#seeing his splash art: ohhh it’s adorable!

[consumeroflemoans]

Hey reminder that Jiaoqiu used to be a military doctor and being taken hostage 100% shoved him back into the traumatizing life or death militaristic lifestyle without warning (:

And on top of that it’s Jiaoqiu’s entire species’ worst enemies who have a habit of enslaving and consuming foxians.

And on top of alll of that the responsibility to keep the borison in the prison is solely placed on Jiaoqiu’s shoulders otherwise he may doom his entire species.

Oh yeah and did I mention that he failed? (:

[the-nerd-writer]

Ohiyo my friend! Would you mind writing something for a future s/o who starts to trace Hanzo's tattoo while he's meditating one day?

Hi friend! Thank you so much for this request, I had a lot of fun portraying Hanzo in this piece! I hope that you enjoy as well!

Beautiful Sights- A Hanzo Shimada (Hanzo) x Reader Fic

Content Warning: Romantic aspects.

Word Count: 774

The faint breeze pressing against your skin smelled of nothing in particular; the most beautiful scent of all. Hanamura was a quiet sanctuary of beautiful sights– that is, when it wasn’t being used as a war zone between opposing factions. The strong oak tree that you leaned upon must have been growing for fifty or sixty years, its mighty branches reaching down to protect your eyes from the shade… and give you a perfect view of the ideal drawing model.

Hanzo Shimada often spent his time meditating in Hanamura, allowing his wound-up muscles to breathe, and his mind hone in on what was to be expected of him on his next mission. In the open air, his physical form needed not bother him as much as his mind did, so he usually slid into a soft patch of grass and gazed upon the wonders that Hanamura had to offer. This offered you the perfect opportunity to examine and sketch Hanzo’s elaborate tattoos splayed across his left shoulder. The strong textures and bold outlines fascinated you, and you simply had to try to recreate their splendor on paper.

First pulling out a pencil, you began to sketch the solid square-styled spiral on his left breast. The way that the edges found such definition despite being in the middle of such a wild piece of art surprised you, so after tracing the large marks, you pulled out a small bottle of india ink and a quarter inch brush, dipping the utensil into the vial and beginning to fill in the outline… perfect! No splash over whatsoever. Breathing out a sigh of relief, you glanced up to see the curious eyes of Hanzo Shimada gazing back at you.

“Gaaaahhh-hi, Hanzo! B-beautiful day out today, isn’t it?” You hysterically chuckled, whirling the sketchbook into your knapsack and leaning forwards to pull his attention away from your art. It wasn’t working.

“Hello, my dear friend. What was that that you were working on?” Hanzo smiled, his auburn eyes peering over at your bag.

“Hmm? What? Ohhh, that! Right, yes, well, um, you see…” Your stammering was interrupted by the archer as he rose up, sauntered over to the tree that you sat under, and plopped down next to you. His skin glistened with a soft layer of moisture as he gestured towards your rucksack, his eyebrows raising as if to ask May I take a look? With a small sigh, you slumped your head down in defeat and raised your hand up in a nonchalant fashion. Hanzo’s callused hands pulled back the leather strap and pulled out your well worn sketchbook, its cover enveloped in ink smudges and dirt marks. Flipping through the pages, you could see his brows soften, and his cheeks slowly raising themselves into a smile.

“My friend, I had no idea you were such an artist! When do you find the time to do all of these?” Hanzo asked with the passion of an excited teacher who discovered a new talent. He almost seemed to bounce up and down ever so slightly in excitement.

“I just, y’know… draw in-between meetings, on flights, so on and so forth…” You stopped as he flipped to the most recent page; his tattoo. You hadn’t been able to finish much, but it was unmistakably Hanzo’s square spiral, as strong on paper as its original counterpart. Well, I mean, maybe less strong, now that you think about it…

“This… this is my tattoo! Here,” Hanzo gestured, pressing his finger onto his pec. His grin revealed his teeth in an adorable fashion; almost like a sunrise on a pearl-covered beach.

“Yes, yes! I’m sorry, I didn’t ask before drawing, but I…”

“No, no! No need to apologize, this is… this is beautiful! Do you think you could finish it?” Hanzo stared at you intently, almost like a puppy begging to go on a walk. The wind begin to pick up, blowing his ponytail in the wind.

“Yes, yes, totally! I can completely do that f-for you, for sure!” Oooh, boy, the butterflies were just about to burst out of your stomach.

“Wonderful! Here, I can even pose here for you, so you can get a better look!” Instantly, Hanzo struck a stoic pose, his left shoulder jutting out and a smoulder spread across his face. You couldn’t help but burst out in laughter, followed shortly by his own.

Composing himself, Hanzo sat up straight, lowered his shoulders, and gave you a small smile; an indicator to go ahead. Pursing your lips together, you considered the model in front of you, then dove back into your book to capture the tattoo’s majesty.

[xiz0r]

Evening Skinny-Dip at the Wounded Coast

Inktober Day 4 - "Underwater"

You can read the ficlet that was written to accompany this art by Lisakodysam.

“Come on, it’s not far.” Garrett tightened his grip around Fenris’s arm, assisting the elf to step over large roots and the organic debris that littered the forest floor.  “We’re almost there.”

“Are you certain you know the way back to camp?”

Garrett shrugged, his mouth twisting into a smirk.  “Probab—”

“Probably?  That is unusually decisive for you.”

Garrett drew to a halt and turned to Fenris, who’d dug both thumbs into his belt, his lyrium-marked arms like moonlit wings as they bent at his sides.  “Sarcasm does not become you, dear,” he said to the elf.

“Oh, but it does.  After all, we’re half a mile out of camp with no clear sense of which direction we’ve taken.”  Fenris pushed his chin out, an indication that he was not only annoyed, but sure of himself.  “I thought I would warm us with my sarcasm, as we also have no means with which to make a fire.  Tell me again where you intend to take us? And for what purpose?”

Garrett frowned a little.  “It’s a bit late to be asking that, isn’t it?”

“Truly?”  Fenris took a sharp intake of breath, which he let out in a chillingly controlled manner.  “Have I not asked you that at several points along our journey, only for you to change the subject with, ‘Ooh, that’s a pretty flower’, or ‘get a lungful of that forest air!’  The forest air smells of dung and rotten leaves!  I do not wish to ‘get’ any more lungfuls of it than I must!”

The mage held his hands up.  “All right, I admit I was a tad evasive.  I wanted it to be a surprise, that’s all.”

Fenris sighed and tried not to show his annoyance.  “I understand that and I’m grateful for the thought, but you’ve been saying we’re ‘almost there’ for the past fifteen minutes.  Isn’t it time to admit we’re lost?”

“No it isn’t, because we’re not.”  Garrett pointed ahead.  “See?  The trees are starting to thin out.”

“And?”

“And… listen.”

“Listen to what?”

“Shh!”

Accustomed to indulging Garrett’s flights of fancy, Fenris rolled his eyes but did indeed pause to listen.  “I hear nothing,” he said after a moment.

Garrett gave a melodramatic groan.  “Oh, Fenris, you’ve no magnificence in your soul, have you?”

“My soul is too cold and lost in the forest to even think about such abstract and whimsical entities as ‘magnificence’.”

Garrett started to walk away.  “Oops!  He’s brought out the big words.  I think I’m in trouble.”

Fenris, not wanting to become even more lost (if that was possible), started jogging after Garrett.  “What was I supposed to be listening to, by the way?”

“Hm?  Hey, look at this!  A SEASHELL,” Garrett said loudly enough to wake the dead.  “Have you noticed the ground’s getting a bit flatter?  And sandier?”

“Will you do me the courtesy of giving me a straight answer for once, mage?”

“Mage!”  Garrett chuckled.  “Now I know I’m in trouble!”

“For the love of—ugh!  Will you slow down?”

By now, Garrett was way ahead of Fenris, but he stopped and frantically beckoned to the elf.  “Here!  We’re here!  Come on!”

“Where else would we be but here?”  Fenris huffed but went after his infuriatingly-bouncy lover–he had nowhere else to go, after all.  When he arrived at the mage’s side, he looked around, his brow crinkling. “We appear to be at the Coast.”

“I know!  Look over there–the sun’s about to set!”  Garrett slung an arm around the elf’s shoulders, a huge grin on his face.  “Isn’t it brilliant?”

Realising this must be Garrett’s surprise, Fenris decided he’d better muster up some enthusiasm, as much as he’d prefer to be seated around a fire with a fur draped over his shoulders.  “It’s… nice.  Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I thought you’d appreciate some privacy and quiet.  That’s why you’ve been grumpy, isn’t it?  I know Izzy and Varric have been a bit boisterous.  Uh… I know I’m boisterous, too, but I figured one was better than three.”

At this, a genuine smile graced Fenris’s face.  “You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.  I appreciate it, though.  No one’s ever given me the sunset before.”

Garrett placed a soft kiss on Fenris’s temple.  “I’d give you the moon if I could.  Might be a bit heavy, though.”  Garrett beamed at Fenris’s ensuing chuckle.  “I do love it when you laugh.”

Fenris looked up at the mage, snuggling against his broad chest.  “No one but you can make me laugh.  Not really.”

“It’s a gift.”  Garrett kissed Fenris again and released him.  He then began unbuckling his pauldron.

Fenris watched for a minute or two as straps, leather accoutrements and pieces of metal were cast to the ground.  “Um… what exactly are you doing?”

Garrett did a double take at the elf before pulling his tunic over his head. “We’re going skinny dipping!  Why else d’you think I brought you here?”

“Skinny dipping?  What’s that?  And why are you…”  Fenris gulped as Garrett unbuckled his belt and, in one movement, pulled it off and threw it down.  “Why are you…”  Fenris’s mouth gaped open, his tongue dry and sticky.

Garrett’s boots were kicked off and he slid his hands down his hips, taking his trousers with them.  “I’m afraid this is the only moon I can give you for now.”  The trousers fell and the curve of muscular buttocks was silhouetted against the setting sun.  “Prepare yourself!”  Garrett warned.  “I’m about to unleash… The Beast!  Behold!”  He spun around, giving Fenris a full view of his meat and two veg.

The elf immediately sprang forward to preserve his lover’s modesty.  “There are bandits and Tal-Vashoth in these parts!  What do you mean by exposing yourself in this fashion?”

“I already told you!  We’re going sk—ohhh.  You’ve never been skinny dipping before, have you?”

“Of course I have,” the elf protested.  “Danarius regularly held skinny dunking tournaments—”

“Dipping, not dunking.”

“Oh.  Skinny dipping tournaments at his estate in Minrathous.”

Garrett crossed his arms.  “You don’t know what skinny dipping is, do you?”

“No.”

Garrett nodded, biting down a smile.  “Well, usual procedure is to get naked.  That’s the ‘skinny’ part.  You know, skin?”

“Skin.  Of course.”  Feeling a little foolish, Fenris looked over his shoulders.  “As I was saying, we are likely not alone here.  You know my feelings about disrobing in public.”

“Look, I told you I was drunk that night, and Varric egged me on.  He wanted to check the statue of me at the docks was in proportion.”

“Only, the statue at the docks doesn’t have its wedding tackle out.”

Garrett shrugged.  “Not my fault if the sculptor was a prude.  I did offer to model for her.”

“Of course you did.”

Garrett bent down to pick up his staff.  “If you’re worried about the Tal-Vashoth screaming in terror at the sight of your willy, I have the perfect solution.”  He raised the staff to the heavens, directing a buzzing blue arc of electricity at the clouds over the forest and hills.  Then he dropped his staff and raised an arm above his head with a flourish, providing him and Fenris with a barrier against the rain that suddenly started falling in sheets.  “There.  No one’s going to see us in this rain.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I have little choice.”  

“I suppose you don’t.  Now get those clothes off.”

With a long-suffering sigh, the elf started the laborious process of removing his armour.  “And the purpose of skinny dipping is… what, sex?”

Garrett spluttered a laugh.  “Well, sometimes, but not always!  It’s just… fun, you know?”  He grinned at the elf’s blank expression.  “Oh, I forgot… you’ve never had fun before either, have you?”

Fenris pulled his leggings down and stepped out of them before holding them out to one side.  “Are you saying I’m…” He let the leggings drop, “… dull?”

Garrett noisily cleared his throat and exhaled.  “You’re as dull as dishwater my darling, but by the Maker, you’re naked!” He lunged at Fenris and scooped him up, roaring with laughter as he carried the wriggling elf towards the shore.

“Unhand me, you unconscionable oaf!”

Garrett winced.  “Ouch!  That was a really big word!  Well, if I’m in trouble, I may as well make it worthwhile!” He ran the last few steps to the water’s edge and powered into the ocean, waiting until he was thigh-deep before hurling Fenris forward, shielding himself from the impressively large splash the elf created.

A few seconds later, Fenris surfaced looking like a furious drowned rat.  “Now I’m all wet, you swine!”

“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Garrett dashed the water out of his eyes and scanned the water’s surface.  “Love?  Where are you?”  He turned full circle, his eyes darting here and there, but the elf was nowhere to be seen.  “Fenris?  I’m sorry?  Love?”

At the same moment there was a swell of water behind Garrett and, like a majestic elven marine god, Fenris surged out of the water and latched himself onto the mage’s back, sending him off-balance.  

“Oh, no!  I’m going to…” At the last second, Garrett bent at the waist and threw Fenris over his shoulders.  Both of them crashed into the water, but only one of them was laughing when he surfaced.

“Bastard!” Fenris hissed, charging through the water towards the mage, not knowing what he was actually going to do to the man who stood almost a foot taller than him. Stopping in front of Garrett, he opted for a hard chest shove to save face.  “I’m bloody frozen!”

“Hey, don’t worry!  Our clothes are over there and… and…” Garrett’s face fell.  “Oh, shit.”

“They’re in the rain.”  A few tiny wrinkles formed on the bridge of Fenris’s nose.  “Of course they are.”

“This isn’t exactly going to plan,” Garrett said good-naturedly, rubbing the nape of his neck and grimacing.  “It was supposed to be fun, but you look like you want to murder me.”  He cringed a little.  “I’m sorry.  I just wanted to get you away from everyone.  You look adorable, by the way.”  He slicked Fenris’s sopping-wet hair away from his eyes.  

Fenris’s nose wrinkles receded slightly, but his frown remained in place.  “I… I know what you were trying to do.”  He sighed.  “Perhaps you’re right. I don’t know how to have fun.”  He looked away from Garrett, his frown deepening as he looked beyond the mage’s barrier to the surface of the water, which was being lashed with rain.

“Fen?”  Garrett moved closer to him.  “Are you all right?”

“The water… it’s… dancing.”

Garrett looked on in delight at the elf’s awed expression.  “You like it?”

The elf slowly nodded, his eyes moving to the horizon as the sun went down in a blaze of red and gold glory.  “It’s like a lake of molten lava. It’s… wonderful.  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“This was entirely planned, you know,” Garrett said from behind the elf, his insides glowing when he saw the tiny vibration of Fenris’s shoulders.

“Of course it was.”  The silent vibration grew to a quiet snigger and he let his head fall back against Garrett’s chest as a pair of large, hairy arms wrapped around him.  “I believe you, even if no one else would.”

“And that is why I love you.”  Garrett pressed a kiss to the crown of Fenris’s head and gently turned him around so they were facing each other.  “And the reason you love me is because I give you such amazing memories.  We’ll look back at tonight and you’ll say, ‘Oh yes, the night we saw fire dancing on the water, walked naked back to camp and caught hypothermia.  Good times.”

Fenris bowed his head, laughter wheezing out of him.  “If it were anyone else but you…”

“Now, come on, love.  There is no one else like me.”

Fenris rolled his eyes, but he was still laughing.  “Isn’t that the truth.  What are we going to do about the clothing situation?”

Garrett looked into Fenris’s eyes, the dying sun reflected against emerald glass.  “You know, at this moment I don’t really care.  Maker, you’re beautiful.”

They kissed, the fiery rain pattering against Garrett’s barrier.

[arcanestarseeker]

Lair review for Lallie on FR! :D Under the cut!

I always start with the first dragon in people’s lair, and yours is so lovely!!! A pure gen 2 imp with lovely matching colors and that perfect looking opal? What a perfect looking dragon to put at the front of your lair!! And hoooo that accent match on the opal?? I don’t have any imps, let alone any imps with opal, and that accent matches his opal so nicely that I almost thought that there was waaaaay more opal on his wings that there actually is haha, it’s just a lovely effect. I love the crimson silks on him, plus that lil different fillet! I saw someone else do that the other day and made a comment about “why don’t people do it more?” and I’m asking that even more with his lovely layering- It’s sucha  look (tm) The bits of pink from the twilight sylvan stuff also match his accent so nicely- this guy’s outfit is just so coherent and i adore it ahhh. His bio has some mystery acronyms in it, but I also see that he welcomes people to your clan in his quote box- if he your clan leader? What a great and fancy leader!!

Next is Felurian!! I can’t resist fancy pastely skydancers ahhhh. She’s so stunning... that orca iridescent is to die for. Gloom butterfly is so pretty too! becuase of her accent at a glance she seems kinda pastelly but her colors are much darker, huh? Are you ever planning on giving her a tert? all of her colors look so nice together, I bet she’d rock lace or something. Oh, and I see that you gened her up yourself in her bio! Dang, what a spoiled girl, given two gem genes from before having bar and daub. Her colors look great with those genes though, I’m guessing she was a long term project? She was well worth the gems and the wait though, she’s just stunning. I also love that spassow accent too, and it gives her a lovely splash of color on her mainly monochromatic scheme. I love the silk layering, too- the night sky with the gossamer under it matches orca so well it’s almost unbelievable! The slight hints of white are just. perfect. She looks like some kind of stunning mage, or something :0 Especially with those big antlers, they make her look almost otherworldly!! And gorgeous, can’t forget gorgeous.

Mythal next!! More night sky silks ahhhh. She’s so pretty too gosh, I love these fancy ladies of yours! Midnight/Mist/Iris is a fantastic pastel space colorscheme, one that would look right at home in my lair haha. I love the combo of the night sky silks and the black tulip flowerfall, they look really good together!! But most of all, hooo that accent!! It matches her colors so nicely, and more importantly, it gives her so many lore possibilites! I see that she has a wishlist in her bio, and no lore, but that accent makes her also seem like an otherworldly witch or demon. She and your lovely Skydancer above would make a lovely pair, with their similare apparel and color schemes- are they dating? that’d be cute hehe, dark otherworldly witch gfs. I can’t help but wonder what she’s holding, too? I know it’s just part of the accent but ahh the lore possibilities are delectable and temping. Also, that ice sprite is a great looking fam- but not as great as she looks!

Mihael is up next!! I’m weak for lovely purples, what can I say? xp And dangggg I know people sometimes throw around the word “ethereal” but like... this is the deinition of Ethereal right here. You could tell me this handsome boy is an Angel or heck, even a God and I wouldn’t even bat an eye! Oh man, I remember seeing that accent drop- it’s so lovely, and if I had any male wildclaws I would have bought a copy in a heartbeat. But this accent looks like it could have been made for him- that washed out pastel purple of platinum matches the dusty colors of the accent so well, but it doesn’t overshadow it, either- the accent really pops on top of the platinum. He’s a beautiful XXY, and I love the cream runes on him... so soft. He’s got lovely apparel, too. Those pieces of Silver Sylvan stuff is so nice on him, and The desert Dynasty stuff always looks good with platinum- and with his accent. The dove is a lovely touch, and I like how it’s branch kind of bleeds into the Tickled Hyacinth, that looks great. I also love the gossamer silk pieces- they’re not over powering, and just transparent enough to let you see through part of the silk to still see that lovely accent and make him even more matchy- he’s perfect!

Next up is another lovely Wildclaw, Fenharel! Now that’s what I call a good plant boy. The gently irishim greens look lovely- I don’t even usually like Crocodile or Fern, I thought his secondary was Seafoam when I was looking at his mini picture haha. He is just ROCKING that fest accent, it matches his Maize runes so nicely, and brings out this feeling of a flowery fairy prince, or a spirit who lives in a lake of lillies, or something like that. He’s got some apparel that matches Mihael, but it works in such a different way on him, and I love it! The Dove and the few pieces of gossamer silks remind me more of nature and faries than the angels and heavens they suggested on Michael. I saw in his bio that you gened him up, as well- you’ve put a lot of money into this lovely lair, huh? It seems well worth it though, every dragon is just so elegant and lovely, some of them are similare, but there’s also a ton of variety! I also love the familiar match he has, it adds to his princely aura to me, the very fancy perfectly color matched vustal just seems royal, you know? What a love pair they are!

Next up i took a look at another wildclaw rocking another lovely, flowery fest accent- Shae! Her accent reminds me of his a lot, and the two’s aesthetics compliment each other really well haha. And I see we have more gossamer silks, so I’m guessing it’s an apparel staple of yours? A very good choice, if I do say so my self. They’re so elegant and versatile! Plus, they’re perfect for this gal, since they match the pieces of white in her accent so nicely. She’s also rocking that silver sylvan wing lattice, and Those lovely tail rings! I love the mix-and-match fillet again too, it works well with the colors of her accent. And ahh that accent matches her so perfectly~ The wing and tail gradient fade into the colors of her wings and body seemlessly, and the whites and greens stand out on her nicely! That lets you bring in other colors of apparel really well too, especially with all the whites and silvers. She’s a work of art~

Next up is Lyllyth! this is just a small thing but you really have lovely sounding and lovely looking names in your lair, I really like them! They’re all very coherent and are just. really nice. it’s not usually something I notcied when I’m doing a review but I just really dig it, is all! Anyways, Lyllyth is yet another beautiful Dark cool color with lovely pastel purple, and it’s so good!! It’s a look I’m really fond of, but that I don’t feel like I see a lot of. Another night sky silks+black tulip flowerfall combo, and I love it just as much this time! They look so good together, and they look so good on her! She’s more purple than the other night sky silk wearing dragons I’ve looked at in your lair who have been darker blue, and I really love how her purpleness makes the silks appear more purple themselves, too. I also love her accent- and it’s another spassow haha, no surprises there. Spassow makes the loviest (and most expensive) pastel accents, huh? And wow, you’ve got so many night sky silks, adn jsut gem apparel in general in your lair! I can’t help but be a bit healous and a lot impressed!! And ahh she’s so impressive too haha

Next up is Arcurion! Man, the colors iridescent brings into the mulberry on him match his sanguine secondary really nicely! Not to mention the color match on his accent- another perfect use of a fest accent here in your lair, what else would I expect after the other ones? The deep reds and purples are great, and then I love the bits of gilded gold it brings in too! This guy is almost like the embodiment of crimson silks, huh? All gorgeous dark reds and deep purples with the great hint of gold! I bet he’d rock some crimson silks haha. His current apparel is jsut great too, though! I love the dusky rose stuff on him, not only does it match him well, but it also gives him an even more gilded look- especially the lovely gloves and stockings. So fancy! He’s got those great cobwebs, too, very spirit-ey, and I love the sword and scars! A very regal warrior. Ohhh and he has some lore, too!! Super nice! ^^ Ohhh so he’s made himself some powerful spiritual enemies, huh? That’s dangerous, man. I like the explanation for (I’m assuming) exalted hatchlings in the clan? Either way, I hope he’s able to clean up this mess he caused soon. Is that who gave him the scars, the Unnamed ones? He needs that sword to protect himself. I love the sword choice, it looks great! 

Next, flopsy caught my eye!! A very handsome XYY! You’ve got soooo many lovely doubles, wow! He’s a super cute pastel warrior of a level 25 :D The steampunk sets don’t get a lot of love, but he’s wearing a full set of the gold steampunk stuff and I think he’s really rocking it! It makes him look like a crazy inventor of a level 25, or just a very eclectic warrior. Either way, I think it looks good with his primary (especially the lovely wings!) and contrasts his double rose nicely. I’m not usually huge on okapi, but I think it’s in nice places to make it clear that he’s a lovely double without being too covered up by all his apparel. especially the faux stockings the okapi gives him on his fat little coatl legs, and the nice neck part! You can’t really see them through his protective goggles, but I also really like the fac that he’s got those lovely matching arcane eyes! A great looking boy~

I can spot storm glimmer, my favorite look, from a mile away, so Neptune caught my eye once I spotted his lovely, shining horns! Is he a water rep (with wind eyes, lol) or just a lovely watery boy? Either way, he’s very handsome! I love the aforementioned storm glimmer, and the navy butterfly is quite lovely too~ Plus the lighter Aqua iridescent (which partially matches his eyes, almost?)  all look really nice together, and are really reminiscent of the twice-dyed mantle he’s rocking, I feel like? He’s got similar light and dark blues too it, and he looks great in it! I also love the deepsea bulb- now THATS an apparel that doesn’t get a lot of love if I ever saw one. Makes him seem like a deepsea dweller though, who’s surrounded himself in a camoflague of fish with only his bulb to guide him as he goes hunting with that big fancy spear of his- it’s quite a look, and I bet he’d rock some flatfins too ahah... so expensive, I know the feel. Is he a fisherman or aquatic hunter? That’d be super cool- or maybe someone who hunts with maren? Or hunts maren... the possibilities are endless!

Next up is Lyre!~ She’s covered in such lovely blues ahh. Another lovely double!! And she’s decked out in even more white apparel- the gossamer silks and the dove make their repeat appearances I see :p I love the mantle and wings on her, though! She looks so lovely in them, and all of these big sweeping white apparel work really well for her peacekeeper lore~ I love her matching eyes, too! And speaking of lore, her lore is really nice! I love the familiar being her traveling companion, companion tie-ins to lore are always so great! She’s a nomad in lore who settles down for shortish periods of time- is she a traveling dragon? I’ve never done one or had one, but they always seem so cool ahh, a ton of fun! I love her art, too, especially that crisp looking second headshot- it’s lovely! She looks serene, and it really emphasizes the lovely colors iridescent brings out in a sky primary on skydancers, the super soft purple is jsut to die for. And so is she!!

Last but certainly not least is another very fancy skydancer- Aveline!! Oh man, orca crystal is the nicest cry/face by a long shot, and she wears it so nicely!! She’s yet another lovely double, and the platinum spines match her orca colors so well! Orca cherub is also like... to die for, and I love the contrast in its swirly swooping patterns. Her arcane eyes stand out ever so slightly on her face, and since it’s the only real color she has on her, they’re very piercing, it looks just lovely! The pristine stuff is just perfect on her, accentuating the lovely whites in Orca and making her look oh so elegant! Plus, the Fairy vibe that the silver sylvan stuff gives her makes her into a super magical, super gorgeous musician.  What kind of music does she play? Magical music, or just for entertainment? Either way, I bet she does a great job!! 

that’s it!! thank you so much for ordering a review from me, you’ve got a gorgeous lair!! I wrote a ton but all your dragons were jsut so nice adn clearly had so much thought and effort put into coordinating them :0c

[13luecloud]

Exchange Gifts - The8

Title: Exchange Gifts 

Member: The8 (slight ft. of Jun)

Genre: Fluffy fluff (LOL), casual writing, university student!au, slightly office!au

Word count: 2.3k

Summary: You were the receiver, and he was the giver–it has always been like that between you and Minghao. He’d satisfy your childish need, only to hear more whines from you. One day he blurted a request of his own, but he never anticipated your response.   

Note[s]:

Ahh, fluffy fluff fluff. It’s been a while. Like, around 2 months (LOL). I don’t know if I’ve given you justice, Fluff. XDD 

And no, this is not some Christmas themed one-shot. That’s just the title. 

Slightly, juuuuuuust slight ThugHao. ‘Cause ThugHao is life (LOL). 

          “That was a good animation–the art style fitted the story concept well and all, but now I’m crept out,” you mumbled to no one as you gathered the trash and the remains of tonight’s binge animated movie marathon–an activity you insisted you do so quite often because of educational purposes as an animation-major student.

          With your hands overloaded, you carefully walked into the kitchen and segregated the used dishes and the empty snack packs, placing them to where they should be. You were about to begin washing the plates when the light bulb overhead blinked once, twice, thrice and then danced in a rhythmic pattern. A moment later the cold night air embraced your lightly clothed body, causing you to spin to your heels, your eyes spotting a slightly agape window nearby. You took a step forward and extended an arm to close the gap, but instead yelped at the passing mice. And to think you just watched Neil Gaiman’s Coraline on screen. It suddenly felt freaky to think of the possibilities.

          Calming your nerves usually included closing your eyes and breathing a couple of breaths, a consoling hand or both on your chest as bonus. But your eyelids snapped open. This won’t do and you felt so too. No, you knew so.

          Your hand dove into your shorts’ pockets and retrieved your phone, hastily dialling his number. Xu Minghao was a busy guy with both late night working shifts and early morning classes on his slumping shoulders; however easing your anxiousness cannot be done by yourself and he is your best bud since diaper days and you live on the same apartment complex. His relationship with you was intimate enough to qualify as your one hope for a good night’s rest.

          “What?” he groaned on the other line.

          “Oh, you were asleep already?” That question deserved a face slap.

          And he thought so too, scowling at his phone, “Can’t you tell? My shift at the call center ended an hour ago and I dropped dead on bed ten minutes before you disturbed.”

          “Sorry!” You bowed instinctively though he can’t see you do so. “But I have an urgent favour for you so please hear me out. Can you sleep with me tonight? I just did some research and it kind of ended up scaring me.”

          He snorted. “What are you, a kid? You’re an adult Y/N, you can sleep on your own and you’ve been sleeping on your own.”

          “Please! I’ll make it up to you somehow someday. The dark is just giving me the chills tonight, not to mention I have an unstable bulb in the kitchen. Do you know what that effect meant on animations?”

         Minghao huffed–a mannerism he did whenever he gave in to your fits. “You’re lucky I love you.”

          You giggled and squeaked words of gratitude before ending the call.

          The eerie sensation continued to frighten your scaredy-cat self so your feet did the honor of scurrying out from the site. You waited just on the other side of the door, in the brightly lit hallway that was adorned with framed floral art pieces between doors. Soon enough, you were humming to an acoustic song.  

          Ding! went the elevator. Its doors separated to release your drowsy-looking friend, his sleeping attire consisted of black drawstring pants and crinkled white shirt. Minghao’s eyebags were of darker shade than the day before. His shoulders slumped lower than usual plus his hair strands stood to odd directions. You were flushed with guilt as you looked at him.

          He trudged his way to you and ignored your whispered apology, instead dragging you by the hand inside. Your friend was a frequent visitor and the place was enough for one, thus, even with a now dead bulb, he steered well to your bedroom. He plopped down on the mattress face first, although he eventually shifted positions and weakly patted the space next to him.

          You complied. Your hand found the cozy duvet and pulled it up to both of you until your shoulder level. Your friend was sleeping when you peeped at him, his serene state pushing your lip line into an upward curve.

          Minghao was grouchy and grumbled an earful most of the time, but he cared enough to heed your requests–which some do often slip over the top. One time he rushed your due research papers from the library on the fifth floor down to your classroom on the first floor through the staircase because your name was near next in line for presentation. His office manager reprimanded him for skipping working hours because he gave an ear to your blubbering against the mean people in your class. And now this: asking him to spend the night over your place because some children’s movie scared the heck out of you. He gave into one of your endless fits again. Sometimes you wondered how nice you must have been in your past life to deserve such a close friend.

          “Thank you” were your last words before hunching into a ball, falling into sleep yourself.

          “You’re leaving already?” You gave the scrambled egg a flip and shifted to his direction.

          “Yeah,” he yawned. Minghao shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at you with drowsy eyelids. “Classes start at eight today and that clock of yours has its hands indicating 6:50. I still have preparations and walking to do.”

          “But I’m almost done with breakfast and I was packing lunch for the both of us,” you gesticulated towards the stove and the dining table where plates, utensils and lunch boxes were laid.

          He pulled a half-smile. “If you’re doing this to repay me, then I say this doesn’t count since I never asked you to do this for me. And as for lunch, you can hand them in later during lunchtime at our usual spot.”

          “O-Okay,” your response came out awkwardly, “Well, what favor would you ask from me?”

          “Love me back,” he said.

          You remembered encountering many clichés during your study of animated films and you never considered them possible in reality, expecting them to be exaggerated effects or something for storyline’s sake. But time felt like it stopped, just like those supposed unrealistic clichés. You were numb in place. The astonished state of yours allowed awkward silence to climb up to the atmosphere, the frying oil as the only background noise. Those three words twisted your tongue into knots and didn’t reply. More of, you couldn’t reply. It was a wishful thinking to assume the sun’s penetrating rays were the cause of rising heat to your face; they didn’t tinged your face cherry red at least. You thought, fumbled, and stuttered words until you managed to mouth an almost inaudible “what?” after the prolonged quietness.

          Minghao slapped his face lightly, a sheepish grin etched on his morning look. “Ahh, there goes your childish dream of cheesy confessions and stuff. I should splash off this remaining drowsy feeling before I blurt out a third confession.”

          “You confessed to me… twice?” you titled your head.

          He heaved a half-disappointed and a half-“I-saw-that-coming” sigh and his deadpan expression resurfaced. “Can’t you understand a confession when you hear one? I remember you heard me saying I love you over the phone last night.”

          You pursed an “ohhh~” at the realization. “But–“

          “Yeah, yeah, I know. You can’t return my feelings and that you have a major crush on that next door neighbor of yours named Junhui. I didn’t expect you to return them anyway. And don’t worry, I am as nonchalant as ever about this and it will not affect our friendship. So, bye.” He left just like that.

          And apparently your food smelled burned.

          Little did you know also that Minghao didn’t march away right after he closed the door. He leaned against it, sighing again. A scoop of exasperation, a spoonful of regret plus a sprinkle of dismay boiled in his stomach. He snickered at himself for being unable to confront you romantically and express his adoring thoughts. Minghao shied away in the last minute instead. Truth to be told, he was not the cheesy type in the first place.

          His ears perked at the sound of a closed door clicking open, but his response died down when proximity told him it wasn’t from behind–it wasn’t you.

          “Oh!” Moon Junhui, his target of envy, slightly exclaimed at the surprise sight of your friend. “Y/N’s boyfriend! Minghao, wasn’t it? Yaahh, were you visiting your girlfriend early this morning?”

          Minghao’s eyelids lined to slits. “That could’ve been the case if you weren’t in the picture,” he wanted to spat but bit the words back. He walked away instead, ignoring Jun’s jaunty approach.

          Just as he promised, nothing differed in your shared, close friendship. You two would still meet during lunch time and hangout at the rooftop, eating your meals and enjoying the breeze there. He still dissed your clumsy acts and child-like behavior, and at the same time you still bothered him with your handful of pleas. He also saved your hair from being yanked off your head when you got in a catfight with the leader of those nasty kids you once whined to him about. Everything was the usual stuff, as if he never wore his affectionate heart on his sleeve. Like he never confessed in the first place.

          Or so Minghao thought.

          “Hey, you want to come by at my place later?” you proposed as you two stepped into the elevator of your apartment complex.

          He scoffed. “And then what? Watch over you ‘cause your too scared to sleep alone again?” He pressed the button to your floor and his floor respectively.

          “No, it’s going to be different this time,” you promised. “Zootopia has a much lighter theme than Coraline.”

          “I’ve seen that animation already.”

          “Then watch it again with me.”

          “I have a shift tonight.”

          “I can wait until after your shift.”

          “Still a no.”

          “Come on, please!” You clasped your hands together, almost begging. “I want to enjoy a movie date with you.”

          Minghao’s brows twitched at the term “movie date”. He looked down at you, skeptical of your intentions, “Are you using my feelings for your own advantage?”

          You leaned forward teasingly and bartered, “Am I succeeding?”

          Before he could retort, the elevator signalled its stop at your destination.

          “I’ll see you later then!” You gave him a wave and jogged away.

          Minghao exhaled, defeated. There were days when he mused over what made him like you and this day was one of those days.

          “And the more we try to understand one another, the more exceptional the each of us will be,” Judy Hopps addressed the audience. “But we have to try. So no matter what type of animal you are, from the biggest elephant to our first fox, I implore you try. Try to make the world a better place.”

          “This is so amazing,” you said in awe. You turned to your left and saw Minghao had his head supported by his propped up arm, boredom and fatigue evident on his face. He had been like that since the start of the film. You protruded your lips, upset that he wasn’t appreciating the movie’s glory like you were.

          “We have a report of a street racer tearing up Savannah Central.”

          “Oh, oh, my favourite part is coming!” you tugged his sleeve excitedly. “Play with me.”

          Minghao raised a eyebrow at you, not hiding how weird your words just now sounded like to his ears.

          “So are all rabbits bad drivers or is it just you?” you recited Nick’s line the same time he did.

          “Oops, sorry,” but Minghao missed Judy’s.

          Then Nick coaxed a laugh. “Sly bunny.”

          “Dumb fox.”

          At this point your friend was getting the idea. Minghao sighed but still mentally took note of the rabbit’s next line.

          “You know you love me,” you recited.

          “Do I know that? Yes, yes, I do,” he echoed, also mimicking Judy’s head motion, expression and tone.

          Your lips curled into a victorious grin with a matching giggle. “I love you too.”

          And it was his turn to be astonished, eyes wide surprised. He stopped in position, processing what you just said. He thought, fumbled, and stuttered words and couldn’t reply just like you were. There was no sun to point fingers at for his warming and turning-tomato face too.  

          The smile on your face expanded to your ears. “What? Can’t understand a confession when you hear one? I know you heard me saying I love just now,” you used his words against him.

           “But–“

          “Yeah, yeah, I know. You thought I can’t return your feelings because I have a–quote–major crush on that next door neighbor of mine named Junhui. And don’t worry, I’m not as nonchalant as ever about it. So what I’m saying is,” you leaned closer to him, approaching like a fox. You stopped an inch or so shy from his face and continued, “This will totally affect our friendship. And PS! I’m not confessing because you wanted me to love you back; I’ve loved you discreetly for years now Minghao.” He loved how his name sounded from your lips.  

           His mouth fell agape, tongue still twisted for words to utter and you chuckled at his flustered state.

           “Ahh, I’m so tired, I don’t think my legs can move.” You yawned and stretched and wrapped your arms around his skinny figure, pushing him down the couch with you. And then you positioned yourself to have him face-to-face against you, placing an arm of his under your head as substitute pillow.

           He smiled–both his lips and eyes did. You followed, beaming back. Minghao tucked a lost hair strand behind your ear and stroked his thumb on your cheek lovingly. His eyes twinkled. “Good night,” he planted a peck on your forehead and then scooted closer, his other arm on your back, lulling you to sleep.

I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading!