#the colors are kind of different but maybe next time i'll play around with a different trio.... yet to be seen

[impish-baby]

A few glimpses into 'both arms cradle you now' reader's childhood in no particular order

"Why do birds suddenly appear evertime you are near.." The wet tears running down your cheeks are gently brushed away, whatever nightmare plaguing your sleep seems so far away now that your dad is here. "Just like me, they long to be close to you.." Damien hoists you into his arms, still humming that familiar lullaby as he carries you to the kitchen.

"Why do stars fall from the sky every time you walk by.." You're set on top of the counter, Damien ruffling your hair softly before walking over to the fridge to fetch a carton of milk. "Just like me.. they long to be.. close to you.." The warm glow of the stove makes the quiet night more cozy, the shadows along the walls retreating as well as any lingering fear.

You can feel you eyes start to droop, a small yawn leaving your lips making the man chuckle fondly. "One sec, ok? Daddy has some angel milk for you so you don't have anymore bad dreams, then we'll get you tucked back into bed."

-

"Do you want to hold him, sweetie?" Not really, but a nudge to your shoulder has you taking a reluctant step forward anyway. You're not sure how to feel about him, he's your dad's but not your mom's.

Mary scoots over a little so you can climb up on the hospital bed next to her, a tired but kind smile on her face. "Here, it's ok, you just need to make sure you're supporting his head.." She helps guide your arms into the right position, placing the tiny buddle into them, a pair of equally tiny disgruntled blue eyes soon staring up at you.

When you were first told that your stepmom was pregnant, you tried really really hard to just be happy for them. You promise. The sinking dread never went away though, no matter how much you berated yourself for feeling that way.

Babies are a blessing, but the announcement only cemented the fact that the world as you knew it was ending. Your dad isn't just your dad anymore. Even then, he hasn't acted like one to you in a while. Maybe you were just denying the inevitable.

"Ohh, I think he likes you.." Mary's head rests on your shoulder suddenly, distracting you from your sullen thoughts. "See? You're a natural with little ones!"

"He's glaring at me.."

She laughs, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek as she sits up. "No, he's just getting used to the world, darling. He loves you, he knows he has the best older sibling he could ask for."

-

"What's even the point?" You're both supposed to be sleeping even though it isn't a school night, Aunt Lisa is strict when it comes to things like that. What she doesn't know won't hurt her though.

"Because they look cool," Avery shrugs, carful of the fact you're currently snuggled under one of his arms. "And you get bragging points for catching them." You still don't get it, they're the same thing just a different color. "You've watched me play for like an hour, and now you're bored?"

"You were actually doing stuff before.." You huff, "You've been going around in a circle for fifteen minutes."

You scoff at his comment, now filled with spite to actually beat the game. You've barely moved an inch before the battle music plays, a black and purple pumpkaboo greeting you. "Oh, um..

"I

Well, excuse me," Avery sniffs playfully, "You play since I'm not entertaining enough." The console is handed over to you, the older boy simply holding you closer. "I bet you lose the first match you try."

"Huh?" Avery sighs, quickly pouting when he looks back at the screen. "Seriously? Damm, you're lucky." He pokes your cheek, "You catch it for me and I'll buy you some fries tomorrow."

-

"You're so annoying!"

With how hard you hit the ground, you know you're going to bruise. You weren't even talking, you just wanted to hang out with them.

"Seriously, who even wanted you to come over? I sure didn't!" No matter what you do, Lizzie doesn't like you. Doesn't matter if you're as friendly as can be or give her some space, you're always doing something wrong. "You're wasting good air, you know?"

"M' sorry, didn't mean to bother you." You won't cry, you're too old for that. "Liz-"

"You didn't mean to? Yeah, right!" Lizzie scoffs, kicking dirt into your face. Dust immediately stings your eyes. "You're a pest! No wonder everyone calls you bug, you're clingy like a tick, a parasite."

Your feeble attempt to rub the dirt away isn't really helping, you can barely hold your eyes open enough to look up at her. Miles isn't going to do anything to help either, silently supporting his sister.

"No wonder your dad left you! And your mom, she must be insufferable if you're her kid-"

You don't know when you managed to get up on your feet or when you grabbed a handful of Lizzie's hair. On the bright side, it makes her shut up.

"Hey!"

Your dad emerges from the house, miles trailing behind him. Of course.

"What has gotten into you?" You've let the older girl go at this point, she wasn't even crying until he came outside.

"Ow, dad.." Lizzie hides behind Damien, flashing you a smirk. "I wasn't even doing anything and they decided to be mean.."

Any inking of doubt you had evaporates in an instant. You don't have a dad anymore, you haven't in years.

"God.." He crosses his arms, the stern look would have made you wince if you weren't already shaking. "Don't even try to give me any excuses, Miles told me what happened. You can wait out here for your mom to pick you up since you can't behave yourself. I thought you knew better."

-

"Can you at least try to eat half, please?"

Your plate sits almost entirely untouched, having just been picked at over the course of dinner. Your mom's worried frown won't leave her face. "You're still a growing kid, I don't like how many meals you've tried to skip."

"I'm not hungry." You really aren't, there's always a nauseous feeling in your gut these days. "I'll eat a snack later, don't worry, mom."

"Baby.." She pinches the bridge of her nose and you feel a pang of guilt for how stressed she must be. "Please? For mommy? Or at least talk to me about what's going on.. i- it hurts seeing you so sad all the time."

What are you supposed to say to that?

Against your will, there's tears starting to drip down your cheeks. You don't think you've ever seen the women move so fast, her chair clattering to the floor in her rush to go to your side. "Oh, my baby.."

"I- I'm sorry.." For what you don't know, maybe the fact that she's stuck with you. "I- I'm so sorry, mom-"

"Oh, hush.." You're too big for her to carry, you both know, but she still scoops you into her arms. "There's nothing in the world you need to apologize to me for."

You sniffle, tucking your head under her chin. "I- I don't want to see dad anymore.. or.. or hear about him or-"

"Shhh.." She runs a hand through your hair in an attempt to soothe you, "you don't have to, alright? We'll figure it out. If that's what you want, you won't ever have to see him again."

(a/n: some ramblings while I start writing the second part to the series..reader will continue to go through it)

[mildmayfoxe]

OK ☺︎ revist in new colors and new design! risograph prints and stickers are up in the shop! 🆗!

[celesomnis]

❝ The Lionguard Gambit ❞

Nyoka Wadjet x Prefect Reader

The prefect requires some help. The snakeman will not provide it without a catch. There is chess, and a more harrowing "game" is maybe played too.

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babes, bros, and nonbinary beaus, I present to you the highly anticipated ''x reader'' ficlet for @cozymochi and @oddberryshortcake 's slitheringly handsome oc!

because let's be so real, we all down bad for that snake boi.

(and happy christmas you two dears! <3 I hope you do enjoy this and that it lifts your spirits fghsjk and i am so sorry if he is wildly ooc,, I tried my best 😭)

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“I know a guy for that.”

"Yeah. I'm kinda... I'm kind of here because you do, actually."

Nyoka Wadjet did not look amused.

You folded your fingers together and regarded the venomous beastman as passively and politely as you were able.

"Look. I know since we've been sticking around in Savanaclaw lately, Grim has been pushing your boundaries here and there. So if you help me, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again like that... for two whole weeks."

Air pushed slowly through his nostrils. He was regarding you more seriously now.

Approaching the very allusive, and admittedly rather frightful, student in order to find somebody who could counterfeit thaumarks was perhaps not the most self-preserving decision you'd made. But it was imperative to a growing idea you had on how to deal with you and your friends' latest Azul troubles.

"Three weeks." You sweetened the deal.

Nyoka's eyes narrowed.

"He landed on my head." was stated factually, like the action's offense spoke for itself.

That had indeed happened. Grim was not a often creature of preserving personal space.

"A month?" You tried.

"A year."

Well that wasn't happening. "Um. I could offer two months, maybe." People really had a tendency to overestimate your level of control over that little (lovable) demon.

It seemed like that was not a favorable compromise. Nyoka's attention dipped from you and moved to the room's center where he had previously been seated.

Your stare followed his towards the shining, porcelain chess set readied and untouched at the low-standing table. Sparking a different tactic.

"Or, maybe you could play me for it?"

His gaze swung lazily back at you. Something about the action, and the hooded way his eyes looked, put little tingles along your arms.

"I promise I actually know how to play." You said, in case he was doubting your authenticity.

Movement caught your attention behind his legs, and a second later, his long tail came swishing side to side. A myriad of scales glittering under the sunroof's light.

A somersault happened inside your stomach, but was ignored in favor of catching Nyoka's next words.

“I like to be on the winning side.”

"Is that you doubting yourself against me?" You pushed.

He tipped his chin up slightly, a sun-flare running over his glasses.

“One battle doesn’t lose a war, prefect.”

The message was clear. Challenge Accepted.

He waved a gloved hand, inviting you to sit, which you obliged.

"Alright." Nyoka told you, easing himself gracefully onto the opposing seat. "If you beat me, I will connect you with my friend. But if I beat you, you will forbid your familiar from invading my presence for the remainder of the year."

Oh dear. He was dead-set on that, wasn't he.

Your eyes met. The colors in his clashed your own.

These were desperate times.

"Deal."

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The first few minutes of the game were done mostly in silence.

While it was true you knew how to play (at least, back in your home world you had) it'd been awhile since you'd done so for real, and there was a necessary amount of concentration needed in the first half while you eased back into things.

Nyoka, naturally, was a hard player from the start.

Though some of the plays and tactics he tried helped along in jogging your memory of the nuances, there was still some clear rust in your play, whereas he was all refined sharpness.

Poising in ponder, then striking fast.

Quick as a cobra.

The game did not take long to be leant in his favor.

And the silence was becoming brutal.

It was very quiet in the room, which made sense as to why Nyoka liked to frequent here. And it wasn't unsettling.

That was not the issue.

The distress came because in its peace, it caused the only sound you could latch onto in the whole room was the slow, deep, even breaths leaving the man's chest.

Slow in, slower out, over and over.

Each breath led your concentration to phase in and out of the game with it.

When you snapped back to, you found you just lost one of your knights. Rather viciously.

"You're really subtle with your attacks." You noted sardonically, mostly just to say anything.

There was a shake to your hands as they moved your king.

Nyoka watched you fidget.

In reply, there was a smooth counter of; "Hmph. Like a drop to the head."

You wetted your lips. Moved a pawn. "Grim's harmless, just very personable."

"He is lucky I didn't bite him." Nyoka murmured.

You were still a little lost to thought when this was said, so your ears failed to detect if its inflection held jest or sarcasm.

"Really? I figured you too elegant to go around handling annoyances with your teeth," Slipped out of your mouth before sense caught up to it.

His eyes slid at you. Pinned you there.

Something in your gut flipped.

"I should bite you, Prefect."

The game, and entire room, might have disappeared, but right then you couldn't have been sure.

He spoke it low, and it rolled out of his throat in a way that sent heat down your back. "But I think I wouldn't get the taste out of my mouth for days."

The heat became infernal.

Your head turned away, cheek meeting the forgiving cold of the sofa, desperate to pretend those words weren't the most charged thing you'd experienced in your time here.

"Calm yourself," He intoned, and maybe it was your racing mind, but you almost thought he had the gall to sound amused. "Any venom I have is reserved for other targets."

Oh, you were anything but calm. But there was a bell ringing in the distance, another later hour revealing itself.

It was getting late, and you still had a chess game at stake.

Nyoka exhaled, a low and long huff that makes you at once certain you won't be able to stand for a long while after this.

It felt like a lot of things were at stake right now.

From infernal to charred, you were a wreck at this point.

Forcing your focus to cooperate, the board came back to life before you and a realization was brought with it.

"Finding it difficult to think?" His words were edged with a sultry hiss.

You steeled. Made your move fast. Trying to keep your face unchanging.

Nyoka fluttered his long fingers atop his pieces, calculating, before finally resting atop his queen. And took your pawn.

A sudden sense of victory quelled all other emotions within you, and with haste you moved your knight into a position that seemed vulnerable.

Taking the bait, Nyoka moved his queen back where it was before.

You struck, using your bishop to fly across the board for the winning move. Exclaiming "Check!" and knocking porcelain against porcelain. Hands springing up, elated. "Hah! I did it! The Lionguard Gambit!"

Nyoka looked up at you fast, then moved aback. Expression one you couldn't define. "The... What."

You remained as you were. Enjoying the simmer of your victory.

Thanking the gods and the Seven for having provided the luck that led you to stumble across that move in a late-night library study one evening.

The snakeman stared at you a long time.

The longer that the seconds ticked by, the less sure of yourself you became. Fearful there had been a miscalculation or premature celebration.

You hadn't done it wrong, had you?

And then, Nyoka said; "...Lionheart Gambit?"

A rush of burning sensation to your ears coaxed your arms into a deflate.

"Oh." That was embarrassing. "Well- you know what I meant! My point is, I won!"

"So you did." He relented, sparing you by moving on from your blunder.

It had felt like your mispronunciation had sort of rattled him, for whatever reason, but that was a mystery for another time.

“I guess some battles can turn a war’s tides, snake eyes.” You said, tone lilting once more coy.

Nyoka lowered himself into the spine of his chair with crossing arms.

You waited. "...Um. So. Nyoka?"

"Don't get fretful, prefect, I withhold my ends of bargains. I'll introduce you to the person you seek tomorrow."

You felt a press of disappoint, but relented that it had gotten late. You hadn't realized when the sun's shine had been replaced with the softer lights of the overhead lanterns.

Rising from the seat, knees mercifully only wobbling a little, you offered him thanks and began to make the - perhaps a little purposefully slowed - trek towards the exit.

"Well. Goodnight, Nyoka."

"Hmm."

"You not going to sleep?"

"In a while."

“Ah. Putting in some extra practice for when you get a good chess partner?” You tossed playfully over a shoulder.

“That is not an issue.”

Nyoka rolled his fingers into a fist and set his chin on it. He did not look back at you, but somehow, the heat in your chest returned all the same.

And beyond noise of the door shutting after you, you caught six words that kept that heat burning low in your chest for the whole night following;

“I know a prefect for that.”

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fin.

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 23/10✨

I'm LIVE on my TWITCH page drawing Spicynoodle! Come and say hi!

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: Ok so your Bio parent AU (loving it so much by the way) takes place after season 5 right? I thought it would be cool if you touched on Monkey Kings issues with Mk using the circuit on him. I eat that stuff up. if its already going in a different direction then that's ok, just a suggestion.

Aww in the end I don't think I can fit this in the story. It's absolutely an amazing idea, and I had thought of adding it for so long, but in the end the final part of the story will go differently.

Anonimo ha chiesto: How do Wukong and Macaque react that they have two grandchildren?? (Kai and Nya)

Will probably die of emotions. The fact that that's both their son's son/daughter, and that's their nephew/niece. It would blow them away. I'll never have children, but they completely change your prespective.

@shadowpeachera ha chiesto: AGHHHHHH XIAOTIANS WEAPON IS SOOO COOOOLLL AND THE WAY YOUR SHOWED HIM MAKING IT AGHHHHHH SO GOOD HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO COME UP WITH THE DESIGN? THE COLOURS? THE EVERYTHING UGHH I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS COMIC AGHHH

I think I did a couple of sketches before the final design, but I went on pinterest quite a lot before to see some variations of magical staff

@beanspassin ha chiesto: Do you think Macaque and Wukong will ever find out about each other secretly checking the other out? Cause let’s face it, Wukong will get a MASSIVE ego boost when he finds out Macaque was staring at him. 🤭

I think Macaque can HEAR when Wukong is checking him out. Wukong probably would negate the fact that he's checking him out, bc my boy is just a mess of emotion

@tessthe-cheesecake ha chiesto: Hello! I just wanted to say I really love your Shadowpeach Bio Parent AU I just have two questions, one: how is MK handling four ears? I assume he doesn't like crowded places (if yes then me too bud me too) ok second question would MK ever go back to being Wukong's successor but in his own way instead? :)

I think MK doesn't want to be a successor bc he doesn't want to be the next Monkey King, but he still wants to be the Monkie Kid. Also, I think he might be starting to feel himself a little more like an heir then a successor

@minli-daughter-of-wukong ha chiesto: So, would you have changed MK’s weapon if you thought a staff wasn’t really his style anymore? Also how did you come up with the idea for the sunset staff and can you give tips on how to find the right kind of weapon you’d choose for a character? So this is so long lol

I aint real good with weapon/characters. This was my first time matching a weapon to a character to be honest. I wanted to create something that was similar to both Wukong's and Macaque's staff, but at the same time being something new. With a new color palette that could represent the kind of hero MK wants to be

@cavern-of-shenanigans ha chiesto: Ok ok ok this is kind of silly but MKs new staff kind of reminds me of a twirling baton So combined with Macaques showmanship and the scarf bit MK tied on, they could play around with it and do a joint shadow play/ribbon dance performance! Maybe add him into the hero warrior story? Nice mother son bonding activity because its cute

HA! true! they are performance duo!

@ashmeertheimp ha chiesto: Hi love your fan art, story,and art style! What if piggsy and Tang went on a long trip and lives in flower fruit Mountain

I don't think freenoodle could survive living so close to shadowpeach

@italian-wizarding-world ha chiesto: Duuude i love, Love, LOVE!!! your art, and your Mk, Wu and Mama it's just too sweet, just two question: 1 Why sunset and not dawn? is it because usually sunset are more impresive? or maybe the staff has two "forms" depending on him using more his shadow powers and if so can he change between them? 2 We need red son reaction to Mk essentially magical girl transformation even if it's just a sparkling staff, because i think it would be epic/hilarious. We need more moment about them and Mei lookin at how dumb both are

I liked sunset because in a way MK started more with Sun powers and he is now discovering more his Macaque side of powers, so he's approaching a little bit the shadows (so his journey was from day to slowly twilight)

Anonimo ha chiesto: Have you ever thought about drawing an adult MK? I love your drawing style, and I wanted to see what an adult MK would look like, as well as Mei and Red Son. Você já pensou em desenhar um MK adulto? Eu amo seu estilo de desenho, e eu queria ver como seria um MK adulto, assim como Mei e Red Son.(I'm Brazilian by the way and I love reading your Au)

Maybe in the future....?

Anonimo ha chiesto: I REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVE NO ..I ADORE YOUR DRAWINGS MAN!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ EVERY DAY I REREAD THE WHOLE LMK COMICS OF YOURS..!!!!!!❤️❤️ And hey l have a quition!!! What if mk interrupted wukong while his meditation and like wukong thinks he's in the past what is he gonna do when he see mac!?🌝❤️ Probably we will see a lot of hugs and kisses?🥹

Can you imagine since they are so cuddly even if they aren't together yet again in the AU, that because of this Macaque for a good moment DOESN'T notice the difference?

Anonimo ha chiesto: Can we get a character sheet for chiyou?

nope sorry, but he will come back no worry

Anonimo ha chiesto: Who else wants to see Pigsy and Tang show Monkey King and Macaque pictures of MK growing up?

Aww I think Wukong and Macaque would die from cuteness but at the same time feel a great remorse that they weren't there for their child when he was little. They are glad freenoodle was with them, but still, It's a big chunk of his life that they missed.

@itz-izzyart ha chiesto: So with the noise canceling headphones, does mk wear them so he (hopefully) doesn’t start hearing the past again or is it just something he wears to help him sleep at night?

Both. It helps him muffle the noise.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Would Wukong get ptsd if MK somehow got a circlet himself ?

He would probably loose all his immortalities rather than let MK have a circlet.

@loseranddummy ha chiesto: I have a ≈question≈ is Peng gonna be in your lmk bio parent comic by chance?

mmmm nope, sorry

@oddogoblino ha chiesto: Beeeeeg monke armmssss...meant for hug jail...

yessss..... and cudlleeeeeee...

Anonimo ha chiesto: :D was macaque grooming mk while they were waiting for the weapon to be forged

yup!

Anonimo ha chiesto: HI! Hope you're well and staying hydrated. Would we/could we see more Lilo and Stitch refs for your ShadowPeach bio parents au? I saw the last one and couldn't stop laughing. 😆 Maybe a beach scene or something?

I'll have to see the movie again and I'll see if new idea come in my mind

Anonimo ha chiesto: Have you ever thought about that because Macaque was gone from the living world for so long he doesn't know how use modern technology. Like Wukong's phone will go off when he isn't there and Macaque can't figure out how to get the stupid thing to be quiet

They are both gay boomers, your honor

Anonimo ha chiesto: In your shadowpeach au who is a morning person and who is a night owl Macaque or Wukong?

none of them. Wukong sleeps like 12 hours and Macaque like 5. (but now he's sleeping more thanks to Wukong but still wakes up earlier than Wukong)

[dragon-ascent]

Hihiiiiii I ADORE ur works, especially chonkli and all the fluff just makes me so happy eeee I'm sorry if ur not taking request though more of a ramble is good!! I saw this ask by one user. Below is the exact thing 'I've had this on my mind for so long and I NEED to share it!

Imagine if reader has bees Morax/Rex Lapis wife/Husband for centruries by now. Two dragons in love BUT BUT, reader is like two or 3 times bigger than him in their dragon form with less bright colors and scarier in appearance. (In different reptile species the "female" tends to be bigger than the male and I just think is funny and has so much potential)

Rex Lapis looking like a noodle next to his spouse, is actually amusing' This is so adorable so maybe if we could have a few hcs? or maybe like a said before a bit more of a ramble about this? TY!!!

(if u dont mind for now I'll be anon 🎀)

Yaaay I'm happy you like my work!! Chonkli is one of my fave things to write and overall fluff is my jam, I find :D

And here you go, some rambles on the topic of long noodles in love~

While Zhongli is the smaller one (albeit still a very long boi), his lithe body allows for better combat efficiency. He always makes sure you're well-protected! That doesn't stop you from trying to watch out for him in turn. When you sense danger, you coil yourself around him, rumbling purrs reverberating through the mountains. Since your sheer appearance is more intimidating, to say the least, it usually does the trick to ward off potential attackers! (But if things got ugly, Zhongli would be more than happy to switch roles and be your protector.)

Maybe the people of the land even mistake you for the archon at first because of your imposing aura! Because surely it's the one way loftier than the mountains and with a glare that permeates steel...oh, never mind, you can barely chuck boulders half your size. It's the brown golden-eyed one with gentler purrs that's their god!

It's fun to soar across the skies and over the lands shaped by your lover - it's also fun to play hide-and-seek in these landscapes! You, uhh, kind of have a harder time staying hidden, both because of your size and because your tail wiggles nonstop when you sense him nearby, the vibrations sending mild shockwaves through the ground.

[tomurabunny]

Pomegranate

pairing: Tomura Shigaraki x GN!Reader

◦ genre: fluff, slow burn

◦ word count:

◦ tags: domestic moments, Tomura is Bad at Feelings, Soft Shigaraki, no quirk au

◦ synopsis: Tomura's never cared much for the little things, until the scent of pomegranate begins to haunt him. It's familiar, warm — and it reminds him of you in ways he doesn't quite understand.

◦ warnings: nothing, i guess, just fluff

◦ author’s note: this one took its time to come together. Honestly, I still don't feel like it's complete — maybe I'll edit or expand it someday. The idea bloomed while I was preparing pomegranates, something I did almost every week for a while after losing one of my vocal cords.

◦ excerpt: He peels the pomegranate at the table, red juice seeping into the creases of his fingers, staining them deep crimson. The scent rises — sharp, sweet, and unmistakably familiar. Why does this feel like... you?

One evening, you're both at the store, picking out the essentials for the week. Tomura's never been the kind to care much about what ends up in the cart. Whatever works. Whatever's quick. But today, his eyes drift to the display of fresh pomegranates. The dark red skin catches the light, and something about the fruit feels familiar, like a word on the tip of his tongue.

Without a second thought, he picks one up and tosses it into the cart.

You glance at the fruit. "Didn't know you liked those."

He shrugs, eyes fixed on the cart like the answer's buried somewhere among the groceries. "I don't. Just felt like it."

You don't question it, and he doesn't explain. He's not sure he could explain. It's just... there.

Days pass, and the thought keeps sneaking up on him. It's strange. The pomegranate sits on the counter, untouched, for a while. Every time he walks by it, his eyes catch on the rough skin, the color deep and rich. Something gnaws at the edge of his awareness.

Late one night, Tomura finally picks it up. The kitchen is quiet, shadows pooling in the corners. He peels the pomegranate at the table, the red juice seeping into the creases of his fingers, staining them a deep crimson. The scent rises — sharp, sweet, and unmistakably familiar. He frowns, the feeling tugging harder now, an itch just beneath the surface of his mind.

He sits there for a long while, fingers sticky, the seeds glistening like tiny rubies. He turns one over between his thumb and forefinger, watching the juice bead up and drip onto the table. The smell lingers, clings to his skin, and with every breath, it pulls him deeper into that elusive memory.

Why does this feel like... you?

It doesn't make sense. He tries to shake it off, but the thought roots itself deeper. That scent — that subtle sweetness — reminds him of moments when the world feels smaller, quieter. When you're curled up next to him, the glow of your laptop reflecting off your glasses, or when your hair brushes his arm as you lean in to watch him play.

But he doesn't understand. He's smelled your perfumes before, during classes or before dates: crisp, sharp notes, confident and self-assured. This scent is different.

Softer. Warmer. More vulnerable.

And it's only here, in these quiet spaces you share.

Then, one Friday night, it clicks.

You're sitting cross-legged on his couch, your laptop balanced on your knees, the soft glow lighting up your face. You're wearing one of Tomura's old shirts, the sleeves hanging loosely around your wrists. Your hair is slightly messy, stray strands falling over your eyes. And that scent — that subtle, sweet warmth — drifts from you. It catches him off guard when you lean over to watch his screen, your shoulder brushing his. It's there again when you laugh softly at some absurd in-game death.

Pomegranate.

The realization lands quietly, but it strikes deep. His chest tightens. He hadn't noticed it before — not consciously — but now it's so obvious he almost feels stupid. It's not an artificial scent, not something you'd spray on before a night out. It's something else. Something that lingers when you're here.

Something soft and unguarded.

The thought won't leave him alone. The more he notices it, the more it unsettles him. He catches whiffs of it when you stretch on the couch or curl into a blanket.

And why does it feel like he's the only one who gets to see it?

Tomura catches himself breathing in a little deeper when you're close, fingers curling slightly as if he could hold onto it.

It frustrates him, this quiet puzzle. He hates puzzles without answers. And he hates how much he wants to solve this one.

He can't ignore it any longer. On a Sunday morning, after a few rounds of Smash Bros, Tomura tosses the controller aside. It clatters onto the coffee table, the sound breaking through the quiet.

His voice is rough, low, almost accusing. "Why do you smell different when we're here?"

You pause, fingers frozen mid-typing. "What do you mean?"

He frowns, frustration flickering in his eyes. His fingers twitch at his sides, like he wants to scratch away the confusion.

"I don't know. It's... pomegranate. When we're home." Tomura avoids your gaze, his voice dropping to a mumble. "But I never see you putting anything like it on."

The silence stretches between you. Then, you smile softly, something warm in your eyes.

"My moisturizer. I use it at night or when I'm just relaxing."

Tomura doesn't say anything, but his eyes flick to you. The realization settles in his mind — this scent, this layer of softness, being something only he gets to notice.

Something just for him.

His voice comes out quieter than he intended. "What... does it do?"

You fight the urge to grin, knowing if you make a big deal out of this, he'll retreat. "Keeps my skin soft."

He stares at you for a moment longer. Then, barely audible, he mutters, "Your skin's already soft."

Heat rises to your cheeks at the unexpected compliment. You shrug, trying to keep your voice steady. "Well... this helps."

There's a pause. His gaze lingers on you, the weight of unspoken thoughts filling the space between you. Then he murmurs, almost too low to hear, "Don't stop using it."

You smile, pretending you didn't hear him, but your fingers brush against his, lingering just a little longer than usual.

[xomakara]

Crash Landing

SUMMARY | You meet Jungwoo in a space station and you both instantly hit it off. PAIRING | Jungwoo/Reader GENRE | space theme au, smut with little (?) plot, unprotected sex (wrap it up everyone!), oral sex (both male/female receiving/giving), general perversion RATING | Mature LENGTH | 6,466 words AUTHOR’S NOTE | Debating on making a part 2 or like a space theme series or something. Like I don’t think I’ve delved deep enough into the space lore haha. Was it weird to have that space/alien fight in the middle of the chapter? No idea. I’ve played to  much Mass Effect lately so I was kind of, sort of, inspired to write this.

What do ya’ll think? A part 2 or like a series? Maybe a different pairing? IDK lol.

You open your eyes and stared at the white interior of the suite you inhabited. All white with no colors...how boring. You let out a sigh and swung your feet over the bed, not having slept for nearly two days straight. Even after a nap of a few hours, you were still very tired.

You walked towards the door of your room, the automatic door opening when you reached it. As you stepped out of your suite, you peered down the halls of the space station that you were residing in until your next mission could be scheduled. Nothing interesting ever happened on board this station; people came and went, making it their home base while they completed various missions all over the galaxy, but most didn't even spend more than a week here before they were off again. It was just an orbital station that housed different ships when they weren't traveling around.

However, when people came here, they usually came to be seen by many other space travelers and scientists as well as rich merchants who wanted to conduct business deals in private areas and who had lots of money to do so. For these reasons, it was quite crowded.

"Maybe I'll go stop by the bar and see if there's any exciting events happening." You thought aloud to yourself as you made your way through the corridors towards the main lobby.

You continued walking until you entered the main room where the bar stood. Although you hadn't been able to spot anything remotely interesting, you hoped that maybe you'd find something tonight. You walked up to the counter and ordered a drink, the bartender knowing exactly what you wanted since he had served you before and already knew your preferences. He soon handed you your drink, leaning against the counter as his co-worker manned the bar.

"Anything interesting happened? Do you know?" You asked the bartender, noticing his gaze shift from you to the wall behind him, likely looking for news. The bartender chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"Nothing really. We have a couple of freighter pilots from one of the smaller colonies arriving later today to sign paperwork, but other than that, nothing much is going on here."

You nodded in understanding, sitting down at a nearby table as you began sipping on your drink. A feeling of boredom consumed you once again as you sat there, your thoughts drifting away into a distant land. After a short time, the bartender placed another drink in front of you.

"Thanks." You said, smiling slightly at the bartender as you took another sip of your drink. You began wondering about something and looked around the room. Not seeing anyone that might help, you spoke out loud. "Hey..."

The bartender immediately turned his attention back to you and smiled. "Yeah?"

"I'm wondering...do you have any other information that might be useful? I came for adventure and just being stuck in Neo Station for too long is making me a little stir crazy."

"Hmm, what kind of adventures are you wanting to get into?" The bartender curiously asked.

"Oh, just some sort of excitement. Anything would do, really." You said cheerfully. "Do you happen to know of anyone that might have a job for me? I am an experienced fighter and strategist. I can pretty much take on any mission if it comes to it."

"Not that I know. But maybe one of the merchants might know." The bartender said. "Oh, Neo Security might have some jobs if you're inclined to get into those sorts of things. They don't pay much, though."

"I'm not so worried about the pay," you laughed as you made your way out of the bar. "It's all about the adventure and experience!"

You quickly made your way outside, stepping onto the walkway towards the large window of the station. Before you got to the window however, you stopped, gazing out into space for a moment, admiring how beautiful it truly was. All of the stars, planets, nebulas and countless other galaxies stretched far out beyond the reaches of human sight, each individual one unique in its own way. It was amazing to think that each star system contained life forms, from tiny single cell organisms to the huge, multi-planeted species like yourselves.

The possibilities seemed endless.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A male voice said next to you.

You looked up to see a very handsome male looking out the large window with you. You blushed softly as you gazed upon him, instantly becoming more attracted to him than you were to most others, although you tried your best to hide it. You smiled at him and spoke. "Yes, it is beautiful. So vast. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of everything that's out there."

He smiled at you, nodding. "Indeed. Humans will never fully understand how large our universe actually is, and I don't believe we'll ever reach it. But I guess that's why we should appreciate it as much as we can now."

You both stared out into space, listening to the noises coming from the station filled with human and alien species alike. After a minute or two, you turned back to face him. "I'm Y/N, by the way."

"Jungwoo. Nice to meet you, Y/N." Jungwoo said, extending his hand towards you.

You smiled at him and took his hand in yours. "Likewise, Jungwoo."

"So, what are you doing out here alone, Y/N?" Jungwoo questioned.

You shrugged and sighed, not meeting Jungwoo's eyes. "I'm bored and haven't done anything interesting lately."

"Really? What kinds of things do you normally do?" Jungwoo inquired.

"Well, normally I would go exploring a new planet and look for animals and plant life that humans have yet to discover. All the while, making sure humanity is safe and keeping the peace. Unfortunately, since my ship is in maintenance right now, there aren't many places to go." You replied sadly. "And I have no idea where my crew went."

Jungwoo nodded in understanding, a smile on his face. "I understand completely. My crew always has trouble finding places to explore whenever we visit a new planet, either because we're restricted or we just simply run out of places to look."

"That's why I love exploration. You just never know what you're going to find, do you?" You grinned widely.

Jungwoo grinned back at you and shook his head. "No, you don't. That's what makes it fun!"

After exchanging pleasantries, you and Jungwoo spent the rest of the night talking about your hobbies and interests, trying to make conversation and pass the time until your ship was repaired. At the end of the evening, Jungwoo gave you his number in case you needed a companion or company on future excursions.

"Thank you for talking with me tonight, Jungwoo. It really helped pass the time." You said happily, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He grabbed your wrist gently, stopping you from leaving. "Let me ask you something first." He stated firmly.

You frowned and furrowed your eyebrows. "Okay. What is it?"

Jungwoo ran his thumb along the inside of your wrist. "Are you just as attracted to me as I am to you? Because if you are, then maybe this night doesn't have to end right here."

Your heart skipped a beat and your breath caught in your throat. Your mind began racing with a million different possibilities, many of them leading to unspeakable sexual encounters between the two of you. You felt the heat rise in your cheeks and Jungwoo noticed.

"Y/N?" He inquired, giving you a warm smile.

You nodded slowly, unable to speak. Jungwoo leaned closer, closing the gap between your lips. With a soft moan escaping your mouth, your lips parted slightly and Jungwoo slid his tongue across your lips, gently stroking it before you slowly opened your mouth. His tongue darted into your mouth, exploring every inch, as you kissed him back eagerly.

Jungwoo pulled away, grinning widely. "So? Are you just as attracted to me as I am to you?"

You looked at him, a coy grin forming on your face. "I think you know the answer to that question, Jungwoo."

"Good." He whispered softly. "Because you are extremely attractive."

A blush appeared on your face, making you become flushed as Jungwoo slowly backed away, running his fingers through his hair as he looked at you with lustful eyes. No one else was around but you grabbed his hand and led him towards your suite.

"Where are we going?" Jungwoo whispered as he followed you closely, still clutching your hand tightly.

"You'll see in a minute." You replied as you led him towards your suite.

When you got inside, you pushed Jungwoo against the nearest wall, kissing him passionately as you unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off of him. Once you got it removed, you glanced at his chest and gasped softly.

"What is it?" He breathed softly, looking down at you.

You gazed up at him and whispered, "I love your body."

Jungwoo smirked and bit down gently on your bottom lip. "Has it been awhile since you had someone?"

"A long ass while," You moaned as his fingers trailed down your sides. "My squadmates not included. They never satisfied me sexually, which is a big part of what drives me to seek companionship elsewhere."

Jungwoo chuckled as he bent down to kiss you. "If you want, I could make sure you were completely satisfied. In fact, I guarantee it."

You smiled seductively at him, sliding your hands up his arms. "Can you?"

"You bet I can. Just give me permission." Jungwoo gazed down at you.

You smiled, leaning forward and pressing your lips against his, softly kissing him back. You pulled back after a few moments and nibbled on his lower lip. Jungwoo growled softly, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer. You melted into him as he wrapped his arms around you tightly, guiding you backwards until your knees hit the bed.

You looked into his dark brown eyes and moved your lips over his. His kisses were gentle at first, but as they grew deeper, his kisses became passionate and urgent, wanting to devour your entire body. You responded, running your hands up and down his chest as he explored your body with his. You moaned softly as his hands slid underneath your shirt and caressed your bare skin. You looked into his eyes as he continued touching you, watching the passion growing within them. As his touches became bolder, your breathing became heavier. When he finally pulled your shirt off, you groaned loudly, your hands going to the buttons of his pants.

Once you had them undone, you reached inside and found his hardened member. He moaned in pleasure as you stroked him slowly, gently squeezing and moving his shaft around. Jungwoo closed his eyes, enjoying the sensations you were giving him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that you were staring into his eyes intently. You lowered your head, pressing your lips against his erect penis, licking the tip of it gently. He moaned deeply as you did this. He grabbed your head and brought you closer, encouraging you to continue.

As you licked and sucked on him more aggressively, he let out a small whimper, tugging on your hair roughly. You moaned, continuing to work his penis with your hand, sucking harder on him. His moans grew louder and more intense as he pressed himself even harder into your mouth. Finally, when he couldn't take anymore, he pulled away, painting your face with his cum.

You licked his cum off of your lips, grinning as you watched his facial expressions. "Did I satisfy you?" You asked slyly.

"Oh god yes," He gasped, moving down your body to help discard the rest of your clothes. "And now it's your turn to be satisfied..."

"How was your rest, captain?" Haechan, your engineer, asked as he checked the equipment around you.

"Fine, thanks." You replied. "I finally managed to sleep after those two grueling days of not sleeping at all. How about you?"

Haechan shrugged. "I slept alright, I suppose. I was still tossing and turning a bit, but I managed to fall asleep eventually."

"At least you managed to sleep!" Renjun, your pilot and navigator, called from the cockpit. "Me, I was just laying there staring at the ceiling and trying to count sheep. Tried to stay awake all day yesterday, but I failed miserably. There's nothing worse than being extremely exhausted and then not being able to sleep at all!"

"Tell me about it." Winwin, your medic, added as he tried to stifle a yawn. "As soon as I try to sleep, my mind starts racing with ideas and worries and I can't get rid of them. I've been waking up every hour or so and laying awake for awhile, only to finally drift off to sleep again after a few hours."

Everyone paused in their work for a brief moment to discuss how they all slept. It was nice to hear that everyone else was struggling with similar issues. At least you weren't alone. You let out a small chuckle, watching as Haechan and Renjun bickered quietly.

"Where's the rest of the team?" You inquired, looking around. Everyone else seemed busy with their duties and you couldn't see anyone else.

"They went to collect some cargo." Winwin replied, reading off a holographic screen that displayed the list of supplies that they needed to gather. "I think Mark and Jaehyun went to get some weapons and armor while Doyoung and Taeyong went to collect medical supplies. Johnny went to stock up on food."

"And Jaemin? Where is he?" You asked.

Haechan chuckled, shaking his head. "Weird kid doesn't seem interested in helping us gather supplies. Seems like he wants to go take care of something else first. Maybe he found a cute little animal he wants to bring back."

Everyone chuckled at this.

"If that's the case, then I hope it isn't a rat or something." Renjun said, pointing his finger at Haechan. "I'm tired of him always bringing back rodents and bugs as pets."

You let out a sigh. "Hey, as long as he doesn't shoot me and his squadmates in the back, I don't care. Let the weird kids do whatever they want, as long as they're helpful. Don't worry, we won't hold it against them."

Everyone slowly nodded their heads and resumed their tasks, which included cleaning and setting up various supplies in preparation for the upcoming expedition. You let out a sigh of relief as you worked alongside your crewmates. At least everything was getting done. As you finished organizing the rest of the supplies, you sent a message to everyone.

"Alright guys, we're almost ready. Everything seems to be set up and in order. Should be going out soon. Crew, keep an eye out for anything suspicious or unusual, okay? Squad, arm yourself with your weaponry and be prepared for battle."

You heard a series of responses throughout the ship, everyone agreeing to your instructions and telling you they were ready for the task ahead.

Finally, you heard your squadmate and science officer, Doyoung, reply. "We're ready, captain! Weapons are loaded and all equipment is operational. We're waiting on everyone else to finish gathering supplies before we leave."

With everyone on board, you gave the signal to launch the vessel, and it began floating upwards into space. Once it had cleared the station, you gave the command to accelerate and left the station behind.

You were mindlessly walking around your ship, performing maintenance and such when you heard someone call your name. Looking up, you saw Johnny, one of your squadmates and your second-in-command, standing at the door to the bridge, wearing a wide grin on his face. "So I heard that you met someone new yesterday. Any details?"

You chuckled at his teasing and shook your head. "Who's asking?"

"You met someone?" Mark, another squadmate and everythingman, asked as he joined Johnny in the doorway. "I thought you were staying in your suite all day?"

"I stopped by the bar last night and met this guy." You explained, walking into the bridge. "Why are you all suddenly curious about who I met? Scared that I might run off with him or something?"

"And leave this wonderful crew behind? No way." Taeyong, the cook and cultural advisor, chimed in. "Come on, tell us about this mysterious man. Did ya'll fuck?"

"Oh come on, none of you will even admit to being jealous that I may have met someone else?" You said, rolling your eyes.

Jaehyun, a squadmate and quartermaster, immediately shook his head and held up his hands in protest. "Not me! Honest! Of course I'd be happy for you if you met someone."

Renjun glared at Jaehyun. "Says the guy that always wants to fuck Y/N after a mission."

Haechan raised an eyebrow and smiled at Renjun. "And you know this because..."

"I have eyes and ears." Renjun scoffed. "Jaehyun's always sniffing around Y/N after missions, so naturally I've seen and heard quite a bit."

You rubbed your temples. You were the only female amongst a crew and squad of horny males. It was a wonder any of you could maintain a level head at all times. Fortunately, you hadn't encountered too many difficulties with your relationships. Sure, you've slept with some of your squadmates, but you've never gotten emotionally attached to anyone.

Not yet, anyway.

You looked around the bridge, watching your crew and squadmates interact with each other. They were all so friendly and caring, despite their varying backgrounds and personalities. You had originally been afraid of interacting with the rest of your crew, considering your coveted status as a Neo operative and the constant scrutiny that came along with it. However, it seemed like none of that mattered to the others. They welcomed you with open arms, accepting you for who you were. And you were glad for that. You didn't need any special treatment. Just to be treated as an equal, and you felt like they did just that. You wouldn't trade these people for anything.

"Hey," you said softly, causing everyone to turn and look at you. "You guys are the best crew and squad that I could ever ask for. I wouldn't trade you guys or run off with any other team for the world. We've been through a lot of shit together, and I couldn't imagine doing this without you."

A smile broke across all of their faces, their smiles growing wider as they watched you continue speaking.

"And even though we haven't known each other very long, you've become family to me. And I'm thankful that you're willing to put up with me and my bullshit."

"The amount of trouble you put us through," Jaemin, another squadmate and technician, laughed, holding his stomach. "But hey, we're used to it by now."

Johnny punched Jaemin in the shoulder playfully. "And you love every second of it."

Everyone continued laughing and joking with each other as you made your way over to the main console to start checking on all the systems on the ship. The others joined you as you inspected and ran tests on various components, making sure everything was working properly. While you were focused on monitoring the systems, a notification appeared on the holographic display next to you.

"Captain, one of our sensors detected something out of the ordinary coming from the surface of the planet below." Haechan called out. "It looks like the coordinates for a shuttle bay. Something strange is definitely going on."

You stood up and walked towards the viewport. All the other members of your crew gathered around you, curiously watching as you peered down onto the planet below.

"There's no doubt about it." You muttered. "Something's wrong down there."

You watched intently as you saw the faint outline of a spaceship hovering above the shuttle bay. You could barely make out what the thing was; it was far away and it was hard to distinguish. But you knew exactly what it was. You were intimately familiar with every spaceship design that existed within the Alliance.

This wasn't one of the Alliance ships. It wasn't even close. You had no idea where this thing had come from, but there was no doubt that it wasn't friendly. A shiver passed through your body, causing you to lean closer to the viewing window.

"Renjun, take us closer to the shuttle bay." You ordered. "Get us as close as possible without getting shot down."

"Copy that, captain." He responded.

"Doyoung and Taeyong, initiate the ships defense. Make sure we aren't caught off guard." You added.

"On it." Doyoung confirmed.

"Haechan, begin a scan on the area. Find out what we're dealing with."

"Got it." Haechan responded.

"Winwin, standby unless needed." You instructed your medic. You turned back to the rest of your crew. "The rest of you, loadout all weapons and equipment. Arm yourselves and get ready for battle. Squad, let's go find ourselves some answers."

Your orders were quickly carried out, and you and your team silently headed out of the room and down the hallway to the hangar deck. When you reached the bottom floor, you opened the large doors and stepped outside, followed by the rest of your squad. You and your squadmates took up defensive positions as you scanned the area with your visors.

It was then that you spotted several black dots moving around in the distance. They seemed to be approaching the shuttle bay and were probably heading inside.

"Scans indicate that there are four lifeforms nearby." Doyoung reported. "Two of them appear to be armed with standard rifles and pistols, the other two are carrying automatic assault rifles. No idea what they are."

You glanced over at your squad. Their expressions were grim. Not only were you uncertain about whether these beings would be friendly, but you weren't even entirely sure how dangerous they were.

"Alright everyone," you began. "Standby and be alert. We'll figure this out as fast as we can. In the meantime, just stay quiet and wait for my commands."

They all nodded their heads in understanding and stood perfectly still, waiting for further instruction.

As the black dots approached, you began taking careful steps backwards. They seemed harmless enough, but you were not taking any chances. One wrong move and it could lead to disaster. Fortunately, the other members of your squad stayed alert and were able to act accordingly. When the black dots were close enough, a series of bullets zipped past you, narrowly missing you. Without hesitation, the aliens fired back, riddling the surface of your ship with blaster bolts.

"Fuck!" Mark cursed loudly. "These things aren't fucking around!"

"Mark, Jaehyun! To the left! Johnny, Jaemin! To the right! Come on, move!" You yelled. Your squad instantly complied and moved swiftly, ducking and weaving between the different sets of walls, leaving the invaders exposed. A few more shots rang out, tearing apart pieces of the hull and a couple of windows. You were lucky that your shields absorbed most of the damage, otherwise it could have been catastrophic.

"Okay, let's move. Squad, split up and cover all sides. We don't want these guys sneaking up on us while we're spread out."

"On it, captain!" Both Jaemin and Jaehyun acknowledged. As the squad split up, you moved towards the closest wall and crouched down, allowing your bulk to shield you from any stray blaster bolts. After listening closely, you determined that the enemy was on the other side of the building, trying to figure out where you and your crew were hiding.

You grabbed a grenade launcher and waited for your comrades to return to their posts before setting off towards the closest wall. You slowly peeked over the top of the building, your eyes trained on the other side. Several of the black dots were crouching behind the outer walls, apparently looking for you. However, the rest of them were either huddled together or stood alone in small groups, watching the building, almost as if they expected you to come out of hiding.

Taking careful aim, you lobbed the grenade towards the building where the majority of the black dots were located. You threw it as hard as you could and prayed that it would do some damage. When the grenade exploded, all hell broke loose. Dozens of blasts rang out, and several of the black dots went flying into the air. Before you could even react, the others dropped their guns and tried to flee, but were intercepted by your teammates. You witnessed some fierce hand-to-hand combat, with everyone involved using every weapon at their disposal.

Several aliens got thrown around and pinned to the ground, but soon enough, you and your team managed to hold the line and stop the attack. When it was all over, you breathed a sigh of relief and gazed around, assessing the damage. You were surprised that your squad managed to defeat so many enemies so easily. You guessed that these aliens were only the tip of the iceberg, and that it would be impossible to hold off such a large number of foes without help.

After collecting your thoughts, you radioed Renjun and the rest of your squad. "Alright guys, the fight is over. Everyone get some rest and reload your weapons. Let's keep a low profile until the coast is clear."

All of your orders were immediately obeyed, and your entire crew headed back inside to get some much needed rest. You checked your gun again, ensuring that it was fully loaded and that your grenade launcher was still operational. Despite the fact that your squad held the enemy off easily, you were certain that it was only a matter of time before they regrouped and tried to attack again. At least this time they won't have the element of surprise.

Hopefully.

“Finally back in Neo Station!” Mark called out as he walked off the ship. “I’m gonna take a long ass nap in the barracks until the next mission.”

After hours of killing aliens and avoiding being killed by alien weaponry, your squad was finally back on Neo Station. You were eager to check on the status of your ship, and see if any of the damages made on the ship could be repaired. It seemed like a good idea to have an experienced mechanic inspect the ship once the adrenaline wore off. Luckily, Haechan and Jaemin were able to examine your ship and give you a report on what repairs might be necessary.

Renjun groaned, stretching his limbs. “Same. I’m gonna try to get some sleep.”

“You’ve been cranky man.” Haechan laughed as he joined the two. “Sleep will do us good.”

“I’m heading to med bay to stock up on supplies.” Winwin muttered and turned to Doyoung. “Care to join me? The science wards are near there.”

“Sure.” Doyoung replied and headed in the same direction as Winwin.

“I’m gonna go hang out in the mess hall.” Taeyong ran off, leaving you with Jaehyun and Johnny. Jaemin seemed to have run off somewhere else.

“Weird guy.” Johnny commented as he watched the younger guy’s fading back.

“Leave the weird kids alone,” you playfully smacked Johnny’s arm. You looked at both him and Jaehyun. “What have you guys got planned?”

“Actually, we were hoping you might want to join us.” Jaehyun said with a smile.

“Really?” you questioned.

“Yeah.” Jaehyun smiled. “Let’s go have some fun, captain.”

"Lead the way."

You followed Jaehyun and Johnny towards a club that was filled with men and exotic female dancers of humans and alien species. There was a long bar at the front of the club that was decorated with dozens of drink bottles, and was surrounded by several seating areas, including couches and chairs. Some men sat alone in one of the booths, drinking themselves silly.

“A gentleman’s club?” You gave Jaehyun a look. “Really?”

“Of course it is! This is Neo Station after all. What did you expect?” Jaehyun teased.

“Some people prefer more subtle entertainment.”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes. “Subtle entertainment? Like the night you met someone new?”

You rolled your eyes. “I meant drinking in a lounge or at the bar. Not a gentleman’s club.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Johnny asked. “This place is amazing!”

“If you say so.” You shrugged. “I should’ve gone with Taeyong to the mess hall…”

“Come on! I’ll buy you drinks all night!” Jaehyun insisted. “And girls! Lots and lots of girls!”

“You two can have the girls.” You looked around the club. “But I see some eye candy calling my name.”

Johnny looked in the same direction you were looking, a smirk on his face. “Ahhhh, so that’s your new friend? He’s handsome but not as handsome as me.”

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow before letting out a laugh. “We’re not going to see you in the next few days, are we?”

“Nope!” You nodded. “I’m gonna have fun tonight.”

Both Jaehyun and Johnny smirked at each other. “Have fun and use protection, captain.”

The two of them waved goodbye as you made your way through the crowd. When you finally found him, you noticed that he had already settled himself into a seat. The sight of you drew his attention, and he grinned widely when he saw you approach.

“Y/N,” Jungwoo greeted you as you sat beside him. He placed his hand on yours. “Weird place for you to show up at.”

You nodded over to your squad mates as they were watching a sexy alien woman dance seductively for the crowd. “My squadmates dragged me out here.”

“Not exactly your scene, is it?” Jungwoo asked as he slid a finger along the palm of your hand.

“As hot as the dancers are, they’re not my cup of tea.” You placed a hand on his knee. “You’re more my type.”

He smiled mischievously. “Had to come back for more, huh?”

You let out a laugh, slowly moving in closer to him. “It looks like it.”

He leaned in and gently kissed you. His lips were warm and inviting, which caused goosebumps to rise all over your body. You could feel yourself getting lost in the kiss, forgetting about everything else around you. He pulled away slightly and whispered in your ear. “Wanna get out of here?”

Your breath caught in your throat. “Oh god, yes.”

You led Jungwoo out of the club and into a nearby alleyway. It took several minutes to get there, and during that time, you continued kissing him fervently, enjoying every second of his embrace. When you reached the alleyway, you wrapped your arms around him tightly, causing him to chuckle.

“Don’t worry, no one’s coming.” He told you.

You paused for a moment. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” He replied with a grin.

Before you knew it, Jungwoo pushed you against the wall and pressed his lips against yours. You could taste his minty breath as he started to explore your mouth, slipping his tongue inside of your mouth to stroke against yours. You felt him push his hands under your shirt, running them up and down your bare stomach.

“Fuck, Y/N.” He moaned softly as he continued exploring your mouth. “You’re so beautiful.”

You couldn’t help but shiver at his words. Jungwoo was definitely a very handsome man, but hearing those words from him was making you weak in the knees. He stopped kissing you momentarily and looked deep into your eyes. “Let's head back to my place so that I can take care of you."

His tone left no room for argument. You simply nodded and allowed him to guide you out of the alley. You enjoyed the walk to his suite, mostly because it gave you time to calm your racing heart and regain your composure. Once you arrived at his suite, Jungwoo grabbed your hand and led you inside.

"You have a nice suite." You looked around the living area. It wasn't as luxurious as some of the places you've seen on Earth, but it was decent enough for an officer.

"Thanks." He smiled as he moved forward to wrap his arms around you. "It's nothing compared to your suite though. Nothing but the best for one of the best captains I know."

"I never told you that I was a captain...”

“Of course you never told me…” He leaned in close and kissed you again. “Didn't need to. I just know how great of a person you are.”

You melted at his words. The sexual tension between you and Jungwoo was practically combustible, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was just as attracted to you.

“How great?” You asked softly as he pushed you against the wall.

“Beyond great.” He nipped at your lower lip, causing you to whimper.

“Then prove it.” You whispered as he slipped his hand under your bra.

Jungwoo's lips traveled down your neck as he slowly unclasped your bra. Your skin felt like fire as he gently caressed your nipples.

“Fuck.” Jungwoo whispered. “I love these tits of yours.”

He ran his hands down your breasts, squeezing them softly. You moaned softly, allowing him to continue playing with your breasts.

He lifted your top up, exposing your bare stomach. His eyes lit up at the sight of your toned abs. With quick movements, he slipped off your top, sending your lacy black bra flying across the room. Jungwoo gazed down at your naked chest. His fingers traced their way down to your stomach, where he traced your abdomen with his fingertips. His touch sent chills throughout your entire body.

He lifted you to the countertop and slowly lowered his lips to your belly button. His tongue flicked against your sensitive skin, causing you to moan even louder. Jungwoo didn't stop there. He continued trailing kisses down your stomach, his hands at the band of your pants. With light tugging motions, he managed to pull them off of you. They fell onto the floor with a thud, leaving you sitting in only your panties. Jungwoo stood up straight and gave you another admiring look.

“Like what you see?” You questioned playfully.

“God damn, you're fucking gorgeous.” He growled as he ripped off his own clothes before dropping to his knees in front of you.

With quick movements, he spread your legs open and positioned himself between them. He tugged on your panties, pulling them down until they were pooled at your ankles.

“Now taste me,” You ordered as you grabbed hold of his hair and guided his face to your pussy.

He quickly obliged. His tongue snaked its way into your dripping pussy, causing you to let out a loud moan. His tongue moved in circles, swirling around your clit and flicking lightly against it. He paid extra attention to your sensitive spot, pleasuring you to the fullest.

When he felt that you were ready to cum, he brought his face back up to your clit. Using his fingers, he circled it lightly while rubbing it against your clit. You began to thrash your head back and forth, unable to contain your orgasm any longer. You screamed loudly as you came, sending vibrations through Jungwoo's head. He buried his face into your pussy as you cried out in pleasure.

After a few moments, he pulled his head from your pussy and quickly wiped his face with a napkin. “Fuck, I need to be inside you right now.”

He positioned himself between your legs and pushed himself inside of you. You groaned as you adjusted to his size.

“You’re so tight.” He panted as he held himself up by bracing his hands on the countertop underneath you. “Fucking tight.”

He continued thrusting slowly inside of you. You closed your eyes and concentrated on feeling every inch of his dick move within you.

“Does it feel good?” He asked after a minute of continuous thrusting.

“Oh my god, yes!” You moaned. “Keep doing that. Fuck, don’t stop.”

Jungwoo let out a small laugh. “There will be plenty more if you keep begging like that.”

He slowly increased his pace, allowing you to enjoy every second of his large cock penetrating your tight pussy. Soon enough, he picked up the pace again, increasing his speed.

“Do you feel good, Jungwoo?” You asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Feelings mutual.” He gasped as he pounded harder and faster inside of you.

You bit your lip as he pounded his dick into you. It felt so good having his cock slide in and out of your pussy. His hips moved forcefully, driving his cock deeper inside of you. You bit your lip again, trying to fight off your impending orgasm.

“Cum for me, Y/N. Cum on my dick.” He grunted.

You obeyed his command without hesitation. “Fuck! Jungwoo!”

Your body shook violently as your orgasm swept through you. Your entire body tightened, causing you to scream out in ecstasy. Jungwoo moaned as he drove himself even deeper into you, continuing his powerful thrusts.

As you recovered from your orgasm, you opened your eyes and saw Jungwoo looking back at you with lust filled eyes. He began licking his lips as his gaze shifted from your eyes to your lips.

“Want to go again?” You whispered, knowing that you had more energy than before.

He smirked and nodded his head. “Why not?”

He lifted you from the countertop and carried you into the bedroom. Once he laid you down on the bed, he crawled on top of you.

“You’re looking at me funny. What? Did I do something wrong?” You asked innocently.

“Would your squad mates kill me if I said that I wanted to join you on your adventures?” He asked.

“What makes you think that?” You asked back, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“I really like you, Y/N and I want to keep seeing you. But it’s hard when we’re different missions and all that. That means no contact for weeks or months at a time.”

“So, what do you say? Will you let me tag along with you?” He wrapped his arms around you and pressed his lips against yours.

“I would really love that.” You returned the kiss and closed your eyes. “But I have one condition.”

“Name it.” He grinned.

“That you fuck me in every position you possibly can.”

He laughed. “Let’s crash land on the nearest inhabitable planet. I’m ready to make your dreams come true.”

[ambroziadelphine]

Emo Boy (Choso Kamo x Reader) Chapter 1

Masterlink

It was only a few days later before I saw Choso again, though I was in the studio booth making some sound demonstration recordings for some new Guitars we just got in. A new acoustic in a dark oak and a few electric guitars all in different colors as I played the sample pieces for each type. I had headphones on with my eyes closed, having memorized these same notes long ago when I started here, when a knock on the window startled me. I looked over to see Angie waving me out, Choso standing by her nervously as he seemed to glance around. I smiled and set the guitar down as I walked out, almost hesitating as I opened the door to be hit with a warm and comforting sense, grinning at the brunette.

"So, you came back." I said, his cheeks turning pink as he nodded.

"I uh, was wondering if you had any more band recommendations? Maybe that Sleeping With Sirens one?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. I noticed he was in vastly different clothes, from the baggy white pants and sleeves with the long purple vest thingy to simple black jeans and a grey T-shirt with a baggy hoodie on. 

"I work in a music store, of course I'll have recommendations." I said making him chuckle before I lead him over to where all the alternative and indie punk rock was, grabbing one of the sleeping with sirens albums plus 2 more I think he'd like. System of the Down and Linkin Park, classic's, so if he hasn't heard of them, I'll show him their glory. "Madness or Let's Cheers To This are my favorite albums from Sleeping With Sirens. Then System of the Down and Linkin Park are classics in rock music, so I'd definitely say they're worth listening to. Toxicity is great, but I prefer Steal This Album; I think all Linkin Park is good so just start with Hybrid Theory since it has some of the more mainstream songs in it." I said as he looked at the albums, turning them over to read the songs listed.

"If you want, I can let you listen to them in the Studio booth to see which ones you want." I said, his eyes snapping up to mine with a caught off guard look making me chuckle. "It's not almost close like last time you were here, feel free to hang around as long as you want." I said as he gulped and nodded.

"Where.. where is the Studio room?" He asked and I chuckled, leading him to the room I was in only moments ago, flipping through the discs we had for this specific purpose of playing in here. We couldn't just open a brand new disc when we have so many others for our radio shack all ready to use. "It's a lot quieter in here." He commented making me look back at him and chuckle.

"Soundproof walls and glass. The owner, Roxy likes playing live music for the radio or over the speakers sometimes. It's also where we record all sound samples for the instruments, though we only have guitars and bass's as of now." I said as he came up behind me, I gestured to the couch and chair against the wall. "You can sit down if you want. It's soundproof in here so we won't be disturbing anyone in the store." I told him as I held out the CD's to him.

"What do you want to start with first?" I asked him and he kind of shrugged.

"Sleeping with Sirens? I actually really liked King For A Day.." He said, trailing off as he looked away making me snicker in amusement.

"It's one of their most popular songs, anyone who knows the band even a little knows that song." I said as I put the disk in to play the music, Kick Me starting to play and I couldn't help the grin from stretching out across my face.

And that's basically how I spent the next 2 hours, just listening to music with Choso as we briefly talked. I learned he was the oldest of 9 which had my eyes popping out of my skull almost, only having my little sister that I took care of at home; he was pretty reserved when I'd ask him a question, his answers vague but I didn't mind. I told him about Olivia, my sister and how I played Guitar and Violin, he asked to hear me play and I couldn't say no after seeing the way he smiled, like it was the most fascinating thing in the world that I could play an instrument. God, he was too cute. It was almost too soon when there was a knock on the window and Angie was stood there again with the two men from earlier, the grey haired one giving a large grin as he waved making me chuckle.

"You're friends?" I asked him as I got up.

"Uh.. actually, he's.. my father.." He said making me look at him in surprise.

"What fucking age did he have you? Oldest of Ten? Jesus, your poor mother." I chuckled, shaking my head as he gave me a slight grimace.

"He's.. a lot, older then he looks." He said and I raised an eyebrow at the way his tone portrayed the sentence before I opened the door.

"He said he was here to get you're new friend." Angie said, wiggling her eyebrows subtly before she walked off.

"Hello, I don't believe we properly met last time I was here." Choso's father said, holding out a hand which I took, smiling slightly before turning to surprise as he kissed the back of my hand. "I'm Geto Suguru." He said as I pulled my hand back, subtly wiping it on my jeans as I looked at him, an outline of a deep violet stringing out from him as I internally sighed. He's either lying or has ill intent. Hard to figure out which one right now though.

"I'm Zoey Uma, its nice to meet you." I said turning to the grey haired man. "And you are?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as he chuckled, he practically screamed ill intent but it was only polite to greet him as well.

"I'm Mahito." He said and I nodded.

"Well, Choso, are you ready to leave?" Geto asked, I felt him stiffen as he stood behind me and I couldn't help but glance at him in slight concern as Choso just nodded, his expression stoic and bored now.

"Just let me get these and we can go." He said, his voice cold towards the man he called his father to me only moments ago. He turned to me and I smiled, leading him to the counter and scanning the items, giving him my staff discount for 50% off since I couldn't give him another freebie. It was only me and my sister, so of course I needed to use it on someone eventually. He looked at the total then furrowed his brows, looking at the prices on the CD's then back up at me. "I think you're scanner is wrong." He said making me chuckle, shaking my head.

"Nope. I did however give you a discount since you've been such good company to me today." I said, his face turning flush as he looked at me in surprise.

"O-oh, uh, thank you." He said, paying for the items before I grabbed his receipt, writing something on the back before handing it to him.

"Text me sometime." I told him, his face flushing darker as he looked at the paper that now had my phone number on it. "Hanging out with you here is great and all, but my manager will not be happy if I slack off because of a guy coming around all the time." I chuckled, his hand scratching his neck as he looked at me sheepishly.

"Got it." He said as he looked down for a moment when he looked behind him to his father and Mahito, the former giving a look I didn't quite catch when he turned back around. "I guess I'll see you later." He said, giving me a small smile as I nodded.

"I look forward to it." I said, giving him a small wink before he left with the other two, Ange coming over with a knowing grin on her face.

"So.. who's the two tall dark and mysterious men that've come to visit you?" She asked and I rolled my eyes, sighing at her words, not noticing her lack of mention of Mahito.

"Well, the first one is Choso. He came in a few nights ago before close with those two. The other is apparently, get this, his father." I said, her eyes widening as she stared at the door the men had walked out of.

"Damn girl, save some of the hot men for the rest of us." She teased as I nudged her.

"Hey, I've only got my eyes on Choso. His father is all yours." I said before smirking. "Be warned, apparently Choso is the oldest of 9." I said, her eyes bugging out like mine did.

"9?!" She exclaimed, a few costumers turning to look at us making a sheepish look come over her face. "9?" She repeated, quieter this time as she leaned closer.

"Oh, you're breeding kink is so fucked." She said, her voice low as I gapped at her and smacked her arm.

"Angie! I just met the guy!" I said as she rolled her eyes.

"So, you're saying you wouldn't sleep with him if he asked?" She questioned, a raised eyebrow as I blushed and looked away. "I knew it." She said and I couldn't help but huff at her.

----------------------

The next few weeks were pretty much the same, though we were texting now. He said he and his family got busy so he wasn't able to meet up with me outside of my working hours, but he did make an effort to stop by at least every few days, even if just for a quick chat. I will say, I was beginning to grow very smitten with him, his dark eyes and calm but awkward personality endearing to me. Not to mention he was very very cute. I always looked forward to his texts or seeing him again when I'd go to work, and it seemed today, he had finally gotten some free time, texting to ask when my shift ended and telling me he'd meet me outside. I was just finishing closing up, locking the front door when I felt a hand on my shoulder making me jump, yelping slightly before I put a hand on my heart, turning to see Choso there with a smile on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said, the familiar words making me chuckle as I sighed.

"It's alright, I just wasn't expecting you to be right behind me." I said as I looked up at him and smiled. He seemed nervous as he shifted on his feet and I couldn't help but put an hand on his arm. "You okay, Choso?" I asked him in concern, his eyes finding mine as he gave a small smile.

"Yea, I'm okay." He said, but I didn't believe him, not when his aura turned dark and straggly from lying.

"Alright, I'll believe you for now." I said, staring at him for a moment before smiling at him again. "So, what did you want to do? I've got no plans or people to deal with, so I'm all yours." I said, my tone teasing as my words made his face flush.

"I, uh.. I'm not sure." He said and I chuckled, taking his hand.

"Then I guess, we could go back to my place if you want. I have my motorcycle here and I've always got a spare helmet incase Angie or Jessie needed a ride home." I said, leading him to were the motorbike stood.

"I've.. never rode on one of those." He said and I look at him with a grin.

"Good thing I'll be driving then."

[skz-sarang]

♡⃕. ⸻⸻   : ׁ ׅ ୨ MIDNIGHT MELODIES ୧ ⊹ ࣪

ʬʬʬ. 2024 Genre. Fluff pairing. Bangchan x (f)oc!member Plot. Chan teaches Lovey how to use drum pud + reassuring chatter in front of a cup of hot chocolate. Words. 1.7 k

☆ …Keep in mind that English is not my mother tongue, so be kind! ⋆˚｡⋆.

"Oppa, I'm bored," complains Sarang, spinning around on the black office swivel chair. It's around 11 in the evening, and Sarang volunteered to wait for Chan to come home, but he's taking longer than expected.

"I'm almost done," mumbles Chan, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"You said the same thing like half an hour ago," she grumbles slightly.

Sarang lets out a small huff. "I hope you're really working hard over there. I don't want to wait here forever, you know."

Chan chuckles softly, lifting his gaze momentarily to look at Sarang with a faint smile. "Wait for another 10 minutes."

The girl rolls her eyes and pouts like a child. "But I'm soooo bored," she complains.

Sarang sighs and, after casting a frustrated look at Chan, continues. "I just hope all this waiting is worth it," Sarang continues as she stretches and surveys the guy's work desk, trying to shake off the boredom.

There's a crumpled energy drink can next to an open but unfinished cookie packet; two large PC screens with various tracks playing and a kind of tablet with colorful buttons that the guy periodically presses.

"What are you doing with that?" she asks curiously, reaching out a finger to press one of the buttons. In doing so, Sarang tries to lean forward on the chair to get a better look, accidentally bumping into the bigger chair and causing him to lose concentration. However, Chan beats her to it, turning towards her with a sigh, slapping her hand before she can approach the illuminated tablet.

"Could you please not touch anything? I feel like I'm babysitting a child," he asks with a hint of irritation in his voice. Chan is patient and sweet, but he hates being disturbed while working; in fact, he usually prefers to work alone. However, he can't resist the younger girl's doe eyes, so he let her stay with him. But he didn't know it would be quite a commitment, a little bit of a thorn in his side.

"It's a drum pad machine, used for creating music. I can press different sounds and beats here; it's part of my music production activity," explains Chan with a slight smile, trying to explain his passion to Sarang.

The girl blushes slightly from Chan's reprimand and nods understandingly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. But you know, waiting for you to finish is so boring..."

Chan smiles again, this time with a softer look. "I know, little one. Jisung complains the same way. Maybe I can finish a little faster and then we can do something together."

Chan playfully taps the girl's head and turns back to the screen. Sarang, on the other hand, seems to ponder the guy's words for a moment; then her eyes light up with an idea.

"How about this?" she says excitedly. "Teach me how to use that drum pad machine! It might be fun and it'll help pass the time."

Chan's fingers pause over the keyboard, and he glances at Sarang with a raised eyebrow. "You want to learn how to make beats?" he asks, amusement clear in his voice.

"YES!YES!YES! Pleeeeeeeeaase! It'll be so fun!and I'll stop bothering you about being bored," Sarang insists, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

Chan sighs, but the corners of his mouth lift in a small smile. "Alright, but just a quick lesson, okay? I still have a lot of work to do."

Sarang nods eagerly, scooting her chair closer to Chan's. He picks up the drum pad machine and places it between them, then begins to explain the basics.

"Okay, so this is a drum pad machine. Each of these colorful buttons can be programmed with different sounds. For example, this one here," he presses a blue button, "is a kick drum." A deep thud resonates through the room. "And this one," he presses a green button, "is a snare." A sharp crack follows.

Sarang watches intently, absorbing the information. "So, it's like a mini drum set with all the sounds programmed into it?"

"Exactly," Chan confirms, impressed by her quick understanding. "Now, let's try making a simple beat. I'll show you how to start with a basic four-beat pattern."

He guides Sarang's fingers to the buttons, and together they start tapping out a rhythm. At first, Sarang's timing is a bit off, but with Chan's patient instruction, she soon gets the hang of it. The repetitive task of pressing the buttons seems to captivate her, and Chan can't help but smile at her focus.

"You're getting it, Bubbles! See? it's not that hard, right?" Chan encourages her.

Sarang beams at the praise, her earlier boredom completely forgotten. "This is actually really fun,Channie! I had no idea making music could be like this."

They continue to experiment with different sounds and patterns, and Sarang even starts to add her own flair to the beats. Chan is impressed with her creativity and enthusiasm, and before long, they have a small loop of music playing.

"Okay, I think that's a pretty good start," Chan says, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms. "You're a natural, bubs."

"Thank you, Oppa," Sarang replies, her face flushed with excitement. "Can we make more music together sometime?" Chan chuckles softly. "I bet I'm even better than jisung-oppa"

"Sure, but maybe not when I'm on a tight deadline." He glances at the clock and realizes that, despite their detour, he's managed to get most of his work done. "Speaking of which, I just need to wrap up a few things, and then we can head home."

Sarang nods, feeling much more patient and content now that she has something new and exciting to look forward to. She watches as Chan finishes his work, and within a short time, they are ready to leave.

Chan stands up from his chair, giving her a affectionate pat on the shoulder. "I think it's really late, and you should go rest. Tomorrow we have a lot to do."

Sarang nods and stands up from her chair as well. "You're right, it's late. Thanks for letting me stay."

Chan smiles at her and starts to turn off the lights. "Thank you for keeping me company, little one. Let's go home now." he boops her nose.

The two leave the room and head together towards the dormitory, continuing to joke and laugh along the way. They enter the apartment and take off their shoes. As they move towards the common area, Chan busied himself in the kitchen, and Sarang leaned back on the couch, letting out a contented sigh. The apartment was quiet, all the members sleeping, the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound breaking the silence.

"Do you want tea or hot chocolate?" Chan called from the kitchen, his voice slightly muffled.

"Hot chocolate, please," Sarang replied, her voice filled with anticipation. She pulled a blanket over herself, snuggling into the warmth as she watched Chan expertly prepare the drinks.

A few minutes later, Chan emerged from the kitchen with two steaming mugs in hand. He handed one to Sarang and sat down beside her on the couch. She took a careful sip, savoring the rich, sweet flavor.

"This is perfect," she murmured, closing her eyes in appreciation.

Chan sits down next to her, taking a sip of his own drink. "I figured you could use something warm after waiting for so long."

Sarang smiles, feeling a warm glow not just from the drink but from Chan's thoughtfulness.

"Do you ever get tired of all the work?" Sarang asks after a while, looking at Chan over the rim of her mug.

Chan thinks for a moment before replying. "Sometimes. But I love what I do, and I know it's worth it. Plus, having moments like this makes it all easier to handle."

Sarang nods thoughtfully. "I'm really glad I got to learn a bit about your world tonight. It makes me appreciate all the hard work you put in even more."

Chan smiles warmly. "And I'm glad I could share it with you. It's nice to have someone to share these things with."

They continue chatting, their conversation flowing easily. Sarang tells Chan about her day and some funny stories from the dorm, and Chan shares a few behind-the-scenes stories from their recent recordings.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping their hot chocolate and enjoying each other's company. Eventually, Sarang opened her eyes and turned to Chan.

"Oppa, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Chan replied, setting his mug down on the coffee table.

"Do you ever get scared? Like, really scared that things might not work out the way you hope?"

Chan looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Yeah, I do. All the time, actually. But I try to remind myself why I'm doing this. It's not just for me, but for all of you. For our fans. For the music. That helps me keep going, even when things get tough."

Sarang nodded slowly, taking in his words. "I guess that's true. It's just hard sometimes, you know?"

"I know," Chan said softly. "But we're in this together. And we'll get through it together. You're not alone, Bubs."

She smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate. "Thank you, Oppa. I needed to hear that."

Chan smiled back, his eyes filled with a gentle reassurance. "Anytime, little one."

As they finished their drinks, the tiredness of the day began to catch up with them. Chan yawned and stretched, glancing at the clock.

"We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day."

Sarang nodded, reluctantly setting her mug down. "You're right. Thanks for tonight, Channie. It really helped."

Chan stood up and offered her his hand. "Anytime, Sari. Let's get you to bed."

She took his hand and let him pull her up. They walked to their respective rooms, hand in hand. As Sarang settled into her bed, she felt a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time.

With a final goodnight and a sweet kiss on her forehead, Chan closed the door to her room, leaving Sarang to drift off into a much-needed restful sleep, reassured that no matter how tough things got, she had her friends by her side.

©2023 , skz-sarang masterlist

!TAGLIST! : @smh-anon (send an ask to be added to the taglist!)

[akuaya-stories-tl]

[SSR] [Kai] Each Person's Resolve In Their Heart

Chapter 1: What Begets From Bond

Kai: (What kind of doll should I make today…)

[he starts drawing]

(Master Mere? Or maybe Tis? Making a different outfit than the one yesterday sounds nice too.)

Tis: Kai!

… Woah, the floor looks like it's getting swallowed by papers. What doll are you making today?

Kai: That's what I'm thinking right now.

Anyway, what about your lecture with Master Mere? Don't tell me you're skipping again…

Tis: No, not at all! I attended it till the end properly today.

Kai: I see. That's fine then…

Tis: So let's go outside and play! The weather's nice, so how about we go river rafting in the human world?

Kai: Why must you choose the human world out of all places? I refuse to go if there's a crowd there.

Tis: Eh~

Kai: [he continues to draw]

(I could try making a different color version of the stuffed doll that Master Mere gave me. Oh, then making tons of different sizes for it sounds like a nice idea too.)

Tis: If you want somewhere quieter… Oh, what about playing darts? I don't think there's many drunkards around this time, so it might be a surprisingly great spot.

Kai: [he's still drawing]

(Oh right. I could try changing the eye buttons one by one. Where's the box I stored my decorative buttons…)

Ah…

Tis: Oh, are we going to play darts?

Kai: There's no more decorative buttons left…

Tis: Huh?

Kai: Giving them eyes is the last step anyway, I'll think about it later. Now that I know what I wanna make, I'll cut the fabric and sew the body.

Tis: Geez! Kai!

Kai: ……

Tis: Hello? Tis calling to Kai!

Kai: ……

Tis: Sigh. This is hopeless.

Tis: Haaa~...

Mere: Oh? Weren't you going to play with Kai?

Tis: That was my first plan too. But he started making dolls so I thought it's impossible.

Nothing gets through him once he puts his mind to it. I didn't wanna interrupt him, so I came out of his room.

I'm bored now~ What should I do…

(... Wait. Didn't Kai say he ran out of decorative buttons?)

Mere: Then, how about you attend Mere's lecture?

Tis: Ah, err… Oh, I remember I have an errand to do. See ya!

Chapter 2: What Begets From Bond

Kai: Now I only need to put the eyes…

Ah.

(Oh right. I forgot I'm out of decorative buttons.)

(… What should I do? I don't wanna go out to a crowded place. I think I'll leave it at this today.)

(But even if I don't go out to buy it today, I'll have to go out someday or otherwise it'll never be completed.)

(In that case, I should ask Tis since he's here at the moment…)

Tis, I'm out of materials, could you—

… Tis?

(Wasn't he talking about something next to me just now? When did he disappear?)

(And wasn't he the one who started making conversation with me? Why did he decide to go off on his own…)

……

… Sigh. No choice then. I'll go to the town by myself.

Kai: (This place is so lively. This isn't a place for someone like me. I'm out of this place as soon as I'm done buying all the materials.)

Fiori: Oh? It's Kai! What a surprise to see you here.

Are you okay? You've been looking around like crazy.

Kai: … I'm fine. I'll be heading back soon after I've done my business at the handicraft store.

Fiori: Are you perhaps finally interested in making clothes for me…!?

Kai: I'm sorry, but I can't make clothes for you. I'm here just to buy materials to make my stuffed doll.

Fiori: Oh, I see now. So that's what it is… Fufu, well, maybe I should go with you~⁠♪

Kai: Pardon?

Fiori: I'm curious to see what kinda doll Kai is making. Let's go, the handicraft store is over here.

Kai: I'm fine by myself… ah.

Handicraft store employee: Thank you for your patronage~

Tis: Oh man, I bought a lot ⁠♪

Kai: Tis…!?

Tis: Oh, Kai's here too! Wait, why's Princess here?

Fiori: We met by chance. When I asked him about it, Kai said he was out shopping for doll materials, so I came along.

Tis: Oh, I have the same idea. I bought the materials too!

Kai: You're out shopping for doll materials too? … But why?

Tis: You're asking that!? Kai, weren't you the one who said you don't have any decorative buttons left!

Kai: I did? When…?

Tis: Oh gee! You must've been so focused, you didn't notice you said it out loud.

Kai: … Maybe.

You heard me talking to myself and went out of your way to buy it?

Tis: Look, Kai! These decorative buttons look like jewels, aren't they so sparkly and beautiful?

Kai: …! Their colors are so beautiful… They're perfect for the doll I'm making now.

Tis: Right~?⁠♪ Let's go back and continue making your doll! I'll lend you a hand too.

Kai: Yeah. Thank you.

Fiori: Woah! These buttons are so sparkly, they're so cute! You really bought a lot of them.

What kinda doll are you making with this?

Kai: Um, about that…

Tis: If Princess wanna know, you should come and see it too. Maybe he could teach you how to make it?

Fiori: Sounds fun! Having Kai as your teacher for a stuffed toy class sounds great.

Tis: Good idea! Let's hurry back then!

Kai: Eh… Wait…

Chapter 3: What Begets From Bond

Kai: How did I end up like this…

Fiori: Don't sulk at this point already. We're all set. Please treat us well, Teach!

Tis: Besides, two students are better than one, am I right?

Kai: I guess you could put it like that…

… Alright. So, what kind of dolls are you two planning to make?

Fiori: I want it cute!

Tis: I want it cool!

Kai: ……

Well, I'll teach you all the basics, then you two can go ahead and make whatever you want with these materials here.

Fiori & Tis: Okay~!

[later]

Tis: Oh no! It's ripped again! Kai~ the insides of the stuffed doll are flowing out!

Kai: Let me see… Tis, you didn't make the seam allowance.

Tis: Huh? Seam what?

Kai: Sigh. Okay then, Tis, you finish up this doll instead. You can at least sew on the eyes and mouth, right?

Tis: Roger~!

Fiori: Hey, Kai. This doll looks kinda flat, it's not cute at all.

Kai: Err, there’s a way to make it look more filling…

Wait, it must've been so annoying to have someone like me to order you around…

Fiori: I've told you, nothing like that! Please tell me, Teacher Kai!

Kai: Calling me a teacher is a bit…

Tis: Sew this part… and it's done!

… Wait, huh? The doll’s face looks kinda sad.

Alrighty then, I'll give a “cheer-up charm” for this doll.

Kai: !

Fiori: Cheer-up charm?

Oh! You stick a felt under its eye. That's quite chic! Fufu, it's matching with Kai.

Kai: (“Cheer-up charm”...)

(I remembered he said that too when he did my butterfly makeup before. But Tis had supposedly forgotten about it…)

Tis: Kai! Don't you think it looks good now?

Kai: … Yeah. It doesn't look bad.

[later that night]

Kai: … Sigh.

(When is Tis coming back? I hope he'll come home straight away after dropping Miss Fiori off.)

(At any rate, I've gotten so many stuffed dolls today.)

(Each of us chose our favorite colors and fabric to make it, so there's not a single sense of consistency.)

(The one that Miss Fiori made has a bright color scheme, and there's a big flower on its chest that suits it very well.)

(And this big and a bit clumsier looking one is made by Tis.)

(… None of them are based on my designs. I doubt that I alone can create these children at all…)

All of them are surprisingly cute.

(… But I'm really tired today. I'll lie down for now until Tis comes back.)

Kai: I'm not built to be a teacher…

But, doing something with someone from time to time isn't so bad… I guess?

[Fin]

[shoot-of-corruption]

Blog Announcement

Hi there my lovelies! It is a rare guest, Ria here :D

I put on an Oblivion Let's Play to hold my blood pressure low while formulating this announcement, so you better settle down with me xD

I would like to announce here how I will deal with my main blog and all my side blogs on tumblr from now on.

As most of you know, I am working a full time job in retail, so my nervous costume tends to be a tiny bit thin after around 9,5hrs of shift. I am happy to announce to you all that my time as a worker in retail is finally a finite one. If everything works out right, I won't just be able to start a homeoffice job by next year, but also live at a completely different place and city. Sadly there is still a good while of wait ahead of me until then and a lot of things are unsure as of yet. But I will do my best to get to that destination, because right now everything is pretty much murdering me.

What does that mean for my blogs? I have been on Hiatus for a long while, on and off, over years. And yet I have always returned here, more or less satisfied or happy with my performance or the RPC.

From this day on I will treat myself better about being able to come here and also, I will not spread myself thin anymore. I will transform Mariku into an Ask- and Art-Blog. Interactions are always welcome, on and off Anon, as well as dash commentary or writing pieces and updates of myself. You can tag Mariku and me in everything, the followed tags will stay the same, I will just update a few things on my BIO in the next days etc. [maybe I'll finally force myself to make a card, should the mobile pages not work anymore].

Things that will for the close future not be done on my blogs:

RP-Threads: no matter if long, short, or anything. I am torturing myself, because I cannot say no to new thread ideas and the moment I really get invested into plots, threads, ideas or anything alike, my partners tend to just leave and let me drop like a hot potato and I honestly neither need nor want that hate in my life anymore.

Anon-Hate: Will NOT be displayed on this channel. I will keep my Inbox with anonymous messages on, but every piece of disgusting hate will be immediately plucked out of the screen and burned in a bonfire. You will not get a stage here and you can be assured, that I will piss and shit on your disgusting hatred and then laugh about it for the coming week, because you are the most pathetic thing that I had the displeasure of even having to lay a momentary glance on <3

RPC/personal Drama: I will ignore drama and strictly remove myself from it. I will not be part or target of any hatred, impulsive meanness and/or random bouts of radical opinions. If you don't feel seen/represented in my opinions, turn around and find a place you fit into, but leave me and my muses alone.

Things that will be done on this blog (and partly my side blogs):

Ask-Memes: Of any kind. Ask-Plots, random asks, symbol ask memes, color memes, background memes, AU-memes and YES, also art related asks.

Open Commissions: I will open art commissions again after I had a bit more training on my tablet, for everybody, who wants to commission art. They will likely be limited and they may also for training reasons only be for free for training, thus included in art memes, but I will open paid commissions eventually again, definitely this year. I cannot tell you details, yet, but keep your eyes peeled ;)

IMs and Mun related things: You are definitely allowed to write IMs and ask me questions!! I am here to have fun as all of us are, so if your fun includes coming into my IMs and leaving a cat meme each day or send me weird asks, I am all here for it!! All of this might sound very dickish of me, but I just feel like I get too emotionally hurt and immersed and I want to protect me from bad feelings and you from my wrath xDDD

Thank you for reading all of this and I hope all of us can stick to those ground rules (for now) - we will get on peachy! If the fact that I am not RPing (for now) on here is breaking you beyond compare, I do own a Discord and I am usually willing to share it. Please contact me on here before adding me, so I know who exactly is adding me on there, otherwise, I might not accept your request. Discord: sangnoire

I will warn you though, that I will be very selective with accepting RPs and partners on there still and that any unwillingness to accept that will be met with... a uno-reverse card reaction x'D

[kingdomoftyto]

Hi, happy spooky month, I have a ✨manga rec✨!! And in the spirit of the season, it's a horror story! >:3c

I want to spoil as little as possible because I went into this manga essentially COMPLETELY blind and, honestly, imho, I imagine it's the ideal way to experience the story. I literally first heard about it from a random youtube comment on a video about an entirely different manga--one which, mind you, had VERY different themes, which colored my preconceptions and added to the surprises for me later on!

ANYWAY, what I mean by all that is I'm going to start with the simplest possible summary of the premise, and if that's intriguing enough for you to give it a shot, then I recommend diving right in!! But, if you still need more of an in-depth, slightly spoilery rec? Then I'll gush a bit more under a cut to see if I can hook your attention.

With all that out of the way,

The Summer Hikaru Died is a horror/supernatural story about a high school boy named Yoshiki whose best friend (Hikaru) went missing in the mountains outside of town. What comes back is... something else. It looks, acts, and talks like Hikaru, but it's not him, and Yoshiki is the only one who seems to notice.

The only other thing I knew going in was that the commenter made a brief mention of the "Hikaru"-thing protecting Yoshiki, which seemed odd but intriguing alongside the rest of the premise.

So if that's enough for you (plus the fact that I'm telling you I haven't stopped thinking about this story since I read it two weeks ago), then please check it out! There are only 5 volumes so far!! Suffer through the wait for the rest with meeeeee ಥωಥ

More spoilery extended rec below the cut:

📣THESE MOTHERFUCKERS GAY*!!!📣

📣GOOD📣FOR📣THEM!!!📣

I know what you're thinking, and YES, it appears to be BL between the TIMID HIGH SCHOOL BOY and the ELDRITCH HORROR WEARING THE SKIN OF HIS BEST FRIEND.

And it's SO GOOD.

No SERIOUSLY, for real though, I had NO inkling going into this that it was even in the realm of possibility that it would involve romance

Let alone a nuanced, slow burn, VERY QUEER romance layered with ruminations on grief and identity and one's relationship to society

(ON THIS NOTE, I must advise up front that I DO NOT KNOW if this story will end in tragedy... It's still ongoing, after all! BUT, I think either way it will be an amazing story and... maybe I'm just delusional, and though this may be considered spoilery in itself, the most recent chapters have me optimistic that we might indeed be on track for some sort of happy ending... eventually.)

Anyway, I cannot express enough how incredible it was to uncover this aspect of the story organically without knowing about it beforehand. Born and raised in a rural village, Yoshiki is deep in the closet, and that's reflected in how subtle the hints are at the beginning. Over time, it starts to become clearer and clearer, but always with a layer of plausible deniability, at least if you're not expecting it to take such a queer turn. ("Hikaru" literally makes a ton of "no homo" style jokes early on, which... god don't get me started--)

As you might guess, Yoshiki had feelings for the real Hikaru before his disappearance, and ooh boy does that affect how much the grief and guilt and fear play into things. It's delightfully fucked up.

So yeah. I 100% expected the plot of this manga to revolve around the intrigue of the monster finding out Yoshiki knew its secret, the fear of not knowing when the monster would strike next, etc, but NO! That particular "reveal" happens within the first 10 pages, and then the entity just kind of... lives the life of a high school kid! He's kind of a little shit, but for the most part, he's a nice boy! Yoshiki is the only one who knows who "Hikaru" really is, but much of the tension comes from him having to come to terms with that, rather than the fear itself.

...and also the OTHER horrors and mysteries. There's tension there too, considering it's where the actual plot lies, lmAO. Just because "Hikaru" isn't a totally evil monster doesn't mean there aren't a lot of grotesque and scary things in here. Most of this manga I would classify more in the "supernatural" genre than "horror", but in those moments it DOES delve into horror, it goes pretty damn hard. I remember more than one moment where I felt sharp regret about reading it in the dark at 2 a.m. 💀

Still, if you dare, it's worth the read. I can't recommend it enough.

P.S. I wouldn't say it's a "funny" manga but it does nonetheless have an amazing sense of humor. There are a handful of actual jokes and gags that did have me rolling, but more importantly there's an unspoken, implicit acknowledgement of how absurd this all is, in that way only good self-aware horror can achieve. Take the main character Yoshiki for example. The image I used of him up above? The unsettling camera angle, the haunted look in his eyes? That's just how he always looks. The panel after that one shows that all he's looking at on his phone is a text from his sister reminding him to pick up wasabi flakes.

P.P.S. There's apparently an anime adaptation coming out sometime? I'll probably watch it, but I expect something will be lost in translation. We'll see, I suppose.

*- To be precise: Yoshiki is gay. The creature that takes Hikaru's place has a more nuanced (and alien) perspective on sexuality, and... I'll leave it at that.

[smuttyfang]

Akira, Curiosity

"The s/o has a very religious family, so after finding out Akira is a devilman the reader gets really scared and cautious but at the same time really curious and wants to know more about his devilman form and how the whole devilman thing works - v - You don't have to though, and thank you! ^^"

Words: 787

The sunset was always so beautiful reflecting off the water. The boardwalk was your favorite place to go after church. You found the water more relaxing than church somehow, and it made you feel conflicted. Wasn't the church supposed to be the most calming thing in your life? As you questioned yourself and your beliefs, you came closer to the boardwalk. As you approached, you noticed someone else sitting by the water. He looked familiar.. Looking on for a minute, you realized it was Akira. You went to school with him. Everyone had noticed the sudden change in his appearance, it was all anyone talked about, especially all the girls. There was a rumor that he had made a 'deal with the devil' of a sort and that was the origin of why he seemed so different. Despite being a little bit afraid, you felt your curiosity getting the better of you. Walking down toward the end of the boardwalk where he was sitting, he heard you from behind him and turned his head around to look at you.

"Oh, hey.." He said, giving you a slight smile. "We go to school together, right? I've seen you around before." He scooted over, patting the wood beside of him. How was he this nice if he had supposedly been making deals with devils? It didn't make any sense to you. You walked close to him, sitting down. You took off your shoes, letting your feet down into the cool water and sighing.

"Nice to actually meet you." You said. "I was.. curious about you." He put his arm on his knee, still looking out toward the water.

"Curious? About what?" He half laughed at you, like he couldn't believe you would be interested in anything about him.

"You." You stated, plainly. "I've heard a lot about you." You let your feet move back and forth in the cool water, enjoying the sensation.

"Like what? That I'm dealing with the devil?" He grinned.

"Well, yeah. That." He seemed far too nice to have anything to do with a devil. Even so, the way he grinned made you feel a little bit anxious. You tried your best to ignore it.

"You just came from the church up there, didn't you? Aren't you afraid of me?" You shrugged your shoulders at him, doing your best to hide it.

"No, not really. You seem nice. I don't see how you could have anything to do with the devil." You played with the hem of your dress with your fingers, looking down at your lap.

"You're brave for a church girl. I do have something to do with the devil. Maybe you should be afraid of me." He let his head fall, and it looked as if he was going to cry. His eyes filled with tears, but they didn't fall. Something was really off about him. You placed your hand gently on his arm, doing your best to comfort him.

"You are a kind person, I can sense it. I know you are. Despite anything else." You said, trying to let him know that he's not alone if he feels that he is fighting a losing battle with some inner demons. He looked at you, giving you a genuine smile through his tear filled eyes.

"You're real nice. Thanks." He wiped the tears from his eyes. "Sorry, we barely know each other. I shouldn't be saying this stuff to you." He stood up, as if he was getting ready to leave.

"I wanna know more about this whole 'devil' thing you believe you have going on." You looked to the sunset, seeing the sky turn a light purple color as the sun was fading below the skyline. "I wanna help, if I can. Religion or not. Something tells me you're deeply troubled." He didn't speak for a minute, and you gave him the time to gather his thoughts and think about what he wanted to say next.

"I am.. but I don't think there's anything you can do to help." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Will talking help at all? I'll be here to listen, if you need it, Akira. Sometimes that's all someone needs." He smiled, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Sure.. I'll come back tomorrow?" He said, you nodding your head in response to let him know that you would come back as well. "Okay.. but you should probably start heading home. It gets dangerous around here at night."

"How do you know that?" You questioned, pulling your feet out of the water and air drying them by swinging them around a little bit. You stood up, putting your shoes back on.

"The devil isn't just in hell, you know."

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 74: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Here we are, welcome back everyone!! End of the month, time for another chapter leading us into this exciting finale for Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card!! I want to start this post with a little foreword before diving into the chapter itself and the eventual translation differences ✨ I just wanted to say that I write this post with a sense of pride but also with even more sense of responsability compared to the previous months. You've probably stumbled upon my recent report of the latest CLAMP Space, where the authors have talked about CCS Clear Card, and their support/blessing to "people addressing the translation differences in their monthly posts on their blog, because they felt uncomfortable about them". Although they never straight up gave names, I certainly feel like they were talking about blogs like mine. And so I'm humbled (and even a little nervous) to be able to keep doing this, since I've wondered multiple times if it was even proper for me to write these posts every month, as if I was leading a crusade against the official English translation. In fact, I'm not. And I hope that's clear enough. When the ENG translation respects the vibe and original intention coming out from sensei's words in the manga panels, like this time around, I always make sure to say positive things about it. But try to understand me, the irritation runs deep because these are years of translation differences accumulating and at times even changing the perception of the story. And then, you stumble upon English speaking fans on the internet who got the gist of the story wrong or disrespecting/failing to appreciate it because of such translation mistakes (we go from Sakura calling Syaoran "Li-kun" in one of the earliest volumes, to Kaito saying that he wanted to give magic to Akiho, wtf??). And I think it's such a pity. It's not fair. The fandom deserves to know what the script is trying to say with a meaning as closer as possible to the original one. I hope I'll be able to help in that regard, for what's in my possibility and with my limited skills, till Clear Card will be over. ✨

OKAY, now let's cut the chatter and see what happened in this chapter!! I'm happy to say that this time around, translation-wise, we don't have anything impairing the correct understanding of the plot, just nuances! As usual, before starting, we can't skip the gif of the month!!

The Color Page

Oh my gosh! Sakura! You look amazing here!!! Such a fierce stare!! She looks just like a powerful and respected magician and OMG THEY GAVE HER A BLACK OUTFIT!! JUST LIKE I'VE BEEN ASKING EVER SINCE THE BEGINNING! I don't know, maybe the veteran followers of this blog can remember, but I've always wished to see Sakura in a black costume/dress in Clear Card 😊 She looks stunning...and what's more, she's once again with the gears and clocks decorations, just like in the period of the Clockland play. But, heheh, this time the clock looks different. The big clocks that were featured during the Clockland chapters (with Sakura + Syaoran, Akiho and lastly Kaito) were often "strange". They all had the same design, the one with SyaoSaku was "regular", but the ones next to Akiho and Kaito had their numbers either in messed up order, or straight up wrong (what kind of clock got '0' as the only number?). I had already assumed by then that they had a significance we had to decode along the development of the finale. This one in this color page, however, really looks like the most classical clock with roman numerals. The order of the numbers and their position seems correct. So could this be a sign that Sakura is about to restore order into this mess that Kaito's desperate wish created? The text on the JP version is the classic incantation to release the Dream staff from the key (we haven't heard it in a looooong time because she manifests her staff immediately, by now!) I also want to point out that we *still* don't have any announcement of "Clear Card ending in next chapter" or "Clear Card ends in 2 chapters!" like it's custom in these serializations, so I can say with confidence that Sakura won't surely be over in chapter 75 (at the beginning of July) but probably not even in chapter 76 (at the beginning of August). Are they aiming at chapter 77 (beginning of September)? Double 7, it's a lucky number for CLAMP ✨ For those worried about "3 chapters aren't enough to finish this!!", please consider that it's not so much about the number of chapters, but the amount of pages. This chapter for example is already longer than usual, 35 pages. That's what really matters, and we could get even an epilogue or some additional pages in the volume version! And now onto to the actual chapter!

An Important Discussion

Yukito, Nakuru and Touya are leisurely spending time at Yukito's home, with a funny scene of Yukito feeding some mikan to Nakuru (and she seems delighted by the cozyness of Japanese kotatsu!). Suddenly, Touya announces that Sakura is coming over. Yukito worries about how it's getting dark and that maybe it'd be better to go pick her up along the way, but a grumpy Touya says there's no need for that: along with Sakura are also coming Syaoran, Akiho and even Tomoyo. Yukito and Nakuru can't help but being surprised, and Nakuru wonders "The all-stars are coming? What's going on?" 😂 I found so hilarious the use of the term "all-stars", which in Japanese usually indicates a whole cast of a performance composed of famous actors, and sometimes it's applied to sports team too. But the room temperature drops immediately when Yukito looks at Touya, with a very pensive face, and it's immediately clear that something serious happened and Sakura is coming to discuss that. Touya might not know exactly what, but as we can see, he's already got a feeling.

Sakura and the kids arrive, apologizing for coming so suddenly, and they sit down, all with very serious faces (save for Tomoyo. Tomoyo never loses her calm composure 😆). Sakura starts dropping the bomb immediately: "I want to talk to you about something very weird" and "I want everyone who knows about the Cards and magic to hear this". Sakura is dead serious, and she informs Syaoran (sitting at her left side) that she's just told everything to Akiho shortly ago. She also tells Kero and Suppy to come out of her purse, for the second time (since the first was halted by the rewriting of the forbidden magic) putting an end to the farce of Kero constantly needing to act like a plushie in front of Touya!! Remember when the fandom used to point out that it was weird that Kero kept hiding from Touya, despite saying himself at the end of the Sakura Card Arc (after Touya gave his powers to Yue/Yukito) that he was perfectly aware that Touya knew everything about them? That really felt like a "plot hole" (maybe at this point the only REAL plot hole) for the longest time, and I am honest when I say that I had already given up hoping to see an explanation for it, wanting to treat it like a "glitch" in the narrative and using suspension of disbelief to overcome it! Well well well, CLAMP surprised me again! Cause in this chapter they actually tried to give an explanation to that "discrepancy"! And of course, being this about Kero, the explanation is rather silly (confession - I didn't understand Kero's reasoning very well, but I'll give my interpretation of what he said): Kero saw that even after that event, Touya didn't try to interact with him and thought that maybe he didn't consider him a cute and gorgeous magical creature, but rather something else....(was he butt-hurt?) Suppy of course is spitting fire cause why the heck did we need to keep pretending to be plushies?? and Kero's reply is "Because I thought it'd be fun pretending to be plushies together when you came over!". Now, if you remember how difficult and taxing it was for Suppy to force himself to stay still, you can understand why he's so mad! 😂 Touya says, quite annoyed, that he simply didn't try to interact with him because he thought that Kero was getting a kick out of acting like a plushie! I feel like sensei have quite reached and almost broke the 4th wall with this scene, because Sakura here says something that I'm pretty sure many of us have thought in regard to this "discrepancy": "I did wonder at some point why you kept that up despite I was telling you multiple times that I had the feeling my brother was onto you". And it's true, we've seen that in volume 4! Well, to me it felt like a stretch, but eventually we got an explanation for that situation so I guess it's better to leave it behind us! 😂

Cause we have more important matters at hand. Sakura places her phone on the table, showing Eriol & Kaho in videocall!! NOW all the "stars" of this show are present! 😂 So Sakura starts her recount of the most recent events, saying "It's really weird...but I swear it happened". After everyone listened to Sakura, of course they're all surprised. Nakuru wonders if there's any magician who can really have the power to "rewrite" a world...Eriol says that as far as he's heard, there isn't any magician among the living ones who has that degree of power. However, if said magician had access to a "medium" able to use the "forbidden magic", then it's another story. And that's the Book Sakura told them about. Sakura confirms that the one who told her all of this is the Guardian of the book herself. And then, to Akiho: "The plushie shaped like a bunny that you cherished so much was the temporary form of that Guardian. You named her 'Momo' ". Here I have to point out that the way the ENG translated it infers that Akiho remembers about Momo ("You know that stuffed bunny you loved so much?"), but actually in the JP version it's mostly Sakura informing Akiho that she used to cherish a bunny-shaped plushie, cause Akiho has no recollection of it. In fact, right after, she answers "But that's the title of a book I really love so much!". THERE IT IS! I've mentioned this many times in my social media accounts, and even lately in my "literary references" post here on Tumblr, but it turns out this simple answer by Akiho kinda confirms that she might really have named Momo after that book. And it's not only a beloved book because of its story, but also the one she was reading when she met Kaito for the first time. I've always thought that having her most beloved plushie named that way, and having precisely that book when they met for the first time couldn't have been unrelated. So I'm really happy for this scene here and I hope it'll get eventually confirmed better later.

Sakura takes Akiho's hands (she'll do that a lot this chapter and I simply love it) and reassures her about something that I was SURE she was going to say:

JP: "The fact that we became twins is an effect of the rewritten (world), but the fact that you are an important person to me didn't change at all, Akiho-chan"

I've preferred putting the JP version here because once again we have the usual stuff that I complain about lately: Sakura in JP used 大切なひと (important person) to describe her relationship with Akiho, and this is absolutely coherent with all the previous times. In ENG they used "you're special to me", but the adjective "special" in Japanese (特別な) in relation to a person has been consistently used in the latest chapters to describe the person Sakura is in love with (and not only Sakura). So they shouldn't have used that adjective in particular. They should stick to the literal translation. Especially cause that "special person" will come up in a few pages. I know I sound pedantic with this separation between "important person" and "special person", but I mean, CLAMP sensei are consistently keeping that distinction so I'm convinced the translation should do its best to keep it, because it's a guide to lead the readers among the relationships of CCS. Which sometimes can be quite complex.

Touya teases Sakura again with the sis-con joke, and Yukito teases him back by saying "Are you talking about yourself now?" (I love how Yukito always teases the big and grumpy Touya 😂they're really made for eachother). Tomoyo comments that it's been "a sight for sore eyes" (the term used in JP is 眼福, ganpu, and it's used when you see something precious) to see Sakura in the role of the big sister and Akiho in the one of the little sister. Akiho is moved by the fact that, despite everyone knowing the truth now, nobody shunned her or rejected her presence, and exactly like I imagined, I'm 100% sure Sakura will keep thinking about her as a sister (not a blood-related sister maybe, but surely with the same importance of one) even after everything will be solved later. Cause the bond between her and Akiho was never a fabricated thing, but always been genuine from day 1. Even if they got close in such a short period of time, it's just what happens normally in real life too. Sometimes you bond very tightly with people over a short period of time, cause you feel you're so compatible.

So Sakura continues. She says that for this reason, she wants to bring (someone) back. She's convinced that what the Record Card showed to her is not everything. She feels like there is someone who is missing from both what the Record Card had shown to her and from this rewritten world as well. Syaoran is confused, "they're missing, and yet you're sure they're there?". Sakura understands that confusion and says "It's weird, right? I can't really explain how I know it, but I just do." And then, towards Akiho: "That person....is your special person, Akiho-chan". There it is, the infamous "special person" again. It's clear what Sakura is meaning here. "This is the person you're in love with, Akiho-chan". Of course Akiho's face cannot be any other than a dismayed one at hearing that. And then the pain comes, all at once, piercing her heart and leaving her speechless. Sakura says that the Record Card wasn't showing anyone with Akiho in one of the scenes, and yet she saw her extremely happy. That was enough for Sakura to know that someone was indeed there with Akiho.

I'm Always Searching For Someone

We're shown one of the most important scenes for anyone liking Akiho and Kaito (and their bond), the night that Akiho was so brave to confess her feelings to him through a covert (and very local) way, claiming that "the moon is really beautiful". And in the same occasion he accepted to spend some time strolling and talking to her. It was clear from the moment that scene happened that it would've become important later. And the readers who know what happened and what we lost are feeling probably the same pain Akiho is feeling right now, only that she's unaware of what is causing it. Akiho says "I'm really happy to live with you, Sakura, and everyone in the Kinomoto household, but...I've been in pain. Because I'm always looking for someone who's not there...". So Akiho did feel the effects of that void. The void that only your most important person can leave when they're gone. It's just that, we've seen her being so happy with her "new" family, and yet exactly like most of the fandom imagined, that didn't really work to fill the void Kaito left. It's impossible to fill that void because that person is just irreplaceable. This scene of course stabbed my heart but I had imagined that we would've seen it sooner or later. Sakura gets more confident with the confession of what Akiho's been feeling, and tells her that she thinks the one she didn't want to lose and the one who rewrote their world are the same person. "So I'm going to bring them back". Sakura announces with a smile, but Kero just wonders in dismay how she's going to do that. Sakura believes that the pocket watch in Akiho's possession will show her how. As if on cue, Akiho takes it out of her purse and places it on the table in front of Sakura's phone, where Eriol and Kaho can see it. They recognize it's a magical artifact specialized in time magic, but they also recognize that in order for a magician to be able to use it, they would need to have a tremendous amount of magical powers. Akiho suddenly panics. It dawns on her. I think the mental connection she's made is "if Sakura wants to use this to bring my special person back, she would need to achieve an amount of magical powers that could put her in harm's way". Aside, of course, from all the other dangers that a "mission" like that could pose to our heroine. And of course she'd never be okay with that. But Sakura reassures her. "You aren't making me. I want to." Sakura explains that both when she was dealing with the Clow Cards (and we see a scene of the Final Judgement, the one where Kaho gives her the Moon Bell) and when she was transforming them into her own Cards (they show us a scene from the last battle with Eriol), she was able to overcome her troubles thanks to all of the people who loved her and cared about her.

Sakura, JP: "Therefore I want to do what I can for my important person, too"

Again the use of 大切なひと (important person) in relation to Akiho. I think this panel in particular is pretty important (and the big font indeed suggests so). I feel like it's the core, the heart of Clear Card Arc. Sakura, whom until now was accustomed to be cherished and pampered in a protected environment by her loved ones, is starting to take the first steps towards self-assertiveness and maturity. Sometimes those loved ones would overdo it with the loving, and ended up depriving her of her own agency. Sakura is finding herself, she's starting to trust her instincts and capabilities more and more, and that leads inevitably to a question: "what do I want to do with these gifts life gave me and blessed me with? What can I do to give back to the Universe all this love I'm receiving?" Searching for her self-identity will inevitably make her step out of her comfort zone. She'll take risks. Even on herself. She'll need to assess situations, make decisions. And here she decided that she wants to use her natural gift (her magical powers) to help someone in need. Someone important to her. Someone dear who lost someone irreplaceable and lacks the means to bring him back. Sakura decides to step in, help her "sister", doing exactly what she herself told her during last chapter: if I happen to be good at something that you can't do, I'll help you out. That's the beauty of being all unique and different.

I've seen people often wondering what's the purpose of Clear Card Arc, if we really needed to this arc and such. Well, to me the answer was made manifest in this chapter. 🙂

But back to our story, Tomoyo understands that moment has finally come, so she says that maybe she can't use magic, but she felt it was best to bring along with her a certain big bag (that we all know what contains, right??). She also says that she had the feeling she had made an asymmetrical costume before, but when she went to check, she realized she hadn't made it yet...

Listen to me well, because this is the solution to the mystery of the cryptical thing Ohkawa sensei said in relation to one of Sakura's costumes, during the latest CLAMP Space! Basically, she hinted that there was a reason why we hadn't seen Sakura wearing officially (for a Card battle) this costume yet, and that we would find out why soon. I know the ENG translation here talks about "complementary outfits" (referring probably to how Tomoyo will later reveal complementary outfits for both Sakura and Syaoran), but that only shows that they misunderstood the word アシンメトリー (lit. Asymmetry). Tomoyo here was literally talking about asymmetry because the "costume she thought she had made, but didn't find in the end" was precisely the one Ohkawa was hinting at during the latest Space, the one Sakura was trying on in chapter 36 and 37! Tomoyo had a sense of deja vu, about having made an asymmetrical outfit before, but actually couldn't find it because...well, the forbidden magic had removed any reference to the Clear Cards! (including, apparently, the costumes!) So that goes to show that Tomoyo, despite not having a crumble of magic, was also subjected to the deja vu and weird feelings of "discrepancy" that such rewriting of the world would cause. But hold on tight, cause another reference is on the way!

Tomoyo continues saying that while she was sewing the sleeve of the outfit, she had the strong feeling that this costume would turn into a very special one. And what do we have here? OH YES, it's THAT sleeve, the one we've been waiting for so eagerly! The one that Sakura saw in a dream with MCF once! Sakura back then asked to MCF if they would meet outside the dream when she'd be wearing that outfit, and MCF only cryptically said that it would be "the beginning of the end". Considering now we know that MCF has been mostly a byproduct of Lilie trying to communicate with Sakura and inadvertently messing things up, I do wonder about that MCF. Was Sakura, by any chance, actually was supposed to see Kaito and she saw the robe instead, because of Lilie? Or is that an actual member of Akiho's clan? Only this finale can tell us the truth. Sakura will certainly meet someone, with that costume.

Sakura thanks Tomoyo, always so ready to show her support, and she does something very sweet, as a result of regaining all of her rewritten memories: she tells Tomoyo that she'll do her best to come back without getting the costume dirty, but if it eventually starts fraying, she knows that Tomoyo will be there to repair it.....yeah....doesn't it remind you of something?? Of course I bet any Tomoyo fan knows very well what scene Sakura is referencing with this line....

When Sakura told Tomoyo she repaired her torn costume with the Repair Card in chapter 40, Tomoyo expressed the wish to be her the one repairing those costumes, with her own hands. Because she had created them specifically for Sakura, so she would also want to be the one to repair them in case they'd get damaged. Basically telling her "I made these with all my love for you, and I'd prefer that a Card didn't take my place even when needing to repair them. I want the costumes that you wear to be made completely by my own hands". Always reminding us that making something with your own hands for your loved one is the greatest proof of love for any character in CCS (which is something I find truly wholesome and beautiful). Sakura here shows to have understood and accepted that wish fully, therefore acknowledging Tomoyo and her feelings. Tomoyo is uncharacteristically surprised for a second, and then with the happiest smile she confirms that of course she'll be there to repair it!

Sakura looks at her brother Touya, who only grumpily tells her to respect the curfew. Sakura is confused because they never had a curfew time at home, but her brother replies "Come back before dad gets worried. That's our curfew". (in ENG there's an additional part here, I guess to fill in a bubble that would be left empty) Sakura confidently replies "Got it".

Nakuru is all giddy, excitedly announcing that they decided to go to war and they need to decide the formation!! Suppy mocks her, telling her she's talking as if she were playing one of her warring states games (in JP the term used here is 戦国ゲーム - sengoku game - and I've found there's a specific game called indeed Sengoku, but it seems the same term extended to indicate all the war games set in the Sengoku era), but that doesn't deter Nakuru, who says that if she gets chosen, she will certainly participate actively (here the ENG uses game language from what I can see - not an expert - but good job!)!!

Sakura's plan is different, though. She says that tonight she'll be going only with Syaoran. She knows that if everyone could go with her, she'd feel more confident and reassured, but...

Sakura, JP: "If I want to find Akiho-chan's most important person, I have the feeling that it'd be better for me to go with my most important person"

Here we go. We temporarily leave aside the "special person" terminology to go back to the more famous and loved "my most important person" term, to indicate THE ONE person someone loves the most. 一番大切なひと (ichiban taisetsuna hito). The term we all learned because it's been so crucial to indicate the person someone was in love with during the old arcs of the story. The term Sakura eventually used for Syaoran at the end of CCS volume 12 to finally give a "definition" to the love she felt for him. Now she uses it to define Akiho's feelings for Kaito. This is "the" term that takes precedence over all the other terminology used, and also goes to show how important and solemn the moment is. Sakura's intuition tells her that in order to find Kaito, Akiho's most important person, she should go with Syaoran, her own most important person. This is probably because her magical intuition (let's remember that Sakura got the power to see the future) grasped that her bond with Syaoran will be absolutely pivotal in order to have a positive outcome for the mission they're about to embark on. They will probably have to put that bond at work....maybe to explain, show, help someone understanding something that he still doesn't seem to grasp perfectly? Or rather, a stubborn refusal to understand it, which caused them all to be in this situation they're in right now? What's for sure is that if Sakura and Syaoran manage to find Kaito, and if they'll also manage to free him from the Seal of D. + the artifact with all the magical books that Akiho had engraved in herself, their job won't certainly be over like that. Kaito needs to talk to someone. He needs to understand many, many things. Some of those things, Sakura and Syaoran can at least try to introduce them to him. Because while it's true that Sakura wants to bring him back for Akiho, she also needs to make sure that coming back is also Kaito's wish. Because they can't force him if he isn't 100% convinced himself. I'm sure this is a very important thematic for CLAMP, respecting someone's self-determination. And since his state of mind, last time we saw him, was that he was perfectly expendable and that he was absolutely not necessary in Akiho's life, they need to change that perception. And there's also the fact that, despite being so different, Kaito and Syaoran are pretty similar in several aspects too. So maybe the role Syaoran can have in "communicating" with Kaito could be very important and impactful. Maybe that's what Sakura's intuition was trying to tell her.

Here, the ENG translation decided to translate that "most important person" with "favorite person". I have definitely turned up my nose at seeing that (why not leaving the iconic term?) but in the end I decided to relax because, at the end of the day, the result is similar. It indicates a person for whom your preference and importance is above everyone else. What really *mattered* in this scene - and lo and behold, it seems ONLY the English and Portuguese versions got it right (let me know about the Chinese one, cause I can't read that one) - is that Sakura used the same term to describe what Akiho feels for Kaito, and what SHE feels for Syaoran. "I am aware that this missing person is for Akiho an existence of the same importance Syaoran-kun has for me. Therefore, I will do everything in my power to bring them back, because I fully understand that kind of bond and I understand the void they leave in your life when they're not there" She knows, to some degree, what it feels like to miss your most beloved person, due to the period she had to spend apart from Syaoran. And they could still have phone calls and writing letters. Akiho's situation can only be worse. Sakura's understanding of that bond is also what causes her intuition to suggest her to go only with Syaoran. It's all connected. So it's of utmost importance that the translations use the same term when both talking about Akiho and Sakura. Then, about this scene, we could also say that it was a beautiful demonstration of how much Sakura (but also Syaoran) has grown up, now fully confident to declare in front of everyone that Syaoran is THE most important person in her life. Without blushing and without any drama. It's just a fact. After all they've been through, I think Sakura can feel confident enough in her relatinship with Syaoran, and there's no shame nor embarrassment in stating that aloud.

The people present here can only accept and show their support, and Eriol encourages Sakura to follow her intuition (remember the whole discussion about listening to the stirring of your heart, the so-called intuition? Yeah, a great lesson from Mama Yelan which will also be applied to another character soon). Sakura tells Kero that if she needs him, she will certainly call, and the guardian beast reassures her that he'll certainly hear his master's voice, same for Yue.

Then, lastly, Sakura takes Akiho's hands and holds them tightly. They share another sweet forehead touch (seriously, I love them so much ❤️). Akiho is worried, so worried, but also very resolute. She wants this as much as Sakura does. Sakura tells her that there'll surely be a moment when she'll request Akiho to do something only she can do, and asks her to please wait here with everyone till that time comes.

I'll admit it, I was really disappointed when I've read this scene the first time around. Not only because I had imagined all kinds of scenes in my head (included Akiho wearing one of Tomoyo's costumes) and they shattered that possibility (but oh well, I am prepared to that), but also because I feel like this isn't a good choice from a character development POV. I understand it, I really understand it, this is Sakura's story. She's the one who gets to shine in the finale. And we've talked about it before, there's no doubt that Sakura in this story goes through a journey to find her identity and what she wants to do. So now it's time to let her do that. But Akiho has been slandered for the whole manga, accused of all kind of things because of prejudice, and one of those was "she's weak and passive, she does nothing". Seeing her "on the sidelines" once again, when we're talking about rescuing her most important person, feels extremely off. Letting someone else do "the job for her" doesn't even feel like Akiho.

Then, as hours passed by, I thought...

Maybe Sakura wants to take care of the first part of the mission, because it'll certainly be the one where it's most likely to encounter some magical danger (dragon-chan???). And Akiho wouldn't be able to defend herself from that, devoid of magical powers as she is. She could potentially end up risking her own life. And then all of this would've been for nothing. And then I thought, wait, maybe Akiho knows that. She knows it very well, since she's a girl with a pretty good understanding of herself and her own limits. And this is certainly a limit she does have. So what she can do is to wait safely at home, as hard and painful as it can be, for the REAL, big moment when her presence will be absolutely necessary. Sakura said it with great confidence so it's 100% sure it will come. Therefore, as an Akiho fan, I will swallow this pill and wait together with her. 🫤

But the chapter isn't over yet, as Touya and Yukito go outside in the garden while Sakura and Syaoran get dressed for their departure! Yukito teases once again Touya, telling him that his face is scary and that Sakura's earlier statement ("most important person") must have caused him "damage" (still seemingly talking in game language). Touya of course doesn't reply, so Yukito continues, giving finally confirmation to the suspicion I've been having ever since this "rewritten world" started: Touya did notice something was off. He didn't know precisely what, but he knew it had something to do with Sakura. Yukito also gives us the opportunity to see just how kind and generous Touya is: he purposely didn't go back home often because he wanted to reduce his presence around Akiho as much as possible. Not because of negative feelings, quite the contrary: he was worried she'd get even more hurt if she established a bond with him, only to end up finding out that they weren't really brother and sister. (Meanwhile, we see a very cute panel of Akiho talking to Kero, Suppy and still in videocall with Eriol and Kaho!) And then, to follow the leit-motiv of this chapter, very centered on calling back stuff that had already happened in the original world, Touya says that he won't allow anyone to hurt his close ones (they used "family" in ENG, but the word 身内 can indicate also friends and such, the common characteristic is that they're very close). Got the feeling you've already heard these words, especially with the use of the word 身内 ? Yes, of course, it's vaguely the same threat he made to Kaito back in chapter 54, during the double date! 😂 Hmmmm, I have the feeling that if they manage to bring Kaito back (of course they will!), someone will want to have a word or two with him....let's hope he'll just stick to words! 😂 Jokes aside, it's very heartwarming to see how even Touya warmed up to Akiho, and took her under his protective big brother's wing! In fact, Yukito can't just miss the new opportunity to tease him (stop flirting so shamelessly in front of us, Yuki! 😂), telling him he's so overprotective for his sisters!!

The two lovebirds have finished changing their clothes, and we're all left staring at them agape, together with Nakuru: they look stunning, in their complementary outfits!! Sakura even got heels ❤️ And yes, dear readers, as already hinted when Tomoyo was speaking, this is IT, THE costume with THAT sleeve that appeared in Sakura's dream! It is the biggest indication that it's finally time for the last confrontation. Both Sakura and Syaoran look so resolute and ready to make a mess of space and time to bring Kaito back!! 😂 As many have noticed, Sakura got her Dream Staff with her, despite the Clear Cards have disappeared: my theory is that the Key was never removed by the forbidden magic, only the Cards, or maybe that the key came out now that Sakura got her memories back.

And this is where the chapter ends, with another huge cliffhanger!! Will we see Kaito, next time? Being a chapter number ending in -5, and being in the very last volume, I expect big things from it! Chapter 75 will be published on CLAMP's Youtube channel on July 1st, while the relative Nakayoshi magazine will be released on July 3rd (by the way, we'll have Sakura ONCE AGAIN on the cover and ANOTHER Sakura furoku!!). As usual, when I have less translation mistakes to talk about and more space for my feelings towards the chapter, I go overboard! Another freaking long post 😂😂 So I'll just leave you here, as usual I'll wait for your asks in my inbox! Bye Bye!!

[nuokis]

please post a tutorial or walkthrough or even just a longer process video talking about how you draw!! im obsessed with the textures and colors but i cant seem to wrap my head around it!! (i would pay money for a whole mini course tbh if you were interested in uploading one to gumroad or wherever 😵‍💫)

thank you, i'm flattered :') texture and colour are really important to me so i'm always fine-tuning them to find what works. to be honest i feel like i'm not qualified to teach others since i haven't really even settled on a process, i just kind of mess around until i like what i'm looking at. there are certain things i do much of the time but it's definitely not a linear process!

that being said lately i've been experimenting with traditional media and i've found i really enjoy how gouache behaves so i've been trying to replicate the process in digital. i'll try and explain how i've went about it recently using this super boring piece of a random person...

i'm using a basic pencil brush and a default procreate brush called gouache. i picked it for the name when i was looking for something similar to the paints i'd been using but honestly it looks more like a marker to me.

i find trying to do separate inks on top of a sketch distracting so i just erase what i won't need. i'll add a darken layer on top of the sketch and go over it with a single colour as a kind of underpainting. i did the flat colours on a separate darken layer here but generally i'll just work on one layer.

we'll add some colour variation and shading, it looks super subtle here but i'll punch it up later. i think the critical thing with this kind of brush is working with transparent layers so you don't lose the texture and you can play with mixing colours.

i'll often mess with the curve tool a lot but this piece is pretty simple and i ended up only using it once or twice. when i'm happy i'll duplicate the colour layer and see which blending mode i like, testing stuff out at different levels of opacity until i find something cool. i think i went with a transparent overlay layer here.

the lineart is getting buried so i duplicate that layer as well, drag it to the top of the pile and repeat the process of stacking blending modes. something i like to do is add one layer with the lineart blurred to give it a softer look.

i'll fill a new layer with a dark colour, add about 80% noise scaled up a bit and set the layer to saturation. again you can experiment with the blending mode but i've been using this one recently.

this next part might be pointless but i save the image, open the new file and resize it without actually changing the resolution much, then sharpen it to bring back the detail. maybe it's in my head but i feel like this makes the image look a tiny bit more finished and adds some crunch.

finally i duplicate the whole thing, blur the layer on top and set it to luminosity on low opacity to create a soft glow effect.

final touch-ups and you're done!

sorry for the convoluted explanation! my process tends to messy, i get distracted and don't often work in distinct steps but i think i managed to describe some of the things i do the majority of the time. i hope it's even a little helpful :)

[magicbeansprout]

I've been busy with schoolwork, so hadn't found the time to post these, but I found my stylus earlier this month! Only took me 6 months to find it 🙂. Here's some Ribbon and Diamond related stuff I drew a bit earlier in the month after finding it.

I ramble a lot here, so details on these characters are under the cut if you wanna hear me infodump about my characters and comic stuff.

First up are the fairies Bow and Tie, who help Ribbon and Diamond respectively. I'm really proud of the names, as goofy as they are. They match one another and each corelate to the respective magical girls they assist, as ribbons can be tied into bows, and neckties are diamond-shaped. Their colors and design specifics aren't set in stone, but they'll be made of fairly simple shapes so they can be drawn easily. Maybe I'll make them fully different colors from Ribbon and Diamond, with Tie being a yellow-green and Bow being lavender or another purple. Not sure though because I really like Bow with that shade of pink hair.

Next up, still on the topic of fairies, is this character whose outfit might seem familiar. (to those that have seen the singular drawing from 2? years ago of a character wearing this, this one's for you) I like how the character's personal colors look, but the colors on the outfit were kinda chosen randomly so I'll definitely be playing around with those some more. I've been wanting to rework the story of the witches, and the King is the one who's needed the most work. This is a possible concept I'm going to play around with. I don't think the proportions of the fullbody drawing will be the King's actual appearance as a fairy, looks kinda splatoon-esque lol, but since this outfit was intended for a human-sized character, I need to draw an awkward middle stage as I work to simplify the outfit for a smaller character, like a reversed Pokémon. I also think i'll be changing King's pronouns from she/her to he/him (or another combo with he/him). King still considers himself a gal gender identity-wise, but that's what he goes by and others call him. I know in Chinese and Japanese there are some masculine, pretentious? (not exactly pretentious but, like "I'm really cool/great"), personal pronouns or ways of referring to oneself. I'd think if you translated his dialogue into one of those languages or any languages that have something similar, he'd be using those in his speech. I only sorta know two languages besides English, but I definitely want to improve on them, since there are a lot of language specific jokes or gags you can play with in writing. (Plus, obviously just using the languages to talk to people lol) As you can see near the bottom, the King can also take on a human form, albeit with some slightly pointed ears. He's a lot stronger than fairies like Bow and Tie, and can maintain a human form for a very long time should he desire. I'm considering making there be different types/kinds of fairies who have different capabilities, i'll be playing around with those concepts some later. There's definitely a lot more to work with for the King. He doesn't have a proper name yet, yes even after 5 years, this is a normal pace for writing characters actually. Feel free to leave me any name suggestions for him. For reference, the other witches are:

Jo (Josephine) - the Joker. Her suit is clover (clubs, whatever) ♣️

- Her name starts with similar sounds to her witch alias, simple as.

Paige - the Jack. Her suit is hearts, which she shares with her sister. 🖤🤍 <- her hearts are drawn as half and half, kinda like a broken heart. She's the youngest of the witches and is still going through her emo phase.

- her name comes from an alternate name for the Jack in (i believe) some tarot decks, the Page.

Valentine - the Queen. Her suit is hearts, which she shares with her sister. ❤️

- Valentine, hearts, you get it.