via a dragon ride, letting you cling to him while you enjoy the sunset
๐š•๐š•๐š˜๐šข๐š
asks you by dropping off a cheesy starfarer-themed valentineโ€™s day card at your door
takes you to a family entertainment venue (think like chuck e cheese, with added games for adults)
he admits that he came here quite a bit whenever it was jay or kaiโ€™s turn to watch him when a kid, and he knows all of the tricks to get a lot of tickets
(at one point, he tells you a story about how he would steal tickets from machines and other patrons in order to get better prizes)
the two of you play for hours, saving up as many tickets as you can before heading to the counter to pick out your prizes!
you end up getting two of the same dragon stuffed animals, but in different colors
once thatโ€™s done, the two of you enjoy some of the venue's snacks before calling it a day
๐š—๐šข๐šŠ
she, like her brother, will simply come up and ask you
the only difference is that she lacks his cockiness and is more nervous about it
she keeps it simple - the day starts with a coffee shop date and ends with the two of you wandering the city together
thereโ€™s not much of a plan - the two of you just go with the flow
by the time the day is done, you have shopped at a farmerโ€™s market, listened to a talented street performer, tried a bunch of pastries from a local baker, and more!
๐š๐šŠ๐š›๐š–๐šŠ๐š๐š˜๐š— - ๐šŒ๐š›๐šข๐šœ๐š๐šŠ๐š•๐š•๐š’๐šฃ๐šŽ๐š ๐šŸ๐šŽ๐š›๐šœ๐š’๐š˜๐š—
initially goes to vinny for date ideas and how he should go about asking
when the time does roll around, you notice that heโ€™s stiff and clearly uncomfortable, but also determined
heโ€™s blunt and to the point about it
you can tell heโ€™s doing his best to sound gentle
โ€œi wouldโ€ฆvery much like it if you were to be my valentine.โ€
ends up taking you out for a few drinks at laughyโ€™s (either alcoholic or not, whatever you prefer)
either way, he eventually accompanies you on a night walk on the perimater of the city, away from the crowd so that no one can ruin your night together
๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐š›๐š˜
doesnโ€™t even bother asking. it would embarrass him too much.
very coarse about the ordeal, but even so, itโ€™s really sweet in his own way
probably wonโ€™t make a whole lot of eye contact with you. if you squint, you might catch him blushing at some points.
drags you to a nice picnic that he set up (all by himself!) in the ruins of the monastery
itโ€™s a quiet night, but the two of you still enjoy yourselves despite not speaking much
the wind is gentle and content, as is morro
once the two of you are done eating, youโ€™ll shimmy over to him and curl up beside him
heโ€™ll accept your embrace, holding you as you watch the skies together <3
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(๐šŠ/๐š—): ๐š‘๐š’ ๐šŠ๐š•๐š•! ๐š’๐š'๐šœ ๐š‹๐šŽ๐šŽ๐š— ๐šŠ ๐š–๐š’๐š—๐šž๐š๐šŽ ๐šœ๐š’๐š—๐šŒ๐šŽ ๐š’'๐šŸ๐šŽ ๐š™๐š˜๐šœ๐š๐šŽ๐š, ๐š‹๐šž๐š ๐š’ ๐š ๐šŠ๐šœ ๐š๐š‘๐šŠ๐š—๐š”๐š๐šž๐š•๐š•๐šข ๐šŠ๐š‹๐š•๐šŽ ๐š๐š˜ ๐š๐šŽ๐š ๐šœ๐š˜๐š–๐šŽ ๐š‘๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š๐šŒ๐šŠ๐š—๐š˜๐š—๐šœ ๐š ๐š›๐š’๐š๐š๐šŽ๐š— ๐š’๐š— ๐š๐š’๐š–๐šŽ ๐š๐š˜๐š› ๐šŸ๐šŠ๐š•๐šŽ๐š—๐š๐š’๐š—๐šŽ'๐šœ ๐š๐šŠ๐šข! :)
๐š’'๐š– ๐š ๐š˜๐š›๐š”๐š’๐š—๐š ๐š˜๐š— ๐šŠ ๐š‹๐šž๐š—๐šŒ๐š‘ ๐š˜๐š ๐š•๐š˜๐š—๐š๐šŽ๐š› ๐š˜๐š—๐šŽ๐šœ๐š‘๐š˜๐š๐šœ, ๐š›๐šŽ๐šš๐šž๐šŽ๐šœ๐š๐šœ, ๐šŠ๐š—๐š ๐šœ๐šŽ๐š›๐š’๐šŽ๐šœ ๐š™๐šŠ๐š›๐š๐šœ, ๐šœ๐š˜ ๐š’๐š ๐š–๐š’๐š๐š‘๐š ๐š‹๐šŽ ๐šŠ ๐š ๐š‘๐š’๐š•๐šŽ ๐š‹๐šŽ๐š๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐šข๐š˜๐šž ๐šœ๐šŽ๐šŽ ๐š–๐šŽ ๐š™๐š˜๐šœ๐š ๐šŠ๐š๐šŠ๐š’๐š—. ๐š๐š‘๐š’๐š—๐š๐šœ ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šŒ๐š˜๐š–๐š’๐š—๐š ๐šŠ๐š•๐š˜๐š—๐š ๐šœ๐š•๐š˜๐š ๐š•๐šข ๐š‹๐šž๐š ๐šœ๐šž๐š›๐šŽ๐š•๐šข!
๐š›๐šŽ๐šš๐šž๐šŽ๐šœ๐š๐šœ ๐šŠ๐š›๐šŽ ๐šŠ๐š•๐š ๐šŠ๐šข๐šœ ๐š˜๐š™๐šŽ๐š—; ๐šœ๐šŽ๐šŽ ๐š–๐šข ๐š™๐š’๐š—๐š—๐šŽ๐š ๐š™๐š˜๐šœ๐š ๐š๐š˜๐š› ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐š’๐š—๐š๐š˜.
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animeyanderelover ยท 23 days ago
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Hi for my first request, can I please request yandere dragon slayers hcs please , Gajeel ,ย natsuย and acnologia , polyย naluย dealing with their daring in mating season pleaseย ย ? How would their deal with mating season , how would the slayers provide , do their act any differently, if you want to add nsfw you can do , if youโ€™re not comfortable with nsfw no worries ^^
If possible can reader be female please if not gn is fine ^^ hope your doing ok !!
Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, delusional behavior, clinginess, isolation, abduction, sexual aggression, death, female s/o, Nsfw, bredding, temperature kink, marking, biting, shower sex, feeding kink, monster fucking in Acnologia's part (?), Acnologia forces his darling into sex with him, somnophilia, blood kink
Mating season
Natsu Dragneel
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๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹The poor man swears that he had plans to inform you about the fact that as a Dragon Slayer his body has adopted a heat akin to the one that dragons experience. Unfortunately his mind gets all mushy whenever he is with you, his infatuation reigning over his mind and soon pushing out all thoughts that relate to his heat. His heat is still pretty irregular after all, his body sensing that there is still no mate to couple with which has so far prevented a regular cycle of natural instincts happening to him. That all changes as soon as you appear in his life though, his body recognising you at one point as his mate without Natsu even being aware of it. After all it is your scent that constantly surrounds him and that he constantly seeks out, your body constantly smushed against his when he cuddles you. It is the fact that Natsu has experienced never a natural and real heat previously that is at fault for him not recognising the first sneaky signs when they arrive. He defies all odds by growing even clingier, basically attached to your hips as your scent as well as the feeling of your skin against his seems to call out to him more than usually. His nose is buried in your hair all the time, taking deep whiffs of you.
๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹As a mage using fire his body has always been on a warmer side but you feel it whenever he cuddles you, how he somehow heats up even more. That coupled with his increased clinginess as well as his whining that your touch eases the growing heat on his skin somehow initially leads you to believe that he has a fever. His appetite, limitless enough already, increases as his stomach becomes a black hole that sucks everything in that touches his lips as his body gears up for the first heat that will undoubtedly soon come. It's either going to be Makarov who ultimately tells him what is going on as he possesses a good chunk of knowledge about the biology of Dragon Slayers. Or it'll boil down to Gajeel or Laxus recognising the signals of Natsu's incoming heat as they are also Dragon Slayers and have gone through similar experiences before. The end result will be the same either way with Natsu confessing to you what he has been informed of. His body is much more taut, all his muscles tense as he is acutely aware of his body's desires now, your scent much sweeter and inviting than he realised before. Still, he is not going to force you and offers a temporary isolation even if it's going to be painful for him.
๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹Heat is much more intense, a clash between feral instincts he didn't even know he possessed and his sweet behavior both of you are familiar with. His body heat increases to a point where you get uncomfortable if he holds you for too long, his control of his fire magic slipping slightly as small flames come alive on his skin. It's due to his unbearable warmth as well as a fear that he'll accidentally set your bedroom on fire that you find yourself limited to only having sex with him when in the bathtub or under the shower with icecold water. Natsu doesn't really like the feeling of cold water but even through his heat-addled brain he still understands your worries and agrees to your terms. The bathroom equals after every end of a session of intense sex that satisfies him for the moment a sauna. Thick mist clouds every corner as the only thing visible to you is Natsu. Both of you are always drenched in sweat, some parts of his body so hot that you can see the water evaporating as soon as it hits his skin. Whilst you may not enjoy the feeling of being a sweaty mess to Natsu it's different. He enjoys taking deep whiffs of you, noticing his scent perfectly mingled with yours.
๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹His stamina has always been high but what changes during his heat is the fact that it is much harder for him to hold back. If he wouldn't be in his heat he'd be content as soon as you cannot go any longer. Such satisfaction of knowing that you're satisfied isn't enough anymore as his self-restrain is much tighter, his own needs raging through his burning body. A part of him feels very sorry for you as he knows that he tires you out even though you give him the green light. To keep you energised and hydrated somehow during sessions he starts storing food and drinks, grabs them as soon as his needs are somewhat satisfied and tries to shove it all quickly down your throat to give you some energy before his heat takes over again. Something inside of him almost feels like purring when he replenishes your energy, a primal part basking in the idea of providing for you. A partial dragonisation is likely to happen during his heat as claws, scales or even a wing suddenly sprout from his body, a much more inhuman growl leaving his mouth, lips hiding sharper teeth as he ruts feverishly against you. He falls dead asleep on top the moment his heat disperses, his body recharging already for the next session.
Natsu Dragneel & Lucy Heartfilia
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๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹๐Ÿ—๏ธโ€‹With Lucy thrown into this formula a few things would change. Sure, some things are going to stay the same such as Natsu completely forgetting to mention to you that his body functions a tad bit differently than yours does. However, everything wonโ€™t be mistaken or brushed off until much later simply because Lucy is sharing with Natsu. Very familiar from first-hand experience she already has a tendency to keep a closer eye on the Dragon Slayer, aware that Natsu tends to be a bit careless at times with you though also knowing just as much that heโ€™d rather have holes blown through him that let you get injured. She spends a lot of time with Natsu and you and sheโ€™s one of the first who takes note of Natsuโ€™s change in behavior. Initially she doesnโ€™t pay it too much mind yet she still remains observant to see how the situation develops and surely enough she recognises that there is something going on within Natsu. Itโ€™s very obvious that Natsu is about as clueless as she is when she points it out to him, even going as far as reassuring her that itโ€™s surely nothing serious. Lucy believes that to be bullshit though and starts her own research. Happy, her first source, canโ€™t help her.
๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ—๏ธIt occurs to her early on that it might be connected to Natsu being a Dragon Slayer and with that theory itโ€™s obvious that she seeks out Gajeel and Laxus. Itโ€™s there that she finds her answers though they leave her very much flustered and embarrassed. Nevertheless, she sits down with the both of you and explains what she has found out and by the end of her explanation all three of you feel the heat burning in your faces. Thereโ€™s more buffering time thanks to her though, more time to make plans for the next few weeks ahead. Lucy has made her own theories and ideas already though and most of them will prove to be right later on the line. After having forced herself through some very awkward conversations with both Gajeel and Laxus she has noted that during a Dragon Slayer's heat their magical attributes seem to get a bit out of control which might lead to a safety hazard due to Natsu using fire magic. Keeping him during his heat in an environment with lots of water or even ice might be beneficial which is why she suggests that the three of you should probably go on a holiday. After all Natsu won't be able to leave to do any missions for now.
๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹๐Ÿ—๏ธโ€‹Now, the first heat Natsu endures is a mutually awkward and embarrassing experience for all three of you. So far Lucy has never gotten very much involved in Natsu's sex life with you as she has kept her own that she shares with you to herself just as much. That changes during Natsu's heat very much as she is constantly exposed to the growls and moans echoing through the air. Whenever she notices steam spreading throughout the rooms, she knows exactly what the reason is. She doesn't dare to enter the room though. Not until Natsu kicks the door open at least, filling the entire place with thick and sticky steam as he carries you outside, neither of you wearing any clothes and your bodies glistening with sweat. She's usually the one who nurses you back to energy as good as she can all whilst Natsu is clinging to you like you're his lifeline. She buys everything, keeps Natsu and you fed and she also sees it through that you're on your contraception as she is aware of Natsu's urge to fill you up during his heat. For now all three of you have agreed that you do not want a child just yet though for Natsu it is already clear that he wants a baby with you in a couple of years.
๐Ÿ”ฅโ€‹๐Ÿ—๏ธโ€‹The first few heats that Natsu goes through Lucy stays out of his time with you as she understands and sees very clearly that Natsu is a tad bit more possessive over you and more unwilling to share in such moments. As some sort of routine starts building itself over time and he familiarises himself with his heat he starts getting more lenient, especially once Lucy and him start sharing you inside the bedroom outside of his heat. Initially Lucy declines that offer but Natsu is very stubborn once he has made up his made and she should have known that. He pretty much drags her with him but there is definitely much more awkwardness within the room in comparison to when Natsu isn't undergoing his heat. The two to three rounds all Lucy winds up doing is watching anyways as Natsu needs to let out some pent-up sexual desires induced by his heat, her face red and her legs clenching together. His random dragonisation never fails to startle her though, brown eyes watching worries in case he accidentally hurts you. Only once he has quenched his desire a bit does he pull away and allows Lucy to have her small share as well. You appreciate the round of gentle pampering before Natsu goes on.
Gajeel Redfox
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โš™๏ธโ€‹Gajeel is a bit smarter when it involves his overall awareness of his own biology and how it differs from those of a normal mage. Whilst he has never had a proper heat before he at least knows that his body will react properly to mating season once he has found someone he loves. As soon as the two of you are together he informs you about the concept of a mating season and how it connects with him being a Dragon Slayer to you. From the moment he has explained it to you though he ensures to inform you that he has no intentions of forcing you into quenching his heat if you are not ready for it. After all he can already imagine that his instincts and enhanced sexual desires are bound to test his own self-control. How exactly mating season will affect him is a mystery to him as much as it is to you so both of you can only wait all whilst he practices a greater lvel of self-awareness to notice even little changes within himself. It first starts with his temper. He's a lot more easily irritated and prone to being more aggressive, guttural growls leaving his lips as his emotions are on edge and easily agitated. His protective and possessive instincts peak and the moment you leave his sight he gets aggressive.
โš™๏ธโ€‹He loses his control over his own strength, iron scales randomly convering his body and his arms turning into iron without him noticing. He shatters a couple of things by sheer accident as his strength slips out of him, even breaks cutlery by biting through them without intention. Those outbursts of strength lead to him being far more cautious whenever he is touching you, afraid that he might accidentally hurt you. Your scent becomes so much more addictive and he feels the growing urge to rub his own scent all over you. The logical part of his brain is able to process that most people won't even notice that you smell a lot like him as only Dragon Slayers have an enhanced sense of smell. The primal part that steadily grows within him doesn't care about the logic of things as its only desire is to mark you and to claim you. Whenever he catches sight of your unmarked skin he has the urge to bite down on it and lay his claim on you. Sometimes he can't help but give in at least partially to those desires, nibbling on your skin whilst still refraining from using his teeth. He is fully aware that he'll be useless for missions so he takes a few weeks off.
โš™๏ธโ€‹He apologises beforehand to you and once more afterwards for his roughness, in between those apologies when he's in the height of heat he cares little unless he senses that he has really hurt you. He's literally glued to your hips, relentless as he thrusts into you and his toned body presses you further into the mattress. Growls vibrate through his chest, his tempo merciless as he rams his thick cock into you with enough force to make your breasts jiggle every time. Already a heavy weight above you, once his body accidentally turns into iron whilst he fucks you that burden only increases and the first few times Gajeel destroys the bed though his brain barely realises it fully. Instincts have taken control completely, shielding you quickly once he hears the sound of splintering wood before continuing right where he stopped, fucking you into the mattress on the floor. The haze only lifts after quite a few exhausting rounds where he finally realises what he has done. During those short breaks he caters to you to the best of his abilities, sensing how much toll his mating season takes on you. Your hips are aching, the skin sometimes rubbed raw due to the force of his own hips slamming against yours.
โš™๏ธโ€‹It is quite painful for you whenever parts of his body turn into iron as it increases his weight by a lot. Most commonly his arms randomly transform, his grip suddenly threatening to break bones and even though he holds himself back you are in pain afterwards. To reduce the burden on your body somewhat Gajeel decides to have you on top so that at the very least you won't br crushed beneath his body of iron anymore. It's hard on his instincts when he's in the throws of his mating season as his feral side wants to dominate you, fuck you senseless and fill you with his seed until it seeps out of you- But from all of that he has to refrain to a certain extent for your own safety and comfort. He marks and bites you a lot, the strength of his jaw easily able to chew through iron yet having to hold back greatly unless he wishes to break through your bones with his canines. Sometimes, only sometimes, does his control slip for a short second as teeth break through your skin and draw blood. A mixture of arousal and guilt pools in his stomach when he hears your hiss, his tongue cleaning the droplets of blood as he gnarls an apology whilst his grip on you tightens with the taste of your blood on his taste buds.
Acnologia
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๐ŸŒ‘โ€‹Acnologia has existed for centuries already and has gone through lots of heats throughout his life. Normally he has dealt with them either by simply enduring them or actually using a human woman who just happens to have the misfortune by passing him by before killing her after her use passed and his own sexual desire has been fulfilled. Once Acnologia finds his actual mate in you though it is very obvious whom will have to satisfy him and deal with him during mating season. Whilst he is by no means talkative Acnologia at least informs you of everything you need to know which includes his heat. The dread immediately overflowing you is obvious to his senses yet he ignores your own fear. It's his nature and there is nothing that he can do against it. Just be glad that you won't end up like so many women before you as you are his mate. From all Dragon Slayers he is one of the most experienced as he knows exactly at which time of year his mating season occurs as well as what the first signs are. Normally living by the strict life of a wandering recluse and having forced you into that lifestyle as well, he always searches for a good place to stay for a few weeks during the duration of his heat.
๐ŸŒ‘โ€‹Perhaps the most primal of them all, Acnologia always feels compelled to build something almost akin to a nest as his heat approaches. He starts hunting animals excessively, stores their flesh and skins them before using the fur of them to build his nest. His own scent grows almost overpowering as his heat approaches so that even you can smell him despite not having any enhanced senses that he possesses. It doesn't take long before the entire nest that he builds reeks only of him and he is surprisingly protective of it during the duration of mating season, snapping and growling at you if you accidentally remove something. He does allow you to decorate it with little trinkets such as seashells or flowers though, of course only if he allows you to do so. There's no day that goes without him covering you in thick layers of his scent until you aren't even able to smell yourself anymore. However, he's just as busily collecting herbs and other medical objects. He isn't as delusional as to pretend that he won't hurt you during his mating season and as a former doctor who still possesses healing magic amongst other things he's at least considerate enough to ensure that you're as fine as he can let you be.
๐ŸŒ‘โ€‹Sex with Acnologia has always been more about his own pleasure than anything but during mating season you experience a new level of feral lust and selfishness from him. You can recall more pain than you can recall pleasure. Pain as his hips brutally snap against your own, pain as he pistols his large and thick cock inside you with a speed that has your vision darkening, pain as sharp teeth dig into your flesh and force the blood out of your wounds to feast on the red liquid all whilst animalistic growls and snarls leave him. It's almost like he really does revert to an animalistic side as he doesn't utter a single word whilst thrusting inside of you and chasing after his own lust. Most terrifying for you is that sometimes Acnologia partially transforms into a dragon whilst slamming his cock inside of you. His whole body twists and shifts, bones cracking and deforming as his growls only grow in depth and volume until the being above you doesn't look like a human anymore. Together with his body his cock grows too, stretching you further from within you and only refreshing the pain as your walls desperately try to adjust all whilst the creature above you continues its ruthless pace.
๐ŸŒ‘โ€‹During his heat you have to be available to Acnologia at all times. Whether you have hit your own limits is of no concern to him. As long as you're still alive and not in any danger he has absolutely no reason to stop pumping you full with his cum and there is little you can do to teach him better. Even if you're barely conscious, he will not slow down until he has satiated his own desires. Even if you pass out he won't stop, barely acknowledging that you've slipped into unconsciousness as his hips ram against your own. You don't even wear any clothes during Acnologia's heat because they would just end up in rags and shreds, victims of Acnologia's agressive impatience. Having you all bare next to him allows him easy access to your pussy when he stirs awake at night, his thick member hard and balls aching to empty themselves inside of you again as he simply turns you around and quickly forces himself inside of you, not even bothering to wake you up as he begins moving. Once he is fully satisfied and pulls out of you, his seed oozing out of you, he transform fully into a dragon and curls himself possessively and protectively around you, napping for a few hours with you.
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