#much needed after having to think about silhouettes in relation to literally any of my favorite characters

[wasyago]

Your art is such a huge inspiration for me , i was wondering if you had any tips on anatomy ? Your way of doing it is so fluid and fun to look at and i struggle a lot with stiffness .

welp, long post incoming, sorry i really didn't want to write all of this on the canvas, so most of it will be in text + pictures

(also please keep in mind that this is not a 100% correct way to do this, but this is how i do it)

first, a little secret you need to know. none of my drawings are actually anatomically correct-- its more about proportions and lines of motion than it is about anatomy (since you said you struggle with stiffnes). now, of course anatomy is important, especially if you're going for something more realistic, but i'd say its not the first thing you should focus on. for me, anatomy is something i learn slowly and gradually as i go and as i need (and forget soon after).

i think proportions are in a way a lot more helpful than anatomy, because you can easily change them according to the character's needs and it'll still look believable. so like.

arms from wrist to elbow and from elbow to shoulder are roughly the same size, same with legs.

character's open palm is the same size as their face from chin to hairline.

the thickness of the neck depends not on the size of the head but the size of shoulders. so, if the shoulders are broad and muscular the neck will be too. if the shoulders are small then the neck will be thinner, etc.

when hands are pressed to the body, elbows are in line with the waist and the palm is roughly below the hips.

length of legs in relation to the body is directly responsible for how tall the character looks. if they're the same size - character looks average, if the legs are shorter than the body the character looks shorter, and if the legs are longer then the character looks taller.

and then for the face.... i literally forgot everything about face proportions uhhhh. well. the ears sit in the middle of the head and are in the same dimensions as the nose. the spaces from hairline to eyebrows to tip of the nose to chin are all the same size. mouth sits on 2/3 between the nose and the chin, leaving more space for the chin. eyes are the same size and the space between them is equal to the size of one eye. (this is much easier to explain in a drawing)

and then to make your character stand out and look unique you change some of the proportions. make their eyes bigger, ears smaller, arms longer or legs shorter. the difference between knowing the proportions and breaking them on purpose vs not following the proportions at all, is that when you know what you're breaking it looks intentional and it has a meaning and it makes sense to the viewer, instead of you breaking all the rules without knowing what they are. just remember to emphasize it enough for your style, because if you overdo or don't do enough it might look out of place. again, its all about balance.

and now for the lines of motion... i dont exactly know how to explain them, because there's not really a correct way to do them? but basically its a line that follows and sets the motion. yeah. its what makes the characters look less stiff. and its not exactly imaginary lines, but they're not simply visible either. its the lines that the silhouette of the character follows, the direction their limbs or elements of clothing create. you're basically creating those patterns that the pose follows, and you know us humans we sure love our patterns, so the brain subconsciously recognizes that there's a pattern and the image then feels more structured, more real in a sense?

i have no damn idea how to put it into words, but. um. diagonal lines are dynamic, straight lines (in relation to the canvas) are stiff. its like a square looks stiff but a rombos looks flowy even if they're basically the same thing. so to make your characters look more dynamic you need to build the pose on diagonals and not straight lines. and if you want the pose to look stable then you need to balance it out with lines of motion that go in an opposite direction. sort of like you put two rocks on the ends of a plank to balance it out instead of putting no rocks at all because the plank will balance on its own. it creates flavor and weight and intention, sort of like "this plank balances because of the rocks" instead of "the plank balances because there's nothing". sorry i get carried away with the metaphors--

you can use the stiff/dynamic thing however you want for whatever purpose you need. for example making the bottom of the character who is standing still be parallel to the canvas, but keeping their body diagonal and dynamic, helps to make the character feel stable and set in the drawing, like they're standing on firm ground. keeping a background or some element of the drawing stiff but making the character dynamic emphasizes the movement and focuses attention on the character. but making both the background and the character dynamic creates a fully dynamic composition and the feeling like everything is in motion. its an interesting balance but the more you draw the more you understand it.

hope this helps :D

#yagotalk #feels like i forgot something...... oh well #if you have any more specific questions feel free to ask #how to yago

[kogarashi-art]

It's the last previews for Falling Into Darkness!

Important note before I go into some details on the pictures: I will, in general, not be doing this for other fanfics I post. The main reason I did this series of illustrations was as something of a treat for finally crossposting this 10-20-year-old story to my AO3 account. I don't really plan to draw a ton of illustrations for other fics I do.

That being said, I may do occasional images that will be posted with future stories on AO3 (I have a quick one for the first chapter of the next fic I plan on posting, for one), and if I do other fanart, related to a fic or not, I still plan to post art here.

But I'm glad for all the kind comments and everyone enjoying this series of illustrations with me. :D You guys are awesome.

With that, description-stuff (including more behind-the-scenes than usual) below the cut. 'Tis long; be forewarned.

First up, arguably the easiest illustration to do in the whole set. It's a silhouette, so the foreground wasn't really an issue (other than trying to get the edge glow just right, and I still don't think I quite managed but I'm definitely telling myself not to mess with it any further). The background was already painted for the second illustration in the whole set:

I just fixed up the paths and the treetops and added a little lookout stand to the building on the right, now that Sonic and Sally weren't blocking those spots. After all, it's supposed to be the same view anyway, so I figured I'd make it easy on myself and not have to completely repaint the scene.

The second image employs some little cheats here and there. Here's the original sketch from my sketchbook for comparison:

Very loose, lacking detail. Straight lines are more like suggestions. The robots are spiky blobs. I have a literal note next to a stick figure and a hollow shape telling me to get some references. There's the barest hint of the alcoves the robots are standing in.

I didn't show this level of behind-the-scenes off with other illustrations in this series (though I suppose if anyone's ever interested, I could do a process post about how I worked on these), but one of the first things I did with this series of illustrations was sift through the roughly fifty individual sketches I'd drawn to illustrate various parts of the story (not counting redraws of portions), ranging from vague shapes to much more detailed drawings, to narrow it down to the ones I was actually going to finish for this project. I ended up with 27 total images, including the two I'm previewing today, focusing on having at least one but no more than three images per chapter.

Once I'd determined which sketches, like the above, were going to become a finished piece, I then went through each and every one of them in Photoshop with a sketch pencil brush and filled out the sketches to a point where I could reliably ink them. That meant things like swapping out figures that didn't work with redraws of them or making size adjustments, like so:

The first image is the second illustration, and you can see I redid Sonic because his initial pose didn't work. The redraw was actually a pose of him I did to draw his post-Mobianization robotic elements from the end of the story, but the stance was actually good for what I needed, so I Photoshopped it in and then sketched the rest of the replacement drawing digitally. The second image is Sally watching Knuckles walk away, and you can see that I changed her left arm, and also reproportioned her body prior to inking (bigger head, smaller body).

And for pieces like the final one in this illustration series, I sketched in all the details that were missing from the initial sketch (which, as I said, was pretty barebones; in my defense, it was the last one I drew, and by that point I was pretty tired of drawing robot hedgehogs so Sonic was something of a stick figure in most of the last chapters' sketches).

And here's where one of the cheats comes into play. I drew one robot hedgehog. Specifically the one you see the most of, near the tip of Robotnik's cape by the drafting table. I drew it on its own layer in Potoshop, then copied and pasted it into all of the other holding bays, erasing parts that wouldn't be visible as I went along. I also went and found those references I needed for Robotnik and Snively and drew the two of them properly.

And then, because I much prefer physical pen-to-paper inking over digital (my tablet is not one of the fancy screen ones, and I've yet to really get comfortable digitally inking with it, despite owning it for nigh on twenty years), I colored all of the sketches red, assembled them in groups on letter-sized images, and printed them out onto cardstock (my preferred medium when I'm going to be traditionally inking). I inked them with my various inking pens (some Sakura Microns, some Faber-Castell PITT pens), scanned each sheet back into my computer, and cleaned up the lines in Photoshop (the reason for the red printout was to make it a bit smoother removing the sketch from the inked lines, though it wasn't as clean as I would've liked; oh well).

That left us with the above. Because I inked them each by hand individually, the robots don't look copy-pasted, because it was the underlying sketch that had been, not the ink work. The tables and holding bays also have straighter lines thanks to using a proper ruler for those (though I didn't concern myself too much with things like perspective and right angles), and after drawing the straight line, I went back freehand over spots to give them a bit of that hand-inked wobble.

From there it was a matter of laying down the flats in Photoshop, then shading, adding effects, etc. I like the cold yellow light I've got on the robots, and the overall shading on the yellow cape. Also that sense of satisfaction when I called this one done, because it was the last one. Huzzah.

I'll see you on Monday for the last chapter!

#drawing #artwork #sth #sonic the hedgehog #sally acorn #doctor robotnik #snively #behind the scenes #LOTS of behind the scenes #like seriously I went on a bit of a ramble #I regret nothing

[doctor-orbagels]

How I Draw With Borderline Aphantasia

~Preamble~ 

Hi! I’m Dr.Orbagels, and even though I have been drawing for most of my life, my brain is a near black void where any images are very hard to make out. This is a condition I would come to know much later as Aphantasia. As you might guess, this was extremely difficult to work with for a very long time. Anyone with similar experiences can relate to needing piles upon piles of references, doing fan art when you felt like you were incapable of something wholly original, and a whole heaping helping of imposter syndrome. So, here I’ll detail my own experience overcoming this massive hurdle in the hopes that it will help others who are having the same struggles!

Important Note:

I am not claiming to speak for everyone who has Aphantasia, nor will my methods work for everyone. As I will get into later, even though i absolutely do have this issue on some level, my case is not nearly as bad as some have it. These are more or less oddly specific tips from someone with an oddly specific condition. 

Also, I’m not necessarily the best or most technically proficient artist out there, but I’ve come a long way. 

~why “borderline” and what my condition is like~

I think the easiest way to get across how I think is through the most common example of what level of Aphantasia you have:

When you think of an apple, what do you see?

Well, if I were to answer this, it would be something along these lines

Yes, I can see some level of silhouette and almost get a complete image, but it feels like the smaller details and overall outline are very hard to see when thinking of the full picture. However, things become clearer the more I focus on certain parts over others, sort of “zooming in” on what I’m thinking about. 

~what I did about it~

This is the main reason I am bothering to post anything about this at all: it took me nearly 15 years of trial and error and struggle after struggle to figure out what I’m doing, and I can’t help but feel that if I was able to just tell past me how I did it, I would have progressed so much faster. 

Anyways, first off is even starting a drawing in the first place. I don’t know how relatable this is, but things like anatomy skeletons just do not make sense to me when you can’t really make out the entire image in the first place. So, I much prefer to just zoom in on the image in my head, so to speak, and start with the line that is the most clear. This line is often either towards the top of the image, the part most in the foreground, or whatever feature is most prominent. To use the previous apple example, I’d probably start here: 

From there, it’s easier to work your way downwards as you go. 

And then start working on where certain details will go

Admittedly, i don’t really specialize in super detailed/realistic shading and rendering and I am completely self taught, so I don’t really have a choice other than to concede that my ability to explain my process kinda ends here. However, I found that tumblr is an amazing place for art tutorials and just getting this far is enough to get the whole train going.

Here’s the part that’s much more difficult to swallow:

The only was I was able to develop this method was from YEARS of freehand copies (i.e. replicating the works of other people as closely as I could). No, this doesn’t mean literally trace other people’s art, nor does it mean that you should even post your freehand copies or hype yourself up for doing them. Freehand copies should be purely for practicing techniques and exploring your art style. Nothing more, nothing less. However, again, this was just how I was able to make things work for myself and eventually do things that were original. 

~conclusion and more disclaimers~

This does not mean that I have negated my need for references entirely, nor did it mean I felt the need to abandon making fan art. This method just made it so I was able to make anything original at all. If this makes sense to literally even a single person like me, then I’ve justified posting this. 

Finally, I need to reiterate that I am NOT the best artist in the world, nor the most technically skilled. I just know what I know and I’m still getting better.

Here’s some of my most recent art that I’m most proud of. Two finished pieces (Pumpkin Rabbit, being my first digital drawing ever, and the monster with 4 left hands I have named “Windmill”), two WIPs (the MC of a story I’m making and fan art of an old creepypasta i loved as a kid), with two being originals and two being fan art. 

#artist on tumblr #trans artist #aphantasia #tutorial kinda but mostly just saying my story and process #digital artist #small artist #self taught artist #neurodivergent #autistic things #actually autistic #i am absolutely going to edit this later when i think of better ways to further explain lol #long post #my wips

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here and since I hit you with some pretty heavy feels yesterday I'll lighten things up today with The Projectionist. I love the music in this song, I don't think you can listen to it and not be happy and I love the film imagery he uses throughout the song. His voice during the chorus is so excited and hopeful, i always smile. We can add this to ever-growing list of songs-I want-for-Malex-in-S3 summed up perfectly by the chorus "we're leaving, we're leaving our shadows behind us now".

Oooooh, Nonnie this is such a good one and much needed after the absolute feels punch of Silhouettes. I love this song, it’s from the Light EP and is so bright and cheerful sounding and just has some lovely imagery and such a hopeful feel.

when i was young i fell in love with story, with the eleventh hour, with the blaze of glory.

the theater lights dim and all goes quiet. in the darkest of rooms, light shines the brightest.

when hands are tied and clocks are ticking, an audience convinced: we’re leaning in, holding our breath again.

just when we thought the game was over the music lifts and our dying solider lives! and we breathe a sigh of relief.

we’re leaving, we’re leaving our shadows behind us now. we’re leaving, we’re leaving it all behind for now.

Oh man, I really do love this song. The film imagery is so interesting and how he makes it work without being too much or too cheesy or sounding like it’s forced is just, pure talent. No one is doing it like him! It’s confirmed that Alex is a Star Wars nerd (at least a little bit) and oof the story of a lost kid with an evil father that gets turned to the light at the end? Of facing fears and learning to control your emotions and cut off attachments because fear leads to anger and anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering? Excuse me, I think I need a moment. *screams into pillow* Okay, I’m fine. This is fine. *mumble mumble something about the joy and pain of finding ourselves reflected in media, mumble* Also, the line about “our dying solider lives” naturally gives me all the Alex vibes and if we do not get a handprint healing where the music lifts to let us know things are going to be okay, I’m going to riot (read: scoff at my tv and complain privately to my shower wall).

but even dust was made to settle and if we’re made of dust, then what makes us any different? i guess we give what we’ve been given: a family tree so very good at giving up when we’ve had enough. though truth is heavier than fiction, gravity lifts as the projectionist rolls tape. and it makes us brave again and it makes us brave again and it makes us brave.

So this section has some of the best imagery and this song has another one of my top favorite lines, “but even dust was made to settle and if we’re made of dust, then what makes us any different?” I just love that imagery so much. It makes me think of Malex finding a home in each other and settling down together. And the line about family trees and giving up just hits all those Malex feels about their difficult childhoods. I also really love the end bit about truth being heavy but how seeing stories that we resonate with can make us brave. It just so good and really gets me in my fandom feels. 😭

so we’re leaving, we’re leaving our shadows behind us now. we’re leaving, we’re leaving it all behind for now. and it makes us brave again and it makes us brave. we’re leaving, we’re leaving ‘em all behind for now.

I know, we absolutely say this ever time, but I am manifesting Malex leaving their shadows behind and being brave in season 3. It’s been 84 years, we all (the fandom, Malex, Vlamis and Tyler) deserve to see it!

#my sweet nonnie friends #sleeping at last anon #roswell nm #malex #alex manes #michael guerin #sleeping at last #the projectionist #love love love this song #it has all the bright hopeful vibes #much needed after having to think about silhouettes in relation to literally any of my favorite characters #i have a type okay? #and that type is 'men who need all of the soft hugs'

[gooompy]

do you have any tips on drawing pokemon in your own style, but still making them identifiable as pokemon? i'm ok at pokemon, but not great at fakemon or type swaps, and yours are so gorgeous!

you have a clear personal style while still maintaining the pokemon look, and it's so so cool 💜

HI I LITERALLY FORGOT ASKS EXISTED SO THIS IS INCREDIBLY LATE WOOPS

i think my art style has always been pretty pokemon-adjacent because i've basically been drawing only pokemon stuff since i was like 6 lmao, so i just grew up assimilating the style into my brain. everything else i do branched off from there! so basically im not sure how i do this, it kinda just happened? but heres some thoughts anyway!

for drawing official pokemon in your own style:

i feel like a really important/distinctive element of pokemon designs is their shapes and silhouettes. this probably sounds really vague but maybe try breaking the design down into simpler shapes that are still recognizable, and then change those shapes up and push them more towards your personal style and how you like to draw!

this will also help you get a feel for pokemon design tropes like common shapes and proportions, which you can use for fakemon stuff

for authentic-ish fakemon:

study official designs to see how they tackle certain design elements and use them as reference specifically take note of the shapes and amount of details that are used. as an example, take a look at how rillaboom, gogoat, and trevenant approach leaf clumps. they're all pretty similar, green blobs with rounded points around them, with a small amount of details inside them to convey their bushiness. but also remember that there are some style differences across different generations. earlier gens tend to be a bit more realistic when it comes to fur detailing or musculature, whereas later gens are more streamlined and simplified in comparison. its up to you what aesthetic you want to have!

keep designs relatively simple (generally) early gen pokemon were all designed as sprites first, so they were limited by the amount of details they could cram into a tiny box. nowadays this limitation isn't a thing anymore but i think the idea is still a good thing to keep in mind. even stuff that you'd expect to be really detailed gets a bit abstracted and simplified down, florges's flowers and autumn sawsbuck's leaves for example. not saying you can't ever have complex designs though, which leads me to the last points:

oftentimes these "rules" can and will be broken! none of these are really rules, break them if it helps the design! for example, ultra beasts are literally extradimensional alien things, so they benefit from breaking conventions. a lot of the bigger and more complex legendaries are designed to stand out from regular pokemon, so you can look at it and understand that its some divine creature that people tell stories about and worship.

and finally, don't stress over these "rules" too much, there's really no right or wrong way to design stuff, just have fun with it! also some other random thoughts:

the usual character design stuff is always pretty applicable - sharp and angular tends to mean meaner and tougher looking things, round tends to be more friendly and soft

i always thought this interview was fascinating: https://nintendoeverything.com/ken-sugimori-on-balancing-pokemon-designs/

faces and eyes are really important for conveying personality. they also go a long way when it comes to a design's relatability or friendliness, and pokemon are supposed to be your magic animal friends after all. that doesn't mean everything should have cute big eyes and smiles though, in general you'd just want them to be expressive and easily readable. there's a reason why most of the ultra beasts have very weird or no faces at all, as that makes them less human-like and more alien. also have this giant pokemon eye chart to refer to when you need ideas! (if someone can update it for gens 7 and 8 i will forever be in your debt)

#i am literally just word vomitting #fakemon #fakemon design #design tips #pokemon #i would format this to look nicer but i am lazy

[mckkachins]

gif cut-out tutorial

ok ok so @subtledean requested a tutorial on how to do stuff like this post with the gif cutouts and the text effects. hopefully this helps aria ;w; i’m not the best at explaining things but i included some screencaps for clarity. i’ve tried to compress all the sample gifs and screenshots down to under 3mb to avoid tunglr compression on mobile so if they look a little different from the actual gifset, that’s probably why!

what you’ll need:

photoshop, i’m using PS 2021 but any version of photoshop will work out

a basic knowledge of gif-making (i’m assuming you already know how to make a gif and color it).

step 0: storyboard

this isn’t strictly necessary but i HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. you don’t have to do any photoshopping this first step, but it’s really important to check out your footage and the shots you have gathered to see what works, especially if you’re trying to combine three or more gifs onto the same canvas. like literally take a piece of paper and draw out where you want the character’s faces to be, where you want the cutouts to be in relation to their faces, and think about whether or not there’s enough empty space to the right or left of characters heads for a cutout to be placed. is there too much movement that would be distracting or messy in an already busy gif?

things like that really help, and it also makes you double check on your footage quality and feasibility. if you end up making a gif where you want one character’s face to be on the left side of the gif but it turns out there’s not enough empty space on the right side of their face to place a cutout and you then have to hunt for new footage or start all over, it’s kind of a trainwreck and you just waste another hour of your time as you deepen your procrastination hellhole. that’s not a real story—

step 1: make the base gif

i’m assuming you know how to color it already. and aria i KNOW you know how to color already so :) size it accordingly to your desired dimensions.

as you can see, i left enough space on the right side of abaddon for the knight cutout to be placed.

save this as a .psd file. you don’t actually have to sharpen and do everything that comes at the end of making a gif right away, but make sure your layers are clearly labeled. do NOT convert to video timeline/smart object just yet.

step 2: make the cutout gif

this is critical: make absolutely certain your cutout gif has the same number of frames as your base gif. otherwise it could get really messy! abaddon has 20 frames, so the cutout will also have 20 frames. again, do not convert the cutout gif to a video timeline/smart object. just keep it as a frame animation. here’s my cutout gif. it’s just a simple b&w gif but i added a touch of purple for color consistency sake whatnot.

now for this particular gif i’ve actually cropped abaddon to be roughly exactly where i would want her face to be in relation to the first gif, but that is unnecessary. helpful, but unnecessary. you do NOT need the cutout gif to be cropped exactly perfect in order to make this work.

step 3: combining the two gifs

there are many different ways to combine two gifs onto the same canvas. some people like to do it via video timeline. i prefer to do it by frames and convert everything to a video timeline only at the end (it’s just a personal preference). here’s a tutorial if you prefer working with timelines, but i’m gonna go over how to do it by frames.

first group everything in your base gif into one folder. then group everything in your cutout gif into one folder as well. you can name them however you want to keep track of things.

then, select all of the frames in your cutout gif. in this case, all 20 of b&w abaddon get selected. make sure its not just frames 4-20 or whatever, but all the frames you made. you can click frame one and then shift-click your last frame to double check.

click the timeline tab group options bar and then go to options > copy frames

now go to your base gif canvas. select ALL the frames of your base gif as well (it’s critical that all of them are selected).

now do options > paste frames.

a popup should appear and you’re going to select the “paste over selection” option. do not link layers.

your cutout gif should now be completely or partially obscuring your base gif. however, now you should see two groups on your sidebar of layers. one for the base, one group for the cutout. if you labelled them with names you can tell which one is which.

step 4: creating the cutout

in order to create the cutout, we use my favorite thing in the whole world of photoshop. layer masks.

to make a layer mask, you simply select a layer or group you want to mask and then click this little icon on the row of icons at the bottom of your layers panel.

white on a layer mask means whatever group or layer is getting masked is completely visible. black on a layer mask means that the group or layer is invisible. if there is 50% gray on a layer mask, then its 50% visible. so on and so forth.

i love these so much i abuse them on the daily. i’ve made a few gifs where i’ve masked every frame one by one because i wanted to get some cool effects. admitting that kind of embarrasses me but oh well.

anyway this is simple though. just find a picture or an outline of a knight. i used these boyes:

obviously i cropped out the knight of the bunch, got rid of the watermark, and then i placed it on the canvas where i wanted it to go.

select the interior of the knight with the magic wand tool. should be pretty simple since it’s all black.

now click over to your layer mask. make sure you have selected the mask and not the group. you can tell you have selected the mask when a little white rectangle pops up on it.

when you know you have the mask selected, click command+i or control+i to invert. if for some reason you do not have this keyboard shortcut, just take a brush tool and color over the area in complete black. as long as the magic wand tool is still selecting just the interior of the knight, it should be fine.

now once again, black means a layer will NOT be showing, white means a layer will be showing. so right now after i disable the visibility of the top layer we used as a reference for the silhouette, it looks like:

do not fear the clownery. layer masks are great because they are always non-destructive. meaning that even if you somehow mess up and your canvas is showing something completely gross, you can always go back and edit your layer mask and your original gif would be unharmed as long as you did not touch any layers in the group, only the mask. simply invert the mask (again, make sure your mask is selected and then command+i or image > adjustments > invert) to get:

for a layer mask that looks like:

you could have also just made a black layer mask to begin with and then inverted the knight outline to be white. many different ways to do the same thing.

another tip: if you select your outline and then click layer mask upon a group or layer with no mask at the current moment, it will automatically make a layer mask with your selection as white and the unselected pixels as black. this is normally how i do my cutouts, because it’s a time-saver even if it like. saves a few seconds max. but i typed out the above for explanation and clarity, so hopefully i didn’t just make anyone more confused.

anyway.

now say you don’t like where the cutout abaddon is positioned. layer masks can also be linked or unlinked, depending on the little link icon you see between the group and the layer mask in the image above. if the icon is visible, the layer mask and the group are linked. if you cannot see the link icon, they are unlinked.

linked layer masks will move in conjunction with the group if any type of transform is done upon them. if the group moves, the layer mask also moves. but if a layer mask is unlinked, you can move the mask and the group independently of one another. for instance, i can change where the cutout is located on the overall canvas of the gif by simply moving ONLY the layer mask (and thereby changing where the blacks and whites of the layer mask occlude the cutout gif contents). but i can also transform the cutout gif layers without changing where the overall outline is located relative to the canvas itself. basically, i can transform the interior contents of the cutout independently. so here (make sure all of your frames are selected):

group unlinked. i’m also making sure that now i am selecting the GROUP (ie. the frames of the layers you are actually going to move) and not the layer mask. you can tell because the little white rectangle around the layer mask can no longer be seen.

now i can transform/adjust the contents of the cutout solely “within” the cutout, and i don’t have to worry about changing where the cutout is located in relation to the overall gif. when transforming, make sure all the frames of your gif are selected. like select the whole group and not just an individual layer, basically.

i’ve seen a lot of how to combine and cut out gifs tutorials on this website, and here is a really good one that i know sully also used <3 big shoutout to all the photoshop queens being inspired by each other!! however i haven’t seen anything that mentioned the linked vs. unlinked layer masks, which i really feel like deserves a shoutout. you don’t have to crop your gifs out perfectly every time, you can always adjust them later. for demonstration, i’ve positioned abaddon in a few different positions with an unlinked layer mask.

step 5: creating the outline

so in order to emphasize the shape of the cutout (the knight), i simply delete the white space surrounding the picture of the knight in the original silhouette that i used. magic wand tool + delete. you can also make a new layer, then paint bucket tool it. many ways to do the same thing.

now with only the knight on a transparent background, i double click the layer to pull up the effects. select outer glow. i used these settings:

when you are doing this, make sure you are on frame one of the frame animation and the “propagate frame one setting” is selected, otherwise you might end up only applying the effect to one out of your many frames, which blows.

then i go change the fill setting to 0%, BUT i leave opacity at 100%. fill is basically like opacity, but it doesn’t affect layer effects (whereas opacity does). so you basically get only the outline but not the black. you can also set the blending mode of the layer to screen and get the same effect, etc, etc. feel free to adjust however you see fit, in addition to the outer glow settings.

i move this layer over a couple pixels to give it the little offset effect, but you don’t have to.

step 6: adding the text

okay the two fonts i used are avenir and perla. i think a LOT of gifmakers use them because they’re really pretty.

i make TWO different text layers, one with avenir in a smaller size and one with perla in a bigger size. this is because for the perla one, i’m going to be changing the blending mode whereas i don’t want to be changing the blending mode for the smaller text. i position the text where i want it to be and make sure the perla font is in the color i like:

then i change the blending mode of the fancy text (perla) to difference. ONLY that layer, and again make sure to check “propagate frame 1″ and make changes on the first frame to apply the change to all of your frames.

but i still don’t think it produces enough of a difference. so i right click on the text layer for knights of hell, and then go to: select pixels.

then i click the curves adjustment layer. this will automatically make a curves layer with a layer mask that occludes everything BUT the area you selected. beautiful. i drag the curves around until i get enough of a difference that i like. normally i make the lights lighter and the darks darker. yeehaw.

again there are sooooo many different ways to achieve the same effect on photoshop. this is just want comes easiest to me, and it’s totally okay if you find a different way that works better for you at producing the contrast you want or the colors you want.

step 7: export and cry

NOW you can convert everything to a video timeline, put your video frame layers to smart objects, and then apply your finishing sharpening filters. export, cry, and hope tumblr compression doesn’t screw you over.

hopefully this was helpful! pls like... idk support my edits if you found this helpful or reblog this post. feel free to dm me about how u do some of the text effects as well bc i’m always trying to learn new things and i am by no means an expert on like. any of this.

aria please go write your fucking thesis before i delete this entire tutorial challenge. :D

#subtledean #THIS IS FOR YOU #I FEEL LIKE THIS TUTORIAL HAS MORE WORDS THAN UR THESIS ATM SO!!! #tutorials #mine #idk what to tag this but PLS pls pls feel free to talk to me abt ph*toshop #or ask for help or point me towards other tutorials <3 #shoutout to sully too its in there somewhere #resources #100n #ps

[thesoulspulse]

Reconcile (Good Vlad AU ~ Oneshot)

It happened in early winter, that's all he could tell because of the first signs of snowfall outside of the window next to his bed at the hospital. Vlad had been there for, what, a month or so? Kept in isolation from everyone apart from a couple of doctors and nurses. Honestly, it was entirely possible Vlad had been there for longer for all he knew since every day blurred into the next after the accident.

Vlad couldn't feel it though, the cold, because these days his skin always felt either unnaturally chilly or feverishly hot to the touch. The only constant Vlad could feel was pain. The morphine helped ease that pain a little bit, but all that was left to feel after that was this cold numbness. And since the doctors thought he had been exposed to radiation of some kind -which to be fair they weren't wrong- no one has been allowed to see him after he was admitted there.

But still, Vlad had hoped his friends would come see him eventually. And more importantly, he wanted the chance to give Jack a piece of his mind! That...that traitor knew the portal experiment was unstable and potentially dangerous and yet he still pressed the-

“Excuse me, are you awake Mr. Masters? You have a visitor,” a nurse called after knocking on the door and poking her head inside.

At first Vlad was happy that he had a visitor, hoping it would be Maddie so he could get these feelings off his chest about how angry he was at Jack...but as soon as he saw the large silhouette waiting outside the door he knew there was only one person that would have come here to see him who had such a wide girth. It was Jack. But he wasn't ready to see him, not yet, not when all Vlad could think about is how his best friend had almost killed him...

Turning his head away Vlad finally muttered, “Sorry, I'm not feeling well. Please tell them to come back lat-ER!”

Vlad grunted the last word of that sentence as Jack burst into the room, tears rolling down his cheeks as the man called him by that ridiculous nickname of Vladdy he insists on using. Normally Vlad could shrug it off, but right now the nickname felt insulting somehow as if Jack was making light of what happened the last time they saw each other. Either way it's a good thing Maddie actually was there and managed to help the nurse pry him off, reminding Jack that Vlad's in the hospital as a patient so giving him a bear hug wasn't the best idea.

Regardless, Jack looked at Vlad's bandaged face and sobbed, “I'm so sorry V-man. We tried to come sooner but they wouldn't let us in! We were so worried about you!”

Nodding, Maddie put a supportive hand on Jack's shoulder and continued awkwardly. “He's right, as soon as we recovered from the shock of what had happened to you we immediately went looking for you but you had already collapsed somewhere. Jack was heartbroken and didn't understand what went wrong with the portal. I tried to find out too but it was no use, whatever happened fried the wiring and-”

Cutting herself off as soon as she realized she was going off on a tangent when their friend's well-being was much more important, Maddie dropped her hand from Jack's shoulder and asked with a sad smile, “How're you feeling? Have they been taking good care of you? I tried to explain your condition to the doctor but...they didn't believe me about it being related to ectoplasmic energy.”

“Why would they? As far as they're concerned ghosts don't exist,” Vlad replied with a guarded expression, unwilling to admit he tried to do the exact same thing only for his arguments to be thoroughly dismissed since he's not a doctor. “As for the rest they're...doing the best they can I suppose.”

An awkward silence filled the room since none of them knew what to say after that, but then, Jack spoke up and said, “Vladdy? Um, I know it's a bit squished but I made this for you. It's...my way of saying sorry for everything. I should have listened to you and Mads when you told me to stop.”

Reaching into one of the many pockets of his jumpsuit which according to Jack was handed down to him by his grandfather and designed after an outfit one of his ghost-hunting ancestors wore, he handed Vlad what appeared to be a misshapen block of homemade fudge. The gesture might not have seemed like a big deal to anyone else, but for Jack who absolutely loved the stuff and couldn't help himself from eating almost all of it himself in one sitting whenever he made or bought it, however, the fact that Jack was sharing an entire serving of it just for Vlad really was his way of showing his sincerity. Similarly, Maddie reached into her bag and pulled out a couple of her ghost folklore books for him to read since she figured Vlad must have been bored laying in bed all day.

Vlad was at a loss for words because he had almost given up hope that they'd ever come visit him, hope that Jack would own up to his mistakes for once and apologize. But since he did, Vlad couldn't stay mad. He wanted to, but couldn't, not since this forgetful yet earnest man had gone out of his way to finally come see him. The same goes for Maddie, Vlad was sure she felt guilty too for not stopping Jack in time since she's always been the more careful of the two when it comes to their experiments...

Accepting their gifts but resisting the urge to wipe the tears from his eyes since his face still hurt, Vlad held them in his lap and sniffled, “Thank you. Thank you both for coming. I...was afraid you had abandoned me.”

“Come on V-man, give me a little credit,” Jack smiled, gently punching Vlad's shoulder. “You're my best friend! I know I can be careless and stupid sometimes, but friends have to stick together through thick and thin don't they? We'll get through this together and then maybe we can try again with the ghost portal. We were so close!”

Grimacing at the thought of going anywhere near that portal again, Vlad was relieved when Maddie interjected and said, “Jack, don't forget that it's our fault this happened so before any of that we need to make sure Vlad's going to be ok. We don't know what that portal did to him and the doctors are only going to be able to help him so much. The best thing we can do for him is go back to square one and find out what we did wrong so it doesn't happen again.”

“Shoot, you're right. I'm sorry,” Jack apologized, looking dejected. “Don't worry Vladdy, I'll make this all up to you I promise! And we'll visit more too!”

Smiling weakly more because it hurt to move his face too much, Vlad nodded, “I'd like that.”

Soon after that, before Maddie could comment on anything else the nurse shooed them out so they could get Vlad ready for his next check up. But as soon as he was alone again Vlad reached over to set the fudge and books on the desk next to him when they unexpectedly slipped through his fingers. Blinking in confusion but brushing it off as clumsiness, he sighed and swung his feet over the bed so he could bend down to pick them up again. This time though, when he reached for them again they didn't just slip through his fingers as a figure of speech...they LITERALLY passed through them! Alarmed Vlad recoiled from both objects, his heart racing when he mustered the courage to look at his hands only to find they were translucent.

Realizing his sudden spike in heart activity would alert the hospital staff Vlad concentrated as hard as he could to restore his fingers to a solid state again. It took some effort but thankfully he managed to pull it off. It was in that moment though that Vlad realized, for better or worse, his relationship with Jack and Maddie would never be the same again...

And neither would he.

~

Note: I normally don’t write fully-fledged story content on tumblr apart from headcanon ideas or sharing updates about new chapters for my fanfics, but since I had started this oneshot before my Good Vlad AU started to really kick off and wasn’t that far along I adapted it into a special oneshot about Jack and Maddie coming to see Vlad at the hospital after the accident. I always wondered why they never did and usually assumed Vlad turned them away himself (mostly Jack) along with the doctors and his friends eventually move on and kind of forgot about him for all those years.

Either way, I wanted to see what could have happened if they managed to fix things with Vlad sooner while still on somewhat good terms before that sense of abandonment and resentment for Jack could take root in Vlad’s heart. Hopefully that comes across here in this little story snippet! I might post this on my actual fanfiction account later but for now, it’s here for you guys especially!

#danny phantom #danny phantom au #danny phantom oneshot #good vlad au #jack fenton #maddie fenton #college vlad #oneshot #danny phantom fanfic #danny phantom fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #story concept #story snippet #headcanon #danny phantom headcanon #thesoulspulse #thesoul'spulse #the souls pulse #the soul's pulse #short story #danny phantom short story

[chibimyumi]

Redesign Prompt RESULTS!

Alright, thank you everyone who has voted, the results are now in! Overwhelmingly our winner is Ranmao 🐈!

First of all, I need to insert a few caveats here. Unlike with Victorian fashion, I do not have years and years of studying of Qing dynasty-fashion behind me. So whatever results I show here are the product of a fortnight of reading up and meticulous studying of contemporary photographs. a.k.a. I am merely scraping the surface here. But! I do promise that everything shown here is done to the best of my ability to be responsible as a content provider.

Now without further ado, let us dive into Ranmao’s current design, the blatantly obvious inaccuracies, and how I propose to redes...ign... her outfit while keeping the original intact as much.... as possible????  Heck, this is not even worthy of being called a ‘redesign’, this is straight up designing from scratch!

Hair

Let us start with her bangs. Her bangs are in fact surprisingly accurate, as late Qing dynasty women would wear their bangs in a variety of Bettie bangs trimmed well above the eyebrows. Having sides of the bangs growing longer framing the face was usual too, though they would be cut slightly thicker than Ranmao’s. Though, we don’t know how much hair Ranmao has, so I see no reason to alter it.

Twin braids are very much associated with the “China doll look”, but they seem to have been branded into our image of the “Chinese Girl” because it was the go-to look for unmarried women in Republic China (which is many years later than Ranmao’s time, and also has more surviving images.)

In Ranmao’s time, unmarried girls would either wear the bottom part of their hair down, or have everything tied into a single braid behind them. Girls who preferred a more feminine look would often decorate the sides or the top with flowers or other ornaments depending on their wealth.

Yana’s notes say that the flower in Ranmao’s hair is a Chinese peony, which is also called the Empress of Flowers in Chinese as well as Japanese culture. I could find sources on how the peony was the symbol of the Empress of China, and how one better avoid wearing any type of peonies around the Empress herself for fear of being suspected of disrespect. But I could not find any evidence of such flowers being banned for other people, so presumably it was more an ‘unwritten code of politeness’ rather than fashion law.

Hence, I kept the pink peony design for Ranmao, and decorated them in the way Qing women would have.

Neckline

By far the most interesting thing I learned from this redesign attempt was that the “mandarin collar” - the thing that pops up first in most people’s minds when thinking about Chinese fashion - was in fact not at all common.

In this academic work on Chinese fashion history, Finnane writes that the ‘high collar’ was “not a common feature of costume before the twentieth century.” Instead, most costumes would have had a round neckline.

Finnane, Antonia. Changing Clothes in China : Fashion, History, Nation. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. p. 93

The ‘high collar’ gained popularity in early 1900s in China after the Europeans brought with them the beauty standard for high collars, as well as slim-fitted silhouettes. The Chinese increasingly adopted this type of collar and the slim silhouette (the well known ‘china dress/qipao/cheongsam’), and the relatively many early photos that survived helped engrave this stereotype into our minds.

Sleeves

I do not think it requires any mention, but 19th century Chinese fashion did not include boleros... For many of the original designs of Ranmao I can sort of see where Yana got that image from, but this bolero-look truly beats me.

The sleeves worn in the late Qing period were relatively wide, though they were starting to slim down over time. Late Qing women enjoyed much more flexible clothing rules than earlier Qing women, and the width of the sleeves was in great part determined by personal preference, season, but mostly one’s wealth.

Needless to say, the larger the sleeves the more fabric and embroidery it would require, and thus more expensive. Also, the wider the more it would get into the wearer’s way.

I don’t know how much thought Yana put into Ranmao’s original design in relation to her function as elite bodyguard, but considering how the original has zero practicality and only serves to maximise Ranmao’s attractiveness, I have no qualms about giving Ranmao fairly large sleeves too. Besides, let us assume that Lau is responsible for providing Ranmao with clothes. Illegal money tends to fill the pockets quite deeply, I don’t think he can’t spare a few pounds for big sleeves.

Wider sleeves would expose much of ‘a lady’s precious skin’, as such a more fitted layer would have been worn underneath. (The sleeves under the wider sleeves obviously did not have to be orange-ish. This was merely coincidence that both my redesign and the visual source have this colour.)

Silhouette

The figure hugging silhouette x Chinese clothes was - as mentioned above - not at all a thing in Ranmao’s time. In fact, the accentuation of the “female curves” was considered very inappropriate if not downright ugly in the Qing dynasty.

Finnane, Antonia. Changing Clothes in China : Fashion, History, Nation. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. p. 94

Yana’s notes mention that the thing Ranmao wears is just an European corset and that that is the only thing ‘English’ about her attire.

Well... I don’t know where the idea that Victorians wore corsets on the outside comes from, but I myself admittedly was fooled by this a few years ago too... I promise you all now however, Victorians decidedly did not wear their ‘bras’ on the outside. I think even now this look is considered rather ‘questionable’ by most people.

Instead, Qing dynasty clothes were mostly cut wide and straight, loosely dangling around their bodies offering maximum comfort and space. You feared Ranmao killing you in her corset? Now tremble before her now blessed with maximised agility.

Trousers

Well... I considered ‘translating’ Ranmao’s attire to 2020 standard like I did for O!Ciel, but that would not be Tumblr-filter approved. Skirts so short they could be mistaken for a belt are nothing too surprising today, but wearing one with a split that deep is probably a bit too revealing even by today’s standards.

By the late Qing dynasty, men and women, rich and poor alike predominantly wore trousers. Long robes (skirts) were definitely in fashion too, but they were reserved for those who could afford to not have much agility. If you were a farmer, robes would not have been your first option. Perhaps the way long skirts were viewed by the Qing Chinese was not unlike the way we see them now; ‘more classy’ ‘more feminine’ and ‘less convenient’, but not the only way to express femininity.

In these pictures below we can see relatively rich women, married and unmarried alike, all wearing trousers.

Ranmao is predominantly a fighter, and as trousers are plenty feminine in Chinese fashion culture, I don’t see why she would not choose to wear trousers instead of a restricting long skirt. Hence I gave her a pair of trousers.

Shoes

Like I said before, “the shoes are correct...” But the anklets definitely are not!

Golden or silver anklets are something that are worn by very, VERY young children in China. Even to this day it is customary among many Chinese people to gift newborn children at least one piece of pendant, bracelet or anklet, for it is believed to bring the child luck. More practically, this piece of jewellery will become the child’s first piece of property then, which can be sold later SHOULD they ever run into a financially difficult situation.

These anklets or bracelets would not be removed from the child unless they have outgrown them, which happens fairly quick. Ranmao who is probably full grown should have outgrown them at least ten years ago. Hence, seeing these things on Ranmao would probably make it look like she is still wearing diapers or bibs.

Chinese people would likewise not have worn shoes barefoot. Instead, they would have worn cotton socks which were mostly white.

DOUBLE HAMMERS

HERE COME THE WEAPONS! Luckily Yana wrote the following note or I would never have guessed what they are for my knowledge about Chinese weapons is next to nothing.

“These are【SUPER】heavy. They are weapons called 双錘 (double hammers) and they in fact exist. I heard these were used by power-type warriors.”

So, I googled 双錘 and it turns out that the type Ranmao is holding do indeed exist! But... only in fiction and theatre.

The hammers that were used in actual combat were either very thin and long, or short and plump. Such hammers were one of the most primitive metal weapons in China, and quickly fell out of favour among Chinese warriors when more practical weapons such as the metal spear, sword and bows were invented. The hammers mostly retained their value because of their weight in heroic tales and myths about legendary warriors and deities.

I don’t have the full details, but apparently according to some legends or myths, one of such big-ass hammers could deal a force of 200kg, and thus 400kg combined. Regardless of this being realistic or not, it sure does sound very cool! It is therefore no wonder this primitive weapon retains its popularity even today.

Nowadays when these hammers are used, they are either the blown up theatrical versions, or the smaller versions for the sake of preserving martial arts.

I had a bit of a dilemma as to which version to give Ranmao, but in the end I settled with the short and heavy ones because I wanted to keep the idea of this small and innocent looking girl wielding solid metal balls. Two cheer-leading sticks would simply not have the same weight, figuratively and literally.

Alright everyone! Did you enjoy my response to your votes? I hope you did ^^ Non-European fashion history really is not my strong suit, so my deepest apologies if I messed anything up.

Pray tell if I did, I am always happy to learn ^^

#Ran mao #ranmao #ran-mao #redesign #redesign prompt #art #my art #fan art #fanart #fan-art #Chinese clothes #UGGHGHHGHG non-European fashion REALLY is not my strong suit #BUT I learned a lot and I had fun!

[scope-dogg]

Knight’s and Magic: Final Thoughts

Isekai anime have been very popular in recent years, and 2017′s Knight’s and Magic was one of many cashing in on that trend, with the added twist of being a mecha series. However, what many may not realise is that the Isekai genre of anime was originally born out of the mecha genre, with the first Isekai anime arguably being the 1983 classic Aura Battler Dunbine by Yoshiyuki Tomino. While Isekai has split off and diversified into its own extremely prolific and popular genre, mecha has kept a foothold within it, and subsequently some of the greatest mecha shows have been fantasy-themed, with great titles like Magic Knight Rayearth and The Vision of Escaflowne following in Dunbine’s footsteps over the years, so really Knight’s and Magic should be viewed rather as the continuation of a fairly long tradition of fantasy mecha rather than Isekai but with robots. Adapted from the early volumes of a currently ongoing manga by the same name, it’s a short series, but one with high production values, superb mechanical design and entertaining action. It’s also a series that I ultimately simply cannot stand.

The plot setup is that Tsubasa Kurata is an unassuming but highly talented programmer working in contemporary Japan - or at least he is until he’s killed in a road traffic accident. As he dies, he has but one regret - that he’ll no longer be able to live with his hobby of building plastic model kits of giant anime robots. As is often the case with such a setup, he finds himself reborn into a fantasy kingdom called Fremevilla as the son of nobles called Ernesti Echavalier. However, to his joy, he finds out that the main weapon for fighting back against these monsters is the Silhouette Knight, a kind of gigantic magic-powered mecha. Thus, he devotes himself to the art of learning everything there is about these machines and one day building and piloting one of his very own.

There’s nothing really wrong with this premise, but Knight’s and Magic is flawed in how one-track it is. The show’s really only about one thing - how robots are cool. Of course, I agree that robots are cool. Knight’s and Magic’s lineup of robots in particular is very cool, both in their form and unique functions. However, anyone who’s actually a fan of the mecha genre knows that just having cool robots isn’t enough to carry a show - you have to have compelling characters and interesting narratives. The all-too-frequently trotted-out line of “[x mecha show] is actually good, unlike the rest of the genre, because it focuses on the characters instead of just the robots” is probably the single most effective thing you can say if you want to piss off a mecha fan, because that sentence describes literally every mecha show that was ever worth a damn, even going back to the genre’s roots in the 70s. However, it arguably doesn’t really describe Knight’s and Magic. The series’ creators come off as just as obsessed with robots as its main character, and it comes at the expense of the characters and setting. Each new episode comes with a cool new robot or a cool upgrade for an existing one, but practically none of them feature development of the setting or its characters. Fremevilla and its neighbours never come off as anything more than “generic fantasy kingdom”, the supporting cast are all cut from extremely generic-feeling moulds, and Ernesti never undergoes any growth or exhibits any notable character traits beyond “likes robots.”

Now, there have been several characters in mecha anime who are in large part defined by their dedication to giant robots as an ideal, or simply to their aesthetic, and some of these are truly excellent characters. For instance, Gai Daigoji from Nadesico, Akagi Shunsuke from Dai-Guard, Noa Izumi from Patlabor, Sei Iori from Gundam Build Fighters, or the Super Robot Wars Original character Ryusei Date. The difference between all of these and Ernesti is that being fans of robots isn’t the only thing that makes them relatable or endearing characters, whereas in Ernesti’s case it’s basically the only thing that defines his personality. It also doesn’t help that he’s perhaps the biggest Mary Sue main character that I’ve seen in a mecha anime. His gimmick is that his past-life experience as a programmer also makes him profoundly adept at magic, and that he’s a genius Silhouette Knight designer. He’s always totally successful at everything he tries and everyone loves and respects him for his accomplishments. Ironically, it’s this that makes him an unlikable character for the viewer, because, again, he has no real admirable qualities beyond liking robots and being good at making and using them. It’s a character’s struggles and tribulations that ultimately make them truly sympathetic, and Ernesti is never really challenged until right at the very end of the series, and ultimately that challenge only feels like a mild speed bump for him. This results in a series that despite all its cool robots and flashy battles is fundamentally dead as a story at its core.

However, all of this simply describes a series that I would find boring and mediocre rather than one I actively disliked in a serious way. However, this is arguably the first series I’ve watched since Gundam Seed Destiny that really ground my gears quite badly, and it all boils down to one specific moment in the show’s narrative. To explain why, I need to diverge from my usual review format and spoil not only this show, but also it’s forefather, the original mecha Isekai, Aura Battler Dunbine. I really don’t think spoilers for the former is anything to worry about but spoiling the latter is probably more of an offense. As such, the remainder of this review is below this spoiler cut:

Dunbine is not everyone’s cut of tea. It’s old, has bad animation, it’s long-winded and has a sometimes confused and scrambled narrative in accordance with some of Tomino’s worst habits. However, it was also a work of great imagination that really delivered on communicating a valuable message in some engaging ways. It’s a message that Knight’s and Magic cheerfully and infuriatingly tramples all over. Let me explain.

In Knight’s and Magic, the show’s hero is an outsider who enters into a fantasy world and uses his real-world knowledge to bring about a revolution in technology. This also happens to be the chief descriptor for a major character in Dunbine too.

However, this isn’t the description of the show’s protagonist, Show Zama.

It’s the description of the show’s villain, Shot Weapon.

Shot Weapon is the creator of the Aura Convertor, the technology that powers the show’s mecha, the Aura Battlers, and other weapons besides. The introduction of this technology destroys the peace of Dunbine’s world, Byston Well, and causes it to descend into anarchy and bloodshed. However, the real devastation doesn’t occur until Shot’s creations are transported back into our world, where they inflict destruction almost beyond imagining. Ultimately, Shot Weapon’s actions condemn him to a punishment of being forced to live forever in Byston Well in a state of eternal suffering, like Cain after murdering his brother Abel. Dunbine’s ultimate, most crucial message is that those who manufacture weapons and spread death are to be condemned.

Knight’s and Magic gave itself the exact same opportunity to deal with this exact same theme. The show’s final arc is that a kingdom called Zaloudek has accumulated vast military power and used it to invade its neighours. We get to see as they descend into a neighbouring kingdom, slaughter its just and rightful rulers and install themselves as tyrants. Now, enter Ernesti and his friends at the conquered kingdom’s borders. At this point he’s achieved his aim of creating his own unique robot called the Ikaruga, and in its first battle effortlessly dispatches the Zaloudek soldiers guarding the border. In the aftermath, he examines the wreckage of a destroyed Zaloudek Silhouette Knight. He and everyone else see the obvious - this machine, the Tyranto is based on Ernesti’s designs. Previously, one of the prototype Knights he’d constructed in an earlier arc was stolen by a mysterious foreign agent, and now it’s become clear what happened to it. The source of the military strength that’s fuelling Zaloudek’s ambitions of conquest are the new technologies that he created, reverse engineered from the stolen mecha. As he looks upon the wreck of the Tyranto, the show is presented with a unique opportunity to do something that it’s thus far not done - challenge its protagonist with the consequences of his actions. Sure, Ernesti is not exactly the same as Shot Weapon - he only wanted to create robots because he thought they were cool, while Shot Weapon wanted power. However, in this case the end result has been the same - death, destruction and oppression. Ernesti has a chance to think about whether the things he’s done are right and acknowledge that he’s at least somewhat responsible for the disaster that’s played out, even if it’s just to acknowledge that he has a duty to set things right by beating Zaloudek. This is an opportunity for him to grow as a character for the first time.

The show swerves this opportunity without flinching.

Sure, Ernesti does liberate the kingdom in the end, but it’s clear that it’s not as a result of any real moral calling. He just wanted to build more robots and fight with them. His motivation in the final battle is that he wants to destroy the enemy’s flying battleship because he’s worried that battleships might replace Silhouette Knights if he doesn’t. He remains a totally one-dimensional character right to the end.

As I said before, Ernesti’s obsession with cool robots arguably mirrors that of the creators of this show, if its myopic focus on them is anything to go by. Perhaps this seems extremely out of character for me to say, but this is an infantile obsession. Yes, I like giant robots, but I don’t like them so much that I miss the point. The core of not only the real robot genre that both Knight’s and Magic and Aura Battle Dunbine belong to despite the fantasy trappings of the show, but arguably of the mecha genre as a whole, is that technology can be a force of destruction and great evil when not used responsibly. Yes, the protagonist mecha in these shows are meant to be heroic, but only in their opposition to those who’d use technology as a tool of death and oppression. This is the core of the soul that makes mecha as a genre compelling. It’s a point that Knight’s and Magic completely misses and why it’s fundamentally a failure. It’s as if it’s trying to be what the mecha genre’s detractors try to paint it as.

That said, despite my misgivings there is entertainment to be found if you only want dumb action. But I’d highly encourage you to check out any alternative. If you want a fantasy mecha series, Dunbine, Escaflowne and Rayearth are all much more compelling stories than this - even ones I’m not so keen on like Panzer World Galient and Ryu Knight are fundamentally more interesting as stories than this. If you want a story with a mecha fanatic in the lead role, you’re much better off watching Patlabor or the chronically underrated Dai-Guard instead.

#knight's and magic #mecha #respect the robot

[lettrespromises]

THE FORGOTTEN DAY. - AKAASHI, DAICHI, KUROO, ATSUMU.

@luveranime wrote : ❝Hey Nikki its me again lmao 😂. Could you do one where they actually completely forget your birthday? With Akaashi, daichi, kuroo, and atsumu? Make it angst please🥺❞

A.N: ❝dear reader,

thank you so much for trusting me once more with your request! i always love writing the requests even more so than my own prompts. i sincerely hope you’ll like these hc’s, i tried to make these as angsty as i could but atsumu has two braincells and i could NOT resist the temptation of doing something more lighthearted, i hope you won’t be mad at me! mwah! enjoy your promised letter!

sincerely yours, nikki❞

Genre: Kinda angsty, kinda fluffy. Warnings: Cursing, crying.

Now, Akaashi is not one to forget about dates and birthdays. I’m pretty sure he has a notebook filled with everyone’s birthdays written in a chronological order. Needless to say, he’s someone who is extremely organized. 

He is the kind of boyfriend to remember all the slightest details you mention when you guys have a conversation. We’re talking about small details, pieces of informations that others wouldn’t necessarily pick up on except if your name is Akaashi Keiji. (I.E: he knows that Bokuto-san classifies his underwear according to each day of the week.)

The week leading up to your birthday, he makes sure to leave several notes stuck on your notebooks, laptop, mug, even your jacket to let you know how loved you are and how exceptional of a human being you are.

Unfortunately for you, your birthday has the misfortune of being set right during the revision week leading to the final exams. The latter are extremely important to Akaashi because missing his exams would result in him not being able to go to inter-school volleyball training held during the weekend. 

Even though he’s in a relationship, he can be quite distant when something is bothering him because he refuses categorically to drown you with his problems, revisions being one of them. He’s so driven to study hard (although he’s already an excellent student), that everything else appears as a blur to him- he breathes revisions, eats revisions, lives for revisions.

The latter causes him to inevitably forget about your birthday. At first, you just think he’s playing along with you and he has this huge and sweet surprise in store for you which might explain why he hasn’t left you any love notes or sent you any texts, or even avoid you at school.

The evening of your birthday, you crash down at his place, a bit perplexed at his antics. But, unconsciously, you were still in denial, you knew or at least hoped that he was just purposefully acting as such because he wanted to surprise you for your birthday.

When he opens the door and sees you, he has a quizzical look on his face “Um, hello, Y/N? May I ask what you’re doing here, dove?”

Now, it was your turn to have a quizzical look on your face, “So you really don’t know? Isn’t it, you know, a special day?” 

His mind is so coated by his obsession to study hard that nothing comes to his mind, nothing to answer to your interrogation and eventually, nothing to leave his mouth as a response. He could swear there’s something he has forgotten, it’s somehow on the tip of his tongue but no sound is echoed on his part. 

“You know what, Akaashi, just don’t make promises you can’t keep. I hope these notes you left me will help you.” 

First of all, you called him Akaashi instead of Keiji, meaning that there was something terribly wrong with him or his deeds.

Second of all, he looked carefully enough, there were pearls of tears on the corner of your eyes.

Third of all, he was so taken aback, as if all his memory had resurfaced in the blink of an eye that he still couldn’t find the strength to say something. Instead, his eyes wandered on your figure, his back facing you, already on your way home. The sole reflex he had was to raise his hand in your direction, as if he could catch your silhouette already long gone, hopelessly.

Daichi is already the (unofficial) dad of troublesome children (thank the heavens for mama Sugawara and uncle Asahi), which means not only he has to juggle between his duty as a captain and as a student, but he also must make sure of the stability of your relationship.

It’s really taking a toll on him. Seeing him come home late after late night practice is not even surprising anymore, he just comes to your place and crashes down for the night at unbelievable hours- sometimes ten, sometimes eleven.

His role of captain is so dear to his heart and he’s kind of an all or nothing kind of guy. But when it comes to the volleyball team, he pours every once of passion, patience and energy he has to offer. He knows that the first years have literally gifts when it comes to playing and he wants to exploit their potential at the fullest.

Nonetheless, when it comes to remembering dates, Daichi (being an unofficial dad) has the tendency to remember rather quickly common dates like birthdays, if not, he can always count on Suga to remind him in case he gets too hotheaded into what he’s doing.

On the day of your birthday, he sent you a myriad of texts, mini-novels if you will. All of them were the testimonies of the love he held in your regard, he was so thoughtful, each one of his word was carefully chosen to make you feel like the most loved person on the planet.

Starting the day off with a series of loving texts from your boyfriend is indeed the best way to wake up.

However, after close inspection, the last text he had sent you mentioned a date tonight at your favorite restaurant in town because, and I quote, “you deserve to be treated like the royalty you are.”

Focusing in class was almost impossible, the only thing occupying your mind was tonight’s date with Daichi, just the two of you on your birthday. And truth be told, there was no other way you’d rather spend this ever so special day.

Right after the bell rang, you made a beeline to your place to get ready as Daichi told you he would pick you up at 7, right after practice. Your heart was bursting with joy and impatience, a sweet mix of emotions which made you feel overwhelmed by love.

It was 7 already and your eyes were stuck on the alley of your house, waiting to see Daichi’s car arrive and admire the beautiful, lovestruck grin plastered upon his face. 

Then it was 8, and suspicions started to arise in your mind. Your head was clouded by interrogations : “Does he not love me anymore?”, “Is this is way of telling me we should break up?”

Then 9, then 10 and eventually 11.

You waited four hours to hear a sign from Daichi, and you couldn’t keep up with the countless texts you had sent him, wondering where he was. But, you still had hope. Heart-crushing hope that is, or maybe you were just stuck in pure denial.

You were sitting on a chair, several stains of tears on your cheeks already, facing the window which offered a view outside your house because “You never know, he might show up...”

At 11, your phone rang and Daichi’s number highlighted the screen. You were so quick to pick up the phone, your quickness was almost inhuman. 

“Baby? Hi, it’s me. Are you still awake?” You hummed in response, scared of the way your voice would break if you were to talk. “Listen, practice-...”, you cut him off : “Practice ran late again, I know, Daichi.”

There was a moment of silence on his end of the line, a moment of guilt.

“Baby, you have no idea how sorry I am. It’s just the team and the firs-...” - “I know, the gifted first years.” your voice was barely above a whisper.

“We can reschedule tomorrow if you want, I’ll ask Ennoshita to take care of the training for me.” He sounded desperate, eaten alive by the guilt consuming him and the fragile tone of your voice, you sounded like a broken record.

“Tomorrow won’t be my birthday anymore, Daichi, you know that.” You knew that if you were to hear the sound of his voice again, you were bound to break in tears, and as much as he hurt you, you knew it wasn’t his fault and you didn’t want to make him feel even more guilty than he already was feeling.

Instead, you hung up while he was still rambling about confused apologies and you headed straight to your room, head low, fresh tears crashing on the stains left by the dried tears. Like an eternal circle, if you will.

Kuroo is someone who is extremely observant by nature, just look at the way he behaves around Kenma- he doesn’t need for you to talk to know how you’re feeling and can directly dissect what’s wrong with you.

So when he finds himself having a one-sided discussion with you, (or a double-sided conversation if you deem silence as a worthy response), his brain automatically goes on retrospection mode and he’s trying to reminisce absolutely everything that happened during the last 48 hours.

The science-related puns don’t work, the teasing is a crushing defeat, all his best aces fail to put a smile on your face or make you crack a laugh. You’re still silent, or if he’s lucky enough, he can hear the faint sound of hum leaving your lips.

His last option is to ask Kenma because Kenma appears as an omniscient point of view in your relationship. And although he’s not directly involved in your couple, he always seems to find the responses to the riddles left by the cons of being in a relationship.

Kuroo and Kenma are having lunch outside, as expected of the blonde individual, his eyes are solely focused on the device held between his hands, but Kuroo is used to it. 

“Man, I just don’t get why Y/N is giving me the cold shoulder, it’s really weighing on my mind.”

“Are you sure you don’t know, or do you act as if you don’t know?”

“Ha? What do you mean?”

“Yesterday was Y/N’s birthday, just in case you hadn’t noticed.”

Oh... Oh! It’s time to panic, it’s time to leave his brain on overdrive and find a solution to make up for what he judged an inexcusable behavior. 

What broke his heart even more is when he imagined to put himself into your shoes, how heartbroken you must have felt, how alone you must have felt, he even wondered if you wanted to break up with him.

Sure, Kuroo was observant, but sometimes being a airhead got the best of him. Or perhaps in this case, the worse of him.

He froze, his mouth was set agape and kind of like Akaashi, in moments of panic, he didn’t know what to do. He felt defeatist, he knew that forgetting your birthday was a dealbreaker. He already thought of all the consequences of his actions, and he knew that none of these consequences would turn out good in any way.

He ran through the hallways like a madman, yelling to the other students to step aside as he did so. He knew where you were, and he felt so stupid for knowing your timetable off by heart but not being able to remember such a simple date as your birthday.

You were having lunch in class with your friends, and when a hint of a roster’s head peaked through the door, making hand gestures to silently tell you to come see him, you excused yourself and left the class under the puzzling looks of your friends.

To say that Kuroo was sweating was an understatement, he was absolutely shaking to death and he exuded guilt by every pore of his body. Your gaze landed on his face, and your expression seemed lifeless- where did the usual gleam in your eyes go? The shine in your eyes he loved so much?

“You’re free to insult me for the rest of my days on this planet. I know I messed up, I messed up so bad and I don’t even know how to-... Hey? Oi, Y/N, please, please don’t cry.”

If he needed yet another reason to feel guilty, that was his cue. The tears falling in cascade on your face, the scarlet tones of your eyes, everything about you screamed pure sadness.

Both of your hearts broke in unison, and the motion of his hands to capture you and hold him close to his chest was so experimental, as if he’d never held you in his arms in his entire life. 

“Why did you forget, Tetsu?”

“I swear on my life that it was unintentional. I know you won’t forgive me anytime soon and, kitten, you have every right to do so. I know it’s not an excuse but just believe me when I say that it was unintentional. I’m so sorry, you have no idea.”

“Just wish me a happy birthday instead of rambling.”

“Happy birthday, kitten, I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

As the manager of the volleyball team, you were Inarizaki’s pride and joy. You were a literal ray of sunshine, the embodiment of a gem and you were always cherished by the entire team for helping them so much.

You always made sure they drank enough, prepped several towels in case they sweated too much (they always did), listened to their problems, eased their doubts- you were undeniably perfect to them.

So perfect that Osamu, as well as the rest of the team, always wondered  how and why you ended up with his airhead of a twin, or rather, and I quote, “The useless piss-haired twin.”

To be frank, if it wasn’t for you, Atsumu would probably be dead by now. The cause of his death? Osamu himself? The whole team? His stupidity? We shall never know.

You cannot expect Atsumu to remember any specific dates, he even struggles to remember his own birthday which results in him asking when was his brother born and Osamu letting out a desperate sigh, wondering what on Earth did he do in his previous life to deserve such a twin.

Nonetheless, Osamu’s cooking skills came in handy. The whole team had agreed on celebrating your birthday, a kind of surprise birthday after practice if you will, because you were so good to them.

The divine smell of the cake didn’t go unsmelled (please help is that even a word?? no it’s not but i couldn’t say ‘go unseen’ because a smell can’t be seen like???) by none other than Atsumu himself. “Whatcha’ baking this for?” Osamu didn’t even bother to throw a glance in his twin brother’s direction “You should know, idiot.”

Safe to say that Atsumu got absolutely z e r o information from his brother whatsoever and was thus left in general incomprehension. He then figured that maybe it was someone’s birthday given how well looking the cake was, but whose birthday was it? Once again, z e r o idea.

After practice, the whole team gathered to show you the surprise they had in store for you- Kita had stuck some ‘happy birthday’ posters on the wall, Osamu had brought the cake and Aran had the gift from the whole team in his hands. The preparation was quick and efficient, all while you were changing in your more regular outfit in the locker room. 

Needless to say, Atsumu still had z e r o clue to whose birthday they were going to celebrate but the grin on his face still testified of how happy he was. 

When you exited the locker room to say goodbye to the rest of the team, you were absolutely overwhelmed by joy when you saw them gathered together, a radiant smile plastered upon their face, they were so proud of themselves and most of all, they were proud to be the reason of your happiness. 

Reflex kicked, both of your hands covered your mouth and your vision quickly became blurry from the pearls of tears gathering at the brim of your eyes. To say that you were happy was an understatement, you felt so moved, so touched that this whole surprise was for your birthd-

“Hold up, I thought it was mom’s birthday? Who’s the cake for?”

The look on Osamu’s face screamed “Someone hold me back before I kill this idiot with my bare hands.”

Kita threw a volleyball at the back of Atsumu’s head.

Suna was crying on the inside out of desperation.

Hitoshi was holding Osamu back.

The rest of the team eventually ganged up on Atsumu for even daring to forget their sweet angel’s birthday while you were standing there, dumbfounded to say the least, torn between crying and laughing.

You didn’t even need to make Atsumu pay for his mistake, the team had made sure to make him pay for the next ten years (if I’m being generous.)

So... Happy birthday... I guess?

#akaashi headcanons #akaashi x reader #akaashi hc #akaashi hcs #akaashi keiji #daichi sawamura #daichi #daichi x reader #daichi sawamura x reader #daichi headcanons #daichi hcs #daichi hc #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo #kuroo testurou #kuroo hcs #kuroo headcanons #atsumu miya #atsumu #atsumu x reader #haikyuu atsumu #atsumu hcs #atsumu headcanons

[cup-ah-jho]

So I finally finished Omori!

Uh...I got thoughts. Lots of them. They’re bulleted below for your viewing pleasure and my mental checklist. Spoilers abound below the cut, so please refrain from reading if you haven’t finished the game!

Omori is a love letter to video games. From its Earthbound inspired design to its various little nods to other games whether intentional or not. (The music at the train station and the musician whose song sounds like a K. K. Slider classic [Animal Crossing], the baseball and the bat [Off], the whale level [Kingdom Hearts], and the toaster and the blender [To the Moon and Finding Paradise, as included in the game per Cr*aot*c’s request to Kan Gao unless he lied about that, too...] are some of the one’s I noticed!) It feels very similar to the RPG Maker games I grew up with like Wadanohara and The Grey Garden, so I felt at home exploring the world!

I agree with a lot of the points that uricksaladbar (a fantastic youtuber, and I highly recommend his content if you like well-edited and well-written video game essays) brought up with regards to the use of Headspace and how the events there do not progress the plot, but I think Headspace’s main function is like a daydream to distract from what lies hidden and that the time spent there isn’t supposed to advance the plot. Traumatic memories are sometime repressed to protect a person and that’s the primary function of Headspace: to keep those memories from resurfacing. It’s kind of why it starts to crack, slowly but steadily, as Sunny leaves his house. It’s also why Sunny has a fear of heights, drowning, and spiders because his memories associated with them are intertwined with his trauma. Whether aware of it or not, those phobias actively keep him from thinking about Mari. Despite the pacing issues, I had a lot of fun exploring Headspace (except for the area from the Last Resort to Humphrey. Especially Humphrey. Fuck you, Humphrey), and it’s interesting to look at its “lack of progression” as being a meaningful design choice than “padding for length.”

I really like the Faraway Town sections more, but that’s because I prefer the more natural color scheme and grounded setting. My favorite gaming series of all time is Story of Seasons, so casually taking part-time jobs and getting to know the townspeople was definitely something I enjoyed more than the RPG elements of Headspace.

Omori does a great job of showing how different people grieve, and I love how it reconciles with the fact that there is no “right way to grieve.” I remember talking with one of my old roommates about the book The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, and she said she didn’t like it. It conveys a very unconventional method of grieving, similar to the one found in the manga Haru’s Curse/Haru no Noroi by Asuka Konishi, which can make it hard for some people to relate to. More than anything, I do genuinely believe the crux of this story is learning how to accept and overcome grief, and it’s wrapped up in a happy little tale of friendship!

I don’t have much to say on the characters (except for Basil; he’s got his own bullet point after this). They’re functional for the plot. That’s about it. But I would like an IRL Hero for myself, please.

I...don’t really like Basil all that much. And while a lot of people, my brother included, keep calling him “best boy” and “the bestest friend you could ever have,” all I saw was an insecure boy. It’s true that the trauma haunting him may have contributed to it as well, but the need to be the photographer, to take pictures, to enjoy from a distance, tells me just how desperately he needed them in his life. (Note the photo album is called Basil’s Memories and not referencing the group as whole.) Which is why his involvement in Mari’s death and the ensuing fallout, while already traumatic for anyone, probably hit him the hardest. Because he ended up alone, unable to escape the trauma, compared to the other four who found other avenues of coping besides Constant Suffering, even if some of their coping mechanisms weren’t exactly healthy.

The personification of their trauma is fantastic. Basil’s takes the form of roots that act like vines, trapping him. Sunny’s is the silhouette of Mari’s hanging body with her eye open, looking at him, haunting him like a ghost. Very symbolic!

I...uh...thought the twist was kind of...underwhelming. The game does a very good job foreshadowing Mari’s death being related to her hanging herself, which I did believe for most of my time with the game, but I was having second thoughts with what Shadow Basil, Basil, and even Aubrey was implying. Clearly Basil had something to do with Mari’s death, but my conclusion was that he killed Mari as an act of self defense to protect Sunny and Aubrey witnessed it. Like I literally thought Mari was a slimy sister that was wonderful and great to everyone but Sunny. (I’m so sorry, Mari.) This falls in line if this game were actually a psychological horror, but this game fell kind of flat in that regard. I don’t consider it as a psychological horror (more just psychological with slight horror elements), and I think coming in expecting a full blown psychological horror kind of dampened The Plot Twist for me. I was expecting to be absolutely horrified but...I just ended up feeling really bad for two kids who were so traumatized they literally Could Not Handle It.

Besides being a very good story for grief, Omori does a fantastic job in showing the affect that trauma has on people. I should also note that Sunny’s three phobias is a very typical when several traumatic instances happen in close succession. We often like to think of trauma as a result of a singular event, which it can be in cases like say a terrible car crash, but it sort of simplifies and reduces the effect of the trauma in a way. Trauma is best described, in my opinion, as an onion or a mille feuille, insert your choice of layered object here, because that singular event is composed of tiny little events or memories (perhaps broken down by senses). The game uses a simplistic way of doing it by breaking Sunny’s reaction to the drowning event into three phobias compartmentalized in Headspace, but it is something to note since most media likes to handle trauma as The Thing instead of the Amalgamation of Things that Make this Thing Traumatic.

Lastly, the soundtrack is a whole banger. Absolutely amazing.

To those who got to the end of this, thank you for reading! This isn’t necessarily a review for Omori, but it’s more so a place for me to jot down any thoughts and expand upon them. It’s been good practice for me in breaking down narratives and trying to see things from different perspectives or expanding upon why I don’t like things besides just not liking them lol.

#omori #jho speaks #game analysis #might as well use that tag now because i know i’m gonna have Thoughts when I finally play Nier Replicant #added additional commentary because of a kind anon’s clarification!

[jpegjade]

When the Party’s Over - Spencer

WHY IS THIS THE LONGEST THING IVE WRITTEN???? probably bc drunk me is wordy. i do talk a lot when i’m drunk and it gets on people’s nerves. i just really love you guys. i was sad when i wrote this, really sad, and it’s the first “smut”???? ive ever written. so here we go frens and ferns. 

warnings: uuuhhhh smut???

________________

When the night started, you were at Rossi’s house, getting drunk with the team. It was right after a hard case, difficult on everyone’s psyche so Rossi invited everyone over to relax in the usual way. After pasta and drinks, most of the team was still there while Spencer offered to drive you home since you were not in the shape to drive and he was the only one who opted for water instead of alcohol. He was beat but he wasn’t in the mood to drink tonight. 

Spencer was being a good friend but he had his motives. He wanted to talk to you in the car. You weren’t so drunk that you wouldn’t remember the conversation but your inhibitions were lowered enough to be truly and completely honest with him so you were the slightest bit tipsy but not drunk. You were 100% lucid and could think for yourself but you took the excuse to drink some of the smirnoff you brought and keep going. 

He wasn’t planning for it to happen like this but you were being very outspoken to everyone at the party so he figured it was time to get you home before you were out of a job after calling Hotch, “Hotchner the Grouch.” They found it funny but Spencer knew that you could go wrong easily. 

“Spencer Reid.” You said, staring at him. “I’m going to ask you something and I want you to be as honest as I’m being right now.” 

“Okay. I promise to be honest.” Spencer said, a little nervous. He chuckled anyway because you were so adamant that he answered honestly. 

“Do you like me?” You asked, suddenly very serious. 

“Y/n, you’re my best friend. Of course I like you.” Spencer tried to give you an answer that wouldn’t expose his real thoughts. 

For the past few months, Spencer thought about you a lot. It caused him to avoid you a little bit but you wouldn’t let him stray too far away from you. You kept texting him outside of the team group chat. You continued inviting him over for dinner. You never relented on checking in with his mental health. You never gave up on your relationship with him. 

 You were so focused on his jawline that your hand worked by itself, poking his face. He smiled and made the turn into your apartment complex’s parking lot and parked. 

“While I appreciate the validation of our friendship, that’s not what I mean and you know it.” You said, very serious. 

Spencer looked over at you, nervous to answer. He swallowed and took a shaky breath. 

“Y/n, is it really important?” Spencer tried to avoid the conversation. 

He opened the door and got out, walking quickly around to your side of the car to open the door. He didn’t have to but he wanted to. It’s always what he did. 

“Yes, it’s important, Spencer. I want to know.” You bumped shoulders with him as the two of you walked to your apartment on the third floor. 

Spencer sighed. 

“Yes, I like you. A lot…” You and Spencer arrived at your door, handing you your keys. 

You just stood there, staring up at Spencer. You reached up to touch his hair. It was so soft… You wrapped your fingers around one of the curls and smiled. Spencer stood there, nose ghosting over yours. 

“Do you want to come in?” It was barely audible but it was there. 

“I shouldn’t. You’re not sober. Unless you just want to hang out.” He said, looking at his wing tip shoes. 

“Spencer, get in here. I have literally been waiting almost a whole year for you to say that.” You pulled him to you by his tie and kissed him. 

*****

It was tentative at first. It tasted like spearmint gum. Spencer wasn’t chewing any at the moment so you guessed that he had been chewing it earlier. You liked that. It was refreshing. Slowly, Spencer got more comfortable with the kiss and relaxed and got more involved. It was sweet and gentle and soft. You felt his hands in your hair and felt the gentle pull and you released an involuntary moan. You could feel Spencer smile, the two of you momentarily breaking apart. 

Breaking apart left you speechless and in a daze. It was almost like you were in a fog but your head was clear. You were more than ready to do what you had been thinking about with Spencer for the past year. Some part of you needed this release while the other part of you needed him. 

“So inside?” You said. “The apartment, I mean.” 

“Yeah.” Spencer said, just as dazed.

Getting in the door was a task by itself. You and Spencer tried to go in at the same time and it was quite awkward but he let you go in first. 

You closed the door behind you, pressing your back to the cold surface. Scanning Spencer’s face, you saw that he was staring at your lips. 

“Do you want to continue here or should we...” He asked, looking back up at your eyes. 

“You tell me. I’ll let you take control tonight.” You said, smirking. 

Spencer clenched and unclenched his jaw nervously before licking his lips. You always liked when he did that. He wore chapstick but he never did it for anything other than a sign that he was thinking. 

“I haven’t been in your apartment before.” He said, gingerly. He smiled as you took his hand, guiding him to your bedroom. 

You grabbed your cat off the bed, putting it outside the bedroom and shooing it away. The cat sauntered around to find somewhere else to sleep. 

“Are we really about to do this?” Spencer asked, looking at you on the bed. 

Laying back on the bed, half of you held up by your elbows, you marveled at Spencer. The light from your hallway illuminated his silhouette very nicely. You could see the curves of his arms and his slender frame very clearly. 

“Do you want to do it?” You said, tilting your head a little bit. 

“Yeah, a lot.” Spencer said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. 

He had dreamed about this moment, literally, but he didn’t know he would be so nervous. He didn’t think it would ever happen. He never imagined you’d be laying in front of him like this. 

“Then drop the pants and I’ll drop to my knees,” You smirked. 

“Do you mind if we skip that part?” Spencer said not really in the mood for a blow job. 

It wasn’t that he was opposed to it, it’s just that he didn’t want to think of you like that yet. He felt like those experiences were for days where there wasn’t much time. Tonight, you had all the time in the world.

“You’re telling me you don't want my mouth on your dick?” You said, confused. 

You stood up, getting close to Spencer. You started unbuckling his belt and he audibly swallowed. He was nervous, not because of you but because he wanted this to go right. There was pressure when it came to something so intimate for the first time with someone. He felt your hands on his hips once you got his belt undone. 

“Shoes on or off?” He asked. 

“I’m taking my shoes off, obviously.” You said, already flipping them off. “Oh, you mean you. Well depends on what you want to do. You can bend me over the side of the bed, fuck me from behind, and call it a night. Or, if you want to draw it out, you can climb on top of me and fuck me in the bed. Oh, there’s also shower sex if you feel gross. Wouldn’t recommend it because it’s slippery and counterproductive to me getting wet.” You were rambling off some of the many fantasies and logistics that you’d thought about over the past year. You had thought about it a lot. 

Spencer kissed you. He just wanted you to take a breath because the more you talked about what you thought about, the more he thought about it. And the more he thought about all the ways he wanted to make love to you, the more he just wanted to get started. 

“Spencer, please pick somewhere because I’m literally struggling to keep it together.” You said in a low tone. 

“Clothes off, on the bed, legs open. I’ve got you tonight, baby.” Spencer said with a little more confidence. 

“Yes, sir.” You said, getting undressed. 

Spencer watched you but at the same time, he got dressed down to his boxers. Staring at you, he wondered how you were able to stay so calm on the outside right now. He didn’t usually have the sex drive as high as this moment. His body was on fire with desire and excitement but he was trying so hard to contain it. 

You laid down in the bed, just like Spencer told you to. He flipped on the light and you protested lightly with a groan and covered your face with both hands. 

“I want to watch you come all over me and lose complete control of your body. I can’t do that in the dark.” He said, walking over to the bed. 

“Well damn. Look at you, Spence. Actually showing some confidence. About damn time.” You said, smiling. You loved confident Spencer in all aspects of life, not just here. There was something about him that made you...want to be laid out in front of him, completely naked like you were now. 

“I honestly don’t know where I want to start…” Spencer said. Climbing onto the bed, he did the first thing that came to mind. 

“What’s your line?” He said, kissing your inner thigh, right above your knee. 

“Fuck, uh…” You never really thought of it in relation to Spencer. “Just don’t kill me.” You nervously chuckled. 

More thigh kisses. You wanted to grab your phone and put on some background music but it was just out of reach and Spencer’s arms looped through your legs and pinned your waist down to the bed. His grip was pretty firm. 

“Spence, can we…” A deep moan cut you off and slipped out your mouth when you felt his mouth finally where you wanted him. 

“Hmm?” Spencer looked up at you while his mouth went to work. The vibrations sent shockwaves up your body. 

“Holy shit. More.” You said. More was what he gave you, slipping in two fingers that matched the tempo that his mouth set. 

You were almost there, Spencer’s hair firmly in your hand and his name tumbling from your lips like a prayer, when Spencer slowed down and all together stopped. 

“I swear to god the room better be of fire.” You said, gritting your teeth. You were so, so close and he was being a tease. 

“You’re being a brat, baby. I promise I’ll give you exactly what you’re looking for.” Spencer said, looking for a towel.

“Don’t be a wuss. Kiss me.” You said, drawing his attention away from his towel search. He was nervous that you wouldn’t want to kiss him after he just went down on you. Crawling on top of you, he just stared at your features before you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him down to you. 

You hated breaking apart from kissing him, you really did. It left you in a daze, making the light seem a little too bright for your eyes. He rushed over to his satchel, digging in its contents to find the condom Morgan gave him for emergency purposes as a joke one day. Who knew it would come in handy. 

“Are you ready?” You asked Spencer. He chuckled. 

“I was just about to ask if you were ready.” Spencer went back to being a little awkward. He was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with you. 

“Spencer are you sure you don’t want me to help you out?” You asked, watching him shift as he got rid of his underwear. 

“I think I’m okay.” He said, blushing. 

“Okay well let me know if… Spencer, what the fuck?” You asked, looking down, between the two of you. “And you expect me to take all of that?” 

“Is it bad? I know I’m not like other guys but…” Spencer grew a little shy. 

“No, just work your magic because you’re different than most guys. Spence, just be confident because you are very special.” You said, hoping it helped him come back out of his shell. 

“Breathe, okay? It might be a little… Much.” Spencer said, lining himself up with you. 

“I’m fi…” You were cut off as he gently pushed into you. “Holy shit!” Was all you could breathe out while you tried to catch your breath. Much was an understatement with what you felt from Spencer just barely being inside of you.

He paused to let you adjust but it was tough. You could feel yourself stretching when he started moving a little more to help you relax. He took your leg and hitched it around his waist, making you gasp in shock. That was a completely new sensation that sped up your heart rate even faster, your head getting slightly dizzy. 

“Stay with me, darling, okay?” He whispered in your ear. 

If you weren’t all in with Spencer before, your feelings were definitely there now. 

The pace he set was slow and gentle, soft and delicate like he didn’t want to break you. It was just like you imagined it. Your hands intertwined with Spencer’s as he treated you so kindly. You felt pressure just below your stomach and it was like you couldn’t do anything but shut your eyes and let your body feel it. 

“Just keep breathing, okay? It makes it last longer.” Spencer said, trying to stay focused. His brain was going through the female anatomy but he wanted to stay focused. He opened his eyes as he continued pushing himself in and out of you. He wanted to make sure you were comfortable, taking his right hand and moving his thumb over your cheek. You looked so soft under him. 

“Faster.” You whimpered, the only thing you could manage. 

Everything felt nice, it felt comfortable. You were comfortable with Spencer. You thought it would be hotter, more dramatic when you would imagine it. You imagined him grabbing your hips and plunging himself into you until your body was exhausted and used. But that’s not how it worked. 

“Are you okay?” Spencer asked, quietly. He was going faster and a bit harder, making it very hard for you to concentrate. 

“I’m…” You couldn’t think of the answer. You couldn’t think at all right then.

“You’re doing such a good job, love. Just relax, I’ve got you.” Spencer kissed you on the forehead before shifting your leg a bit higher on his hip. That ignited something inside of you that was hard to turn off. 

Your body was on pins and needles. You felt your body shaking as you held onto Spencer’s hand. He kissed you, soft and slightly frenzied. He was chasing his own release so quickly. Everything moved so smoothly between the two of you. 

Spencer’s body rolled into yours like the ocean, and you were the beach. His waves rushed into your shore over and over, filling you with pleasure you couldn’t find on your own. He was kissing your neck, marking you with sweet mumbles of, “I’m all yours.” 

“Spence…” Another instance of being unable to think or speak clearly. 

“I know, I know. And I want you to let it go for me. Be good for me and let go, y/n. I’m right here.” He said, kissing you deeply. 

Spencer pushed into you a little sloppier, trying to stay composed but it was a challenge. He wanted to make sure you rode out your high, which you were definitely doing. Your body was shaking and you were out of it a little bit as you came down. Spencer finished in the condom and kissed you so many times that you lost count. Your cheeks, your neck, your lips, forehead, nose, lips again. 

“Spencer, that was… That was nice.” You said, opening your eyes. He was smiling over you, shaking a little bit. You weren’t sure if his arms were tired or if he felt like you did. You hoped to god that he felt like you did. It worked out so well up to this point. 

He rolled off of you, standing up to get that towel to clean you up. He saw the bathroom door cracked open so he slipped the condom off and put his star trek underwear back on as he went into the bathroom and warmed up a small towel and grabbed a big towel. 

“I got aftercare towels.” He said, walking back into the room. 

You had curled up into yourself, laying down on your side, as you fell asleep slowly. You heard him come back into the room and smiled as he cleaned you up and helped you put a t-shirt on. Putting the towels in your wastebasket, he flipped the overhead light off and came back around to the opposite side of the bed and gently nudged you to let him hold you. 

“How do you feel?” Spencer asked, nuzzling his head into the crook between your shoulder and your neck. 

He felt so warm on your back like that, holding you tight. You felt safe and secure. 

“Spence, I love you.” You mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. 

“I love you too, y/n,” Spencer said, falling asleep himself.

________________

taglist: 

@i-love-you-green

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid smut

[kicksaddictny]

Kicksaddict Sneakerhead PROFILES Interview Series: @CakedaGawd

After a long Hiatus, we’ve returned! Our popular Profile series has been requested almost on a daily basis (Thanks for the tweets, dms and emails). We were even threatened! (Thanks by the way).

Cake The Gawd! This one was so much fun. Tap in.

Where are you from? Brooklyn, NY born in Crown Heights raised in East Flatbush.

How long have you been collecting sneakers? I was introduced to sneakers in 1991 but I started collecting for myself in 98.

What’s your favorite sneaker and why? Air Jordan 6 Infrared. It's the shoe Michael was wearing when he won his first championship, and to me just it’s just the most beautiful Jordan shoe to date! The silhouette is unmatched, it is timeless, and no matter how many times it is retroed I will buy it!

Besides your hometown, what is the best city for sneakerheads that you know of? Why? I would say LA 100% !! It is a vibe out there. I am part of a sneaker group and 75% of the people in there are from LA. They really about the culture they know their shit and they are fresh as fuck too.

Do you collect just for collecting or do you collect and rock? I collect and rock. That is why I double up on certain shoes.. Some kicks you gotta have for store and show but some you just have to rock them!

What sneaker got you into the sneaker game? I cannot pinpoint one thing, it is so many things. It was Music, my parents introducing me to Nike, my older cousin, basketball, the dope boys around the way, and my 3rd grade crush and her cousin who both had Aqua 8's. (LOL) I cannot just say 1 thing because they all had a significant part in it.

What are your thoughts on these fake celebrity sneakerheads? I hate them all! All of these dudes just get perks, some of them do not even know the shoes. That shit really gets under my skin. Showing off shoes that they get and not even knowing the name or numbers of the shoes, creating their own names. Shit is sickening. S/O to the Sneaker Gawd Wale !

How do you feel about the Off white collabs? I liked the first round of the collabs. With the Presto's, Air maxes, Blazers, and Jordan 1's. I think after that it should've been left alone. But I can respect what they are doing over there. I just won my first pair of Off-White's with the Lot 50 joint.

If you could wear only one sneaker for the rest of your life, what would it be? Air Jordan 3 Black Cement. Yes 6's are my favorite of all time but the Black Cement 3's just go with EVERYTHING!

What advice would you give as far as storing and preservation of your sneakers? Wear your kicks man. I store and rock! I get it, wanting to save shoes but putting them away and never rocking them, when you finally do ya it’s separating and crumbling. In order for your kicks to last they gotta be worn anyway. Unless you're truly just on some collecting only for show vibes.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on a pair of sneakers? $900... I was able to land Black and Red and Royal 1's from 2001 together. A friend of mine had them and said he couldn't think of anyone else. I had literally just started my new job. A chunk of my first check went to that pick up.

Have you ever waited in line for a pair of kicks? I waited in line once in my life for shoes and swore I would never do it again. It was for the 2001 True Blue 3's. I waited online at like 7 in the morning at Kings Plaza. LMAO I said this will never happen again. I didn't have the patience for it. I do not know how ppl used to do that shit or camp for kicks. I was there for 1 hour and I was like this is ridiculous.

You're also a photographer, how long have you been taking photos? I have been taking photos since 2011 but officially became a photographer in 2013.

How do sneakers play a role in your photography? That is a great question because I didn't want the 2 to mix at all. Because I'm a scenery and landscape photographer. But I got into photography because of sneakers. No offense to anyone but a bunch of these  "influencers" get on IG with their DSLR cameras, take some on foot shots and call themselves "Photographers". 90% of them do not even understand lighting. I didn't wanna be one of those guys because I actually live this and study it. But recently I just started letting it be that and owning it. I am nice with this photography shit when it comes to sneakers. I have a deep connection with shoes and I love incorporating that into my art. I thank my wife for that. I told her I don't wanna be just another sneaker photographer and she said to me who said you have to be ?! I took that and ran with it. Off-White just recently featured some of my pictures on their Instagram.

I remember you saying you're a sneaker enthusiast, what is the difference between that and a sneakerhead? An enthusiast really studies sneakers. Sneakerheads just love sneakers like it ain't really about the history and all that for them. They just love shoes because it is cool and makes them feel good. Us Enthusiasts are invested. Things matter like knowing years of a shoe. For example, an enthusiast would look at a pair of Jordan's like Taxi 12's, We know Michael wore those in the 1996 - 97 season, but we also know that Martin gave away a pair on his show for the Christmas episode to the kid who had holes in shoes. They are tied to iconic moments. A sneakerhead may love Bordeaux 7's because they are dope looking shoes. Where for me it's that Michael Jordan wore those in a video with Michael Jackson and Kris Kross in the 92 Jam video. MJ and MJ in a video with Kris Kross, do you know what that did to my childhood?! Give you one more example that is not even Michael Jordan related. Piggy backing off of Kris Kross,The Patrick Ewing’s were one of my favorite kicks growing up besides seeing Pat play in them one of my favorite Hip Hop covers of all time is "Totally Krossed Out" and Kris Kross is wearing both colorways. So you see what I mean there is so much tied to it with being an enthusiast. This is just my opinion though some may not agree so don't shoot me! (Ha)

From the time you started collecting up until now, would you say that the sneaker game changed for the best or the worst? I have been collecting for 20 plus years now. I have seen the game at it's best, I have seen it die, I have seen it revive, and now I am witnessing the death of it again. The sneaker game is disgusting right now, and I honestly do not think it will ever recover. It really saddens me. It is a popularity and money contest right now.

Does pricing affect your collection? Hell No! And I hate that some people are trying to make this the norm. IDGAF if you paid $500 - $2000 for a pair, It doesn't mean shit.  The narrative is getting outta hand.

What does the word “Hypebeast” mean to you? Hypebeast is a person that only buys shit for status and popularity. They cannot form their own opinion about shit. They have to wear and cop items based on what every celeb is wearing or whatever these Social Media "Influencers" are saying is hot! It is not only sneaker related either. N*ggaz were hypebeasting for PS5 last year..

What are your thoughts on the females in the sneaker game? They are the best! I wish we had a Sneaker union and it was only run by females! The men in this game are annoying and so over the top. It is so bad that they feel the need to compete with women. The men get shoes just to show off to one another. Like what type of shit is that? The females are cool. I had a dude on twitter tell me women don't know the value of a shoe let alone about the shoe. The men feel like they always gotta try to shit on the women. The women are just trying to be part of the culture and enjoy it. And they shouldn't have to try to be part of something that is open to anyone who is willing to be invested and understand the culture.

Any advice for a young kid coming up in the sneaker game? Wear what you like! Respect the game and the people who have been doing it before you. Because this new generation of sneakerheads are little entitled dicks. No respect whatsoever!! I don't care about Travis Scott shoes. Without Jordan being who he is Travis wouldn't have a Jordan silhouette to collaborate with! Same with Off-White. These silhouettes were here before these guys. Say know your history and pay homage!! BUT STAY humble.

See I follow you and I'm loving the way you include your daughter in your work, what does that mean to you? Man, it is beautiful!!!! Without even trying she is invested in the culture. Both photography and shoes. Myself and my wife are both heavy into photography, art, music, sneakers, and clothes. My daughter is into all the same things but we are letting it be her own experience. We are not forcing anything on her. We want her to enjoy being a child and whatever things she picks up from us along the way is just a bonus. But I love shooting her, and I love when she asks myself and her mother "do we like her fit". It is truly a blessing man!

All photos by CAKEDAGAWD

Follow : https://twitter.com/CakedaGawd 

https://www.instagram.com/whatsinthesyrup/

#Kicksaddict #cake #photographer #cakedagawd #airjordan #airjordan1 #airjordan6 #clothing #baby #infrared #airjordan4

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 26

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap, mention of weapons and gunshots 

A/N:  will i ever write a chapter without a musical reference? no as i literally cannot help myself.

NEXT CHAPTER

The night was like a warm blanket tonight yet the world somehow seemed wider, brighter as she laid against his chest, hearing his heart softly beating against his ribcage. The sound itself sent her in a spiral of her own mind, the sound itself proved he was alive, he was real and he was there. Laying down next to him was just the right thing to do despite it being at the same time the wrongest of all wrong things. Sure, this was the man Gwen had been promised to ever since she was born but at the same time whenever she was next to him he seemed like a completely different person than the mythical mob boss her mind had fabricated over the years. When she was next to him he was her lover and at the end of the day that was what overwhelmed her overall perception. 

     - What are you thinking about? - Sebastian slightly raised his head with precaution as to not disturb her. - You’re very quiet.  

     - Just basking in the feeling. - she looked up to him without really moving the rest of her body, hand remaining in its imaginary circle drawing. - We should probably return to doing what we were doing.

     - I think there’s more boxes in the garage. - he sat up, arms wrapped around her figure so she didn’t fall off his lap and landed on the ground. If it was up to him, he would remain in that position for another hour with his nose buried in her hair smelling the scent of her fragrance mixed with her shampoo. - Maybe there’s something there. 

    - You don’t need to do this for me. - she pushed her hair to the side, cocking her head slightly as her hand searched the ground for her jumper which was colder than she would like due to the winter weather just outside. - I know you probably have your own business to take care of. 

    - I’m a good multitasker, my angel. - he kissed her naked shoulder before she slide her jumper on, shivering at the contact of her warm skin with the cold fabric. Y/N gave him a playful smile followed by a roll of the eyes before getting up, picking up his garments in the process and throwing them at him. 

Smiling like a fool who just won the lottery, and in a certain way he sort of had, he got dressed up in the wrinkled clothes and wrapped his arm around her natural waist before leading her out of his office and into the life to the garage. If there was a room in the house that was always, if not ever since its construction, in chaos, it was the garage. Whatever he didn’t want in his home anymore or anything for which he didn’t have space, he would send it down to the garage which meant the room was filled to the brim with boxes and boxes along with some record books and more contracts, most likely belonging to his father as Sebastian prided himself in keeping an electronic copy of all his contracts, just in case. Y/N couldn’t help herself but sneeze at the amount of dust that had gathered over the years as she grabbed one of the boxes. Surely he had enough money to hire someone to clean it, however it seemed to always escape his mind.

Sebastian took the other side of the box created walls while Y/N started to go through the first box which weirdly was filled with clothes, children’s clothes. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but continued to go through the box’s contents, carefully putting the clothing off the box by her side until she reached a silver picture frame of a woman holding a baby whose gaze was somewhere else. She smiled at the warm nature of the photo which looked to have been snapped unknowingly. Her fingers traced the contours of the photo as she wondered who the two individuals were until she felt Sebastian’s hand on her shoulder. 

   - That’s my mother. - he pointed at the woman in the photo. - And that’s me. 

   - Why is this photo here? - she asked, turning her head to stare at him. Y/N knew Sebastian clearly had a soft spot for his mother as he spoke of her like any kid spoke of their parents, something that didn’t seem to occur whenever he mentioned his father whose relationship seemed to be more apprentice-master than father and son. 

   - In all honesty, I didn’t even remember it was down here. My father got rid of most stuff related to my mother after the divorce. - his hand left her shoulder as he took a seat next to her. 

   - You’ve never spoke to me about your mother. At least not a lot. - it was in her nature to be curious, she found the most she knew about people, the best she could connect and help them out. Sebastian normally would’ve taken curiosity at harsh value but whenever she asked him something, he couldn’t help but feel wrapped around her kind nature. 

   - Well, they got divorced when I was 6 or 7. Bad divorce, my mother didn’t have enough money to get a legal team so my father got everything, including me. One visit a year ... she ended up dying when I was 14.

   - I’m so sorry, Seb. - she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his temple, trying to console him the best way she could. Sebastian however had closed that wound a long time ago and instead looked inside the box she was looking at, recognising most of the items as childhood belongings. With a curious look in her eyes, his hand rummaged through the box’s belongings taking an old teared by time stuffed bunny which gained Y/N’s attention. - What’s that?

   - Oreo. - he said nonchalantly. 

   - Oreo? - she giggled. - It has a name? You don’t mean to tell me that the mob boss had a stuffed animal named Oreo. 

   - Mob bosses aren’t born mob bosses. - he put the stuffed animal back in the box. - I thought one of my kids might want it someday but if they’re anything like Gwen, I think they won’t want something this old.

   - Right. - she swallowed her worries which kept telling her that she would never be the one to bore him a child. Mr. Williams words rang inside her mind like terrifying echoes. Mistress. Mistresses don’t get happy endings. - Well, you have good taste, Oreo is a great name. 

   - Good taste ... - his eyes seemed to rewind to a past time, leaving Y/N to look at him weirdly as he jumped on his feet to walk to a little shelf filled with books which turned to be photo albums. Looking through several pages in second-like intervals, he finally stopped in the middle of the album, a smile on his face as his memories proved right. Quickly moving towards the young handmaiden, placing the book in her lap. Her eyes glued to the photo which was of a round table filled with mostly men and little to no women, however, a specific woman stood out in the middle of everyone, a kind smile contrasting with the tight lipped smirks of the rest of the crowd. Around her neck a golden necklace just like the one which was wrapped around the young handmaiden’s neck. - I knew I remembered the name Robin. 

   - What happened to her? - Sebastian sadly couldn’t answer this question as he was rather young and most of the times forbidden to even be close to any of his father’s parties or dinners. Y/N flipped through the pages noticing she showed up in a few more pictures before completely disappearing. - She seems to stop appearing. 

   - Whoever she was, she was no mere worker. My father had a rather elitist taste when it came to who got to attend his dinners and parties. - the theory that her parents didn’t want her screamed at her again. At that point, it just sounded like the most plausible theory. Noticing this shift his attitude, Sebastian closed the photo album, putting it away from her. - You don’t need to keep going, angel. You turned out just fine without them. 

   - I know. - she forced a smile, trying to see if she could fool Sebastian but he was much too familiar with her characteristics to be easily fooled. Sighing, Sebastian took her hands in his, slowly yet surely getting her on her feet.

   - I think that’s enough detective work for today. - he leaned down, pecking her lips two times, a smile on his face. Y/N nodded, thinking it would be best if she didn’t dig in the past and together they returned to the lift which took them back to the penthouse. The lift doors slowly open and Y/N noticed her suitcase standing slightly to the side of the lift. She didn’t think much of it knowing Sebastian to be a man who had man for everything so he had probably gotten someone to grab it earlier than mentioned. Even with that, she felt a somber heavy vibe in the air as she located her suitcase, something that seemed to push her down, like a weight. - Your suitcase is here.

   - Oh ... I guess I should just unpack. - his words took her from the glued, almost hypnotic glare at her own bag. Sebastian shrugged, letting her do her own thing, only offering his help to help her move the suitcase into her bedroom to which she declined. 

Her intuition was telling her to be careful and as such, she closed the door behind her immediately opening her suitcase. There was nothing odd about it, mostly filled with the clothes she had brought to the Forrest along with other objects and personal belongings. Still there was a  heavy weight which seemed to grow heavier and heavier as she folded her clothes and put them back in her wardrobe which hit a climax as she noticed a piece of white like fabric right at the bottom of her suitcase. She took a step back however her hand leaned forward, her fingers lightly tracing the fabric as if the fabric itself were a bomb. 

The fabric itself didn’t feel worn out and as she raised it into the air so she could inspect it better. It was an old fabric which at his prime was white but had started to grow slightly yellowish with the passage of time, the material of cashmere itself however still had the same comfort of a new one, almost as if it had never been worn. However, the most notable feature of the blanket was the cursive embroidery spelling Ella next to the silhouette of a robin. Without much thought to it, she brought the blanket up to her nose, inhaling what was reminiscent of fresh rosemaries on a hot summer day spent in a garden. Then out of the sudden, just as her nose sensed the scent of the blanket, a loud gunshot sound seemed to reverberate from the back of her skull to the front. She let out a scared scream, dropping the blanket on the floor as if the fabric was burning her hands. Her eyes scanned the room, looking paranoiacally for where the gunshot could’ve come for but there was nothing in her bedroom, there was no one in her bedroom. That was until Sebastian broke into her bedroom, black revolver set in the air to which she immediately put her hands up, noticing there were few tears rolling down her cheeks and meeting at her chin. Sebastian lowered his gun, after inspecting her bedroom for any threats.

   - I heard a gunshot. - her breathe came rather harshly through her mouth, almost as if she had been holding in her breathe. 

   - There was no gunshot, angel. - his hands cupped her face, kissing the top of her forehead as she leaned into his embrace. - Your mind’s playing tricks on you. 

   - No, I heard it. - she heard it, she could still hear it ringing in her ears like a never ending sound. Sebastian’s lips tightened as he embraced her tighter, letting go of his revolver on top of her bed. - I heard it. 

  - I know, angel. I know. - he spoke very lowly, whisper-like even. - You’re tired, you need some rest.

  - I swear I heard it. - she looked around, her eyes convincing her that there was no real danger but her mind telling her to keep her guard up, specially when the blanket on the ground caught her attention once more like a cursed amulet. Like a child, she hid from it on Sebastian’s shoulders, the contrasting cedar wood scent almost erasing the soft and fresh rosemary from her mind. She had heard it, she knew she had heard it. - Maybe you’re right, I just might be tired. 

  - C’mon, I can make you a cheese toastie. - he rubbed her arm soothingly, a inviting smile on his reddish pink lips which just always looked so inviting. - It’s gonna be alright, angel. 

  -  Well, I’m surprised you can use a sandwich maker. - Y/N pushed the worries to the back of the brain, that part you only see when you’re trying to fall asleep or too lost in your own mind to visit those darkest parts which you hope disappear with time. 

   - I’m not completely incompetent in the kitchen. - she looked up at him, a seemingly calm smile masking all her worries. - I never set it on fire.

   - What an amazing astonishment. - she giggled, a hand coming to stand in front of her lips. 

   - C’mon angel, let’s get some food in you.

tag list: @lilya-petrichor​ @xoxohannahlee​ @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater​ @nikkipea​ @madisonpillstrom​ @cevans98​ @thelostallycat​ @sideeffectsofyou​ @anxiousdreamersworld​ @captainchrisstan​ @lookiamtrying​ @sarge-barnes-sir​ @stuffforreferences @thebadassbitchqueen @sebastianstansqueen@nsfwsebbie @strangerliaa @emzd34

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan/reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan/you #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan/y/n #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan drabble #sebastian stan fanfic #sebastian stan AU #mob!sebastian stan #mob boss!sebastian stan #mobster!sebastian stan #mafia!sebastian stan #mafia boss!sebastian stan

[kpopisthereasonihavenolife]

Kitsune: iv. summer

j.hoseok / reader 

genre: Demon Hunter AU, Action, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Japanese Federal Era 

warning(s)!!: nudity, thugs/bandit kidnapping, killing/death, hostage situations, threats, violence, y/n fights in the nude (it makes sense trust me), minimual cursing but meh, taehyung is a lil insecure/nervous

w.count: 16.6k

Series | One-shot | Two-Shot | Drabble | [Rated: T] 

synopsis: Demons: man-eating, murderous monsters who would kill anyone for the blood of humans: be it man, woman or child.  They have no need for comrades. Known cannibalize and kill other demons if they so choose. Demon Hunters are tasked with eliminating any and all demons without question, but what would come to pass if they were told that a demon saved a human life? Views, values and relations become altered and absolutely nothing seemed human anymore.  Never sharpen a blade too much, lest you become the wounded.

Series Index | i.demon | ii. winter | iii. spring |

a/n: could you believe that i wrote about 40% of this part while at work in small intervals.  It’s pretty amazing how focused I can be on my fics when I’m literally just sitting at the desk LOL.  Anyways, I know it’s been long awaited (by few, but still), but it’s a pretty big chapter so it balances out LMAO 

t.list: : @kathrynwynterbourne @tiredjedi @kaekae-93 @multycoloredtaco @sunshinechim-98 @baojinnie @perpetually-single @lexi-tries-art @fallingjungwoo 

It had only been three days since Taehyung had officially taken over where Fuuta had left off and already things were moving smoothly.  He had sent word out after the leader meeting that the previous overseer had died and he had stepped in to handle any and all further issues as well as oversee the actions of the demon hunter organization.

Over the course of the days, Hoseok had been his shadow.  Following him when he wasn’t given orders, or fulfilling the orders given to him by the younger man before returning back to his beck and call.  Hoseok watched Taehyung carefully. Taehyung was as hard boiled as he was led to believe and the entire situation had to have been crawling under his skin- he just couldn’t voice that.  

You had still remained in your fox form, tailing behind Taehyung- viewing him as your new master- and abiding the exact way Hoseok did.  You would go if you were told to go and would do whatever task was asked of you.  You even obeyed tasks that held the criteria of traveling with Hoseok to somewhere in the city. You weren’t overly fond of the idea that you had to occasionally run errands with the one demon hunter who you had fought with on multiple occasions, but you didn’t want to be yet another weight on Taehyung’s shoulders.

He was so young and yet already commanding such a large organization.  Filling the shoes that Fuuta once did was difficult and there would be no shortcuts as he grew into them. He would just need to follow his gut and learn from experience.

It was the beginning of the fourth day where Taehyung had sat himself in his room as he took to his desk on the floor that sat at mid-torso as he knelt in front of it.  His legs were tucked under his rear as he was leaned over onto his wooden desk space.  His elbow pushing into the wood as his curled knuckles pushed into his forehead.  His nighttime kimono was covered in creases and wrinkles, hanging loosely off his shoulders and open at the chest. His long hair hadn’t even been brushed out yet.  

He rubbed at his temples before he sighed and lifted his head back up, dropping his arm to rest over the desktop.  Looking behind him, there your fox body slept curled into an oval.  You had a habit of sleeping beside his head ever since you regressed to your fox form. He leaned back, bracing one of his arms behind him as he twisted at the waist to look back at you with a small grin.  

Perhaps it was because you were sleeping, but the small licks of fire that always swirled and flickered from your tails and paws were diminished in the orange light of dawn through his window.  

“Y/n,” he softly called.  On command the fire that had been small struck to life in small waves of blue as your eyes opened.  Bringing your canine body up to arch into a stretch, you were soon prancing on your fire-wisped paws to Taehyung’s side.

You sat beside him, looking up. The top of your head all the way down your spine to your settled two tails were a straight arrow. He used the hand that had braced his back to come up and pet at your head, thumbing behind your ears and smoothing out your bed-fur.  

“I have something for you,” he told you, his voice still not as awake as his body.  He reached to his desk, pulling a small wooden box from the far corner of it and brought it into sight.  “This box contains something meant for your safety on your future journey with Hoseok. However, I’ll need Hoseok here with you both before you can be granted it.  It will also act as the official marker of the start of your mission.”

Your wide, fox eyes looked at the wood finished box.  Part of you didn’t want anything to do with whatever might be inside if it meant that the object would push you out of this compound with Hoseok. However, you knew that this mission was important- and not just to you.  You just bowed your head at him.

Taehyung then directed a small, sadden smile at you.  He moved his hand from your head and down your neck to your back. Repeatedly petting you in long strokes.

“Will you ever return to your other form?” You lowered your head.  “I wish that you will soon, and that the next time I see you from your journey, we’ll be able to properly talk again.” You looked back up to him standing up to all four as you stepped to place your front two paws on his folded legs.  The samurai scratched under your chin. “Go fetch Hoseok for me,” he asked with a smile.  

-x-x-x-

The demon hunter lay on his back in his room, staring up at the ceiling utterly thoughtless.  He traced the outline of the ceiling back and forth and around with his eyes as one of his arms rested under his head, the other on his stomach. His kimono was open to reveal one of his legs as the chest was pulled open.  His swords were across the room against the wall as his haori was hanging up on the wall.  

The window to his room was open as the small railing outside of it casted a lined shadow across the tatami floors. It was a breezeless morning as the sun dyed the sky before it breached the horizon.  

Hoseok’s eyes shifted from the ceiling to the open window as a light, dull thumping of paws landed on his window railing.  He looked down at the shadow on the floor, watching twin-tails waves in opposite directions with the shadow of a fox sitting in his window.  He looked back up, finally looking at your sun-lined silhouette.

He sucked in a small breathing, holding it for a beat before he pushed himself up to sit slouched in his futon. He said nothing and you didn’t move.  You just stared at each other, his unmoving hard gaze locked onto your fox eyes.  He sighed, moving to face forward and run a hand through his hair.

“I'm on my way,” he muttered as he started to force himself out of his futon and up off the floor.  His kimono slid further down his shoulders, exposing his bicep as he turned to grab his folded up keikogi and hung up haori.

Behind him, he heard your paws flick from his window to the floor as you jumped fully into his room.  He paid you no mind as he fiddled with the thin sash around his waist, losing it before opening the kimono and sliding it off his arms.  

He changed in silence, as he expected no less, as you sat in his room. Staring at the door to his room in an amount of patience Hoseok might find impressive if he wasn’t running over and over again in his head that you were a demon.

Hoseok fastened his swords to his hip as he pulled his haori over his shoulders and repositioned it comfortably.  Leaving his futon in a heap on the floor of his room, he walked to the door above you. Sliding it open, you sprung up and dashed out ahead of him as he walked into the hall and slid his door shut behind him.

He followed after your trotting form as he made his way to Taehyung’s room. He stood outside his superior’s door as he contemplated just walking in as he used to all the time before when he wasn’t in the high seat he now sat in.  Hoseok knew he had to show Taehyung the respect he deserved now, but he also didn’t want to treat his best friend any different than in the past.  It was a tough tear between options.

He must have been standing in contemplation for too long because Taehyung had called for him from inside the room.

“Hoseok, you can come inside.” The hunter hesitated just for a moment before he was sliding the shoji open and stepping inside along with you.  You ran past Hoseok’s legs and into the room to sit beside Taehyung as the hunter slid the door shut behind him.  “Take a seat, my friend,” Taehyung offered as he extended his hand to the space near him as Hoseok just wordlessly nodded and did as he was told.

Taehyung waited a moment as he pet your head, thanking you for bringing Hoseok. He looked back up to his friend.

“You don’t need to force yourself to treat me like you treated Fuuta,” Taehyung told him.  Hoseok’s stiff shoulders jumped before they slacked and he let out a small breath.  Taehyung chuckled, watching his friend physically deflate.  “It’s true that I’m the overall ring leader of the organization, and perhaps you’ll need to address me as such in formal situations, but for the most part I’d prefer if you kept referring to me as you have been.”

“Are you sure that’s actually alright?”

“Technically speaking, no,” he chided with a small grin as he continued to pet and fawn over your fur.  “But, since I’m the one in charge, I think I’m allowed to change a few rules. Not to mention one for friends.”

“I think a part of you is still as immature as you used to be,” Hoseok flatly spoke as Taehyung laughed.  

“That’s not so wrong, is it?”

“What did you need me for so early in the morning, Taehyung?” Hoseok cut to the chase.  Taehyung scoffed, accusing him of already being awake in the first place to which Hoseok just brushed off- ignoring his jest completely.  

Taehyung removed his hand from you as he reached for the same wooden box from earlier.  He lifted it and set it on his kimono covered leg as he lifted the rectangular top off and placed it on his desk.  Inside, he had pulled out a silver blade pendant with a clear crystal in the middle of it.  The samurai offered his hand out towards Hoseok as he looked at it with a quirked brow.

“Your hand, if you would,” Taehyung requested as Hoseok hesitantly stuck his arm out so his fingertips touched the other’s palm. Taehyung brought the bladed pendant and slid it across the pad of his middle finger. Hoseok winced at the small cut as he felt the burn then warmth of his blood beading out of his skin.  

Taking it from his finger and releasing his hand, the blood of Hoseok’s clung to the pendant before the crystal in the center began to taint red.  Taehyung nodded to himself when it was fully crimson. It was as if the crystal had soaked up the blood from Hoseok’s hand like a cloth.

“What did you just do?” Hoseok asked, placing his fingertip in his mouth to suck off the remaining blood there before he dropped it to his lap- but not without shaking it out a few times first.  Taehyung remained silent as he then looped the necklace around your fox neck and let it rest on your furry chest.  “Taehyung?” Hoseok called again, annoyed by not getting an answer.  

Taehyung just shushed him lightly as he picked you up under your legs and moved to sit you away from him in front of both him and the demon hunter.  

“Just watch,” Taehyung said.

Hoseok’s eyes started to widen, just a bit, as his jaw almost dropped at your appearance.  It began to change, shifting right in front of his eyes.  Your second tell before to fade into thin air, as if it was never there.  The fire around your paws diminished completely, disappearing as the markings around your remaining tail, paws and cheeks all faded away, leaving your white fur completely clean of them all.  Your golden eyes dulling into a shade of boring brown.  

You looked just like a regular, white coated fox now.  You hopped up once the entire transformation completed as you walked around in circles.  You felt wrong. You looked at your lack of a tail, even though when you moved it you could still feel two there.  You would faintly smell the remains of the fire that disappeared around your paws and tail.  You folded your ears before you straightened them back up.  

You looked at Taehyung and he almost chuckled at the narrow slit of brown you sent him in the form of a glare.  Hoseok and removed his sword scabbard from his side as he nudged the hilt of it into your side to actually solidify it was still you.  You hissed at him for this, swiping at his weapon handle.

“What the hell did that pendant do?” Hoseok asked as he replaced his sword at his side after yanking it away from you.  

“It wasn’t the pendant per se,” Taehyung explained. “It was your blood inside the crystal of the pendant that triggered the spell. This will camouflage Y/n’s appearance as a regular fox who just so happened to be following its travel companion. Not a demon fox who is on a mission with a hunter.  When she’s in her human form, it will also change her appearance and make her seem like a regular woman.”

Hoseok almost felt sick that you were using his blood to fool others into thinking you were the same species as him; a human being.  From the way your body stood rigid, he assumed you weren’t too thrilled about it either.  Taehyung just shook his head at the both of you.

“Get over your frustration you two,” he scolded lightly. “It’s necessary to insure safety, like it or not.” You both refused to voice your opinion on the matter- not that you would speak anyways.  Hoseok just sat and stewed in his annoyance as you just plopped your bottom back down with a canine huff.  

Taehyung ran you both through details of the mission you would soon be embarking on the rest of the morning.  Explaining where to head first, and how to look for anything that may be a clue as to where Zath may be hiding.

Instructing to never disregard any demon rumors, never doubt someone’s story- no matter how crazy it may sound, and to never turn your back on someone who claims to need their aid.  Even if someone who is pleading for help needs to be helped due to a demon occurrence or not- do not turn them down unless the task is life threatening.  

Taehyung was a man of people, never saying no to someone who shed a tear and begged for help.  Hoseok didn’t understand his soft heart, and the orders to act according to Taehyung’s heart made his stomach unsettled; it’d be a hefty order to obey.  

“If possible, I’d like for you both to head out tomorrow,” Taehyung began to finish.

“Tomorrow?” Hoseok confirmed. “Isn’t that soon?”

“If anything, I’ve waited far too long for the mission to begin.  Everyday I waited Zath was roaming free somewhere. I suppose, I used the both of you to cushion myself until I felt like I could handle this on my own,” the leader admitted. Hoseok’s eyes softened.  

He did find it odd that when he pledged to take on this mission he wasn’t sent out the door immediately with the other leaders.  Instead, Taehyung had him and you stick around.  

It was because he was scared to be alone, not wanting to truly be the independent leader he was supposed to be now.  He wanted just a few more days to be Taehyung, but now he knew he could no longer be selfish like that. He had to let you both go, and Hoseok felt his heart ache for his friend.  

You padded to Taehyung’s front, laying down to place your chin on his leg as he pet you and chuckled- a sound that was sad and bitter to the taste.  

“Will you be alright on your own, Taehyung?” Hoseok lightly asked, as if he was walking on thorns.  

“I promise I will be. I’ve had my time to adjust,” he spoke so solemnly, Hoseok hesitated.  He was tempted to argue to push back departure just a few more days. However, the idea of the argument died on his tongue before he even started it- the look in his new lord’s eyes telling him to drop it.  

“Then,” Hoseok started in a sigh, “tomorrow we will depart.”

When Taehyung dismissed Hoseok, he looked down to see you sitting at his side.  Your head the height of his knee as your appearance was still like a typical fox with that necklace around your neck.  You sat patiently, and only got up to move when the hunter started out of the room completely and down the hall.

He wanted to ask why you were following him around instead of sticking to Taehyung like you had been, but he didn’t waste his breath.  He knew you wouldn’t answer him anyways. He had planned to wander around until Taehyung called for him today, but since his mission was officially about to begin, he decided to head back to his room and get packed for departure.

He silently watched you follow after him and even trot behind him into his room as he opened the door, you sliding in with him as he shut it again.  Grabbing the deflated and empty cloth bag Taehyung had told him to use, he pulled the twine rope top open.

The bag itself wasn’t impressive by any means.  Sewn together with all sorts of mixed patterns of old scraps of cloth. The top was folded and a rope was pushed around the top to pull it close.  It was a pathetic excuse of a knapsack, but it would work until Hoseok was forced to purchase a new one- something he hoped he wouldn’t have to do truth be told.  

You sat in the corner of Hoseok’s room, the shadow of the morning sun that had risen to almost midsky casting into his room as you lingered in those shadows.  You remained as silent as ever and motionless aside from your one visible tail swaying lightly as you watched him shove item after item into his bag.

As he packed away things he had been given by Taehyung to prepare for this journey, he halted as he slumped in his position and looked over towards you with narrowed eyes.

“Do you plan on gawking all day?” He bit, knowing full well you weren’t going to reply. He just scoffed at himself, as well as your silence, as he continued his task of packing.

Later that night, Hoseok was given one last solitary audience with Taehyung as the young head of the organization came to his room.  Hoseok let him in as they sat on the tatami, Hoseok’s futon not yet unfolded, but taken out of its place in the closet.  

“Here,” Taehyung started, reaching across the short distance between the two men to hand him something.  Hoseok took the folded paper Taehyung gave him and inside was a limited number of talismen covered in symbols and a language he couldn’t read.  Hoseok quirked an eyebrow, eyeing the spiritual pieces of submission in his hand, careful not to rip the delicate paper. “You may use those in dire circumstances in regards to Y/n,” Taehyung instructed.  

“How do you mean? Isn’t that fox supposed to be harmless,” he bit. Hoseok’s tone didn’t go undetected to his friend.

“Although that is true, it wouldn’t be wise to trust that the talisman embedded in her back will stop her demonic nature in full if things get too dire. If she begins to disregard her duty to protect humans or reverts back to her true demon self even the slightest, you must pin a talisman onto her body. That should be enough to calm her and call her back to her senses.”

Hoseok folded the taliemen back up in the protective paper he received them in before he set it aside to his left and sighed.  Slouching back, losing all form of formality as he looked up to the ceiling,. The single flickering candle in his room formed shadows along the walls and ceiling tiles as they danced over his head.

“This seems to be growing into more and more of a hassle. Just how many more precautions are you going to have me take when traveling with a demon?”

“Hoseok, there is one more thing,” Taehyung cut in before the topic could run off without him.  “If those talisman ever become defective, then I need you to be responsible for stopping her. No matter the price or cost.”

Hoseok halted. “What-”

Taehyung quickly interrupted his friend without explaining himself further on what he could have possibly meant. He spoke just a short while longer with Hoseok before retreating back to his room for the night.  

Hoseok was awake a while longer, fulfilling one more task he wished to do before his departure for himself.  The second, unused sword that always hung with him at his hip was in need of one more piece of restraint- for future personal precaution.

-x-x-x-

Hoseok had already finished pulling his keikogi on as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of his haori before he slid open his bedroom window just in time for you to jump onto the railing outside of it. It was pretty sad he knew you were going to show up right as you normally did.

Dawn had just broken and the hunter already had his room picked up and his futon put away.  HIs bag was sat in the corner beside his two blades as he adjusted the leather belt around his waist and straightened the haori on his shoulders. You sat outside his window, still looking like an everyday, wild fox the whole time waiting on him.  

He slid his swords through his belt as he grabbed his bag by the thick rope, wrapping it around his palm twice and slung it over his shoulder. He padded in his tabi socks to his door before sliding it open.  He looked over his shoulder, seeing you still unmoved outside his window.  

He said not a word, but stepped out of his room and slid the door shut behind him as you jumped back down from his window to the ground below.  The day had to begin and farewells had to be addressed; leaving was already hard enough considering the circumstances.  Pushing it off anymore would just cause everyone more grief.

Taehyung was sitting in the outside corridor, his lounging kimono still on as it was loose around his waist, revealing his chest and shoulders.  He reached out towards the cold stone garden as he watched the winter birds jump and flap around on the ground and to trees without leaves.  His hair was free of any ties or ribbons as small strands whipped in the morning freeze.

Taehyung dropped his hand as he felt Hoseok standing behind him in silence.  He turned his head, only slightly moving his shoulders to see the dressed and ready to depart hunter.  He smiled.

“Do you intend on taking a steed with you?” Taehyung asked as he looked away from Hoseok and back out into the brightening outside.

“I don’t.  Although riding horseback would be beneficial, in the long run it could cause more hindrance than progress.”

“I see.” Taehyung moved with a deep breath to stand.  His kimono slid further down his shoulders as he adjusted them, his chest still peeking through the fabric. “I shall call for Y/n.” Taehyung looked down at the two swords attached all-to familiarly to Hoseok’s hips.  The one that never got drawn was now bound by a charm that reached from the hilt to the beginning of the scabbard and wrapped securely in a red thread.  

The new head of the organization narrowed his eyes at the length Hoseok was willing to go just to keep that sword sheathed.  He decided to keep his mouth shut about it, however; knowing Hoseok could feel Taehyung’s eyes on the second piece of unused weaponry. He simply started off without a word spoken about it.

It was silent and tense that morning as Hoseok followed Taehyung’s back through the halls. The air was thick like it could coil around the throat and choke someone. Taehyung stopped briefly into a room before he walked back out and in his hand was a small cloth rolled and pinned. It was a small cloth with items inside of it as he began walking back down the hall with Hoseok once more following him as his last minute shadow.  

He stopped in the middle of the enclosed hall in front of a circular window that was half the size of himself and with no glass to keep the outside and inside separate.  He smiled out of it as if he was looking at something and before Hoseok could question him, there you were popping up from outside.  You must have been running around outside for you to be sitting in the window like you were now.

Taehyung pet your head before he brought his hands up to wrap the cloth he held with items rolled up inside of it around your neck.  You sat patiently still as the bulge of the make-shift pouch sat behind your head and was tied neatly under your fox chin.  

“That is for you to keep. I’m not sure when you’ll decide to change back into your other form, but just in case it’s a long time, you won’t be empty handed.” Taehyung assured you as he caressed your ear.  Hoseok watched and his mind briefly wandered back to the previous night. When Taehyung’s attitude changed for the slightest moment when it came to suppressing your true demonic nature and distaste for humans.

The look in his eyes almost looked like he was saying that if worse comes to worse, then Hoseok should-

“Hoseok,” Taehyung called, snapping the hunter out of his thoughts and back to the present.  “It’s time you both are to be going.  The day won’t wait for you. Come, I’ll lead you both to the front.”  The hunter only dipped his head as he began to follow after Taehyung for one of the last times as far as he could tell.

The sensation Hoseok felt in his gut was like a knot that was being pulled so tight the rope would snap as he looked at the center of Taehyung’s back down the hall.  The silence of the narrow hall and padding footsteps of the two humans and demon fox were like rolling thunder.  Before he could even try to convince Taehyung to hold off on telling Hoseok and you to leave, he was already standing at the entrance to the estate.  

Taehyung raised his arm, pointing out towards the city and beyond towards a valley Hoseok knew of that was perhaps a day and a half trip away.  

“Through that passage is a hot-spot of bandit and thug attacks.  The quickest way to get involved and inside of a syndicate that could possibly be related to Zath is to get captured.  It’d be for the best if you act as if you’re taken by surprise.  If they don’t show up with you just passing through, set up a camp and they’re sure to get you then.”  

Before he knew it, Hoseok was leaving through that entrance and away from Taehyung who just offered them a wave.  You were following at his side, your cloth around your neck as silent as ever. As he glanced down at you throughout the city and out into the wilderness, he narrowed his eyes.

Hoseok was officially stuck with you now.

-x-x-x-

Hoseok sat in front of a fire of sticks and surrounded by a ring of stones of all shapes and sizes and textures as it crackled and sent sparks and fire flicks into the dark, damp night air.  Shadows of the dancing flames bounced off his cheeks and chin and nose as he sat with his legs crossed and his swords off his hip and to his side.  

You sat across from him, your fox chin lifted up as you looked at the sky through the two sides of the deep valley you and Hoseok were deep into.  Just as he had known, you were silent and shockingly obedient the entire time since you both had left Taehyung’s side.  He expected more of a silent fight, but you were quick to do his quick tasks he says.  

He often thought about the envelope of talismen that Taehyung had given him and when he’d have to even think about using them. By the way you were now, anyone would think you were just an obedient fox trailing after him for some reason or another.  He had to constantly remind himself that you weren't what you looked like and were in fact a demon who had tried to hurt him before- granted one time was a test.

He watched you diligently.

Perhaps he was assuming things all wrong.  He grit his teeth at the idea of being wrong about you and swallowing his pride about it.  What if you really were the reliable demon fox Taehyung insisted you were? What if you really weren’t as awful as Hoseok had painted you to be? Was he being unrightfully judging by just throwing you into the same ring as other demons he’s encountered and killed before?

The continuous train of thought bouncing between you being good or evil made him angry because he shouldn’t be wavering on the border like this.  He had always made it a point that demons are evil and nothing less, but when he saw and met you properly with Taehyung and Fuuta, his ideology was turned on its head.  It wasn't fair.

More than hating demons, he hated being wrong.

It wasn’t often he was, so when it does happen it gets under his skin and makes him itch with an unsatisfying feeling until he finds a way to get over it.  

“Hey, Fox,” he called over the top of the flames in front of him.  Your chin dipped back down to only briefly look at him before you were pawing at your ear in an effort to show you were listening to him, but not willing to look at him. He almost tutted at your resiliance to be compliant- but could he really talk? “I know you didn’t want to take this job, especially with me,” he started. “So, why did you go along with it?”

Just as he susecpted, you were silent.  You just sat and set your paw back down from your ear as you stared at the fire.  He had a feeling your answer would reflect why he decided to accept this job as well.  It was common ground for you both, your connection and respect for Taehyung.  The one thing you could agree on was the new, young leader.

He sighed, dropping his shoulders as he moved to place his hand behind him and lean back so it would support him. He lifted his chin to look at the sky you were looking at previously.  He could see the stars peeking through the grey nighttime clouds.

It was quiet with the two of you for a bit longer before he noticed you start to look around, getting more antsy and restless with your small, but notable, actions. Hoseok started getting tense by the way you wouldn’t settle down.  He reached for one of his swords, the one he always used, as he started to uncurl his legs from under himself to extend and jump up to his feet if need be.  

He glanced towards you as you got to your paws. Your small body was standing tall with your tail lifting up as the fur puffed out. Your whiskers bristled as your ears stood up and you hissed looking to and fro from your left, right and over head. Another hiss passed your snarled teeth before your erect ears flattened against the sides of your head and your hackles raised for an attack.

Seeing what looked like a pure fox of nature made you seem like only a minor threat, however Hoseok’s skin ran with a chill at the thought of you appearing this way in your normal, demon form. With two tails and blue flames dancing around your body; perhaps in the future it would be a good bargaining chip to those unworthy of doing business or conversation with.  Something to ponder on.

It was the instant he heard a small clacking of a piece of rubble that erupted the otherwise silent camp he had set up just as Taehyung had told him to when things began to finally unfold.

From hidden ledges of the rock walls jumped men of all sizes and sounds. Dressed in range from full uniforms to nothing but the bottoms of tattered keikogis and a half coats.  Some bandaged, some not, some taller, some shorter, some fuller, some stick thin.  All were armed however.  

Hoseok spun from his position on the ground as his back now faced his campfire that would eventually begin to diminish from being unattended. He held his ground, hand on the hilt of his weapon as you stood behind him on the other side of the fire.  He could hear you snarl and hiss as he narrowed his eyes.  

Taehyung was right on the money, they came to capture the both of you faster than Hoseok expected. He was almost caught off guard by their haste. 

The murmur of cackles from the surrounding group of what seemed to be ten men felt like a knife scraping on stone to Hoseok’s ears.  It wasn’t spine chilling, but absolutely irritating.  He would typically avoid thugs if at all possible, not liking the way they work and think.

The hunter’s brow twitched when the fact that he had to pretend to be weaker than some lowly valley, lurking bandit to get caught became more apparent.  

The group of criminals were quick to rush after Hoseok.  It was almost trivial how sloppily these people just ran straight into confrontation without thinking of even the slightest form of tactic at all. They acted how they looked it seemed.

Hoseok’s body almost instinctively started fighting back, however he knew he had to hold himself back in order to get this mission underway. One of the attackers had curled their hand around Hoseok’s bicep, wrinkling the sleeves of his haori as they snagged their fingers into the fabric to drag Hoseok to the ground. The hunter bent his knee as he was shoved to his side in the dirt path before he was being forced on his chest.

He hissed as a knee was pressed into the center of his back- a most unpleasant feeling.  Among the scraping of sandals and bags dragging and sliding along the dirt and rock, he could hear you hiss and cry out with high pitched yelps of offense and warning.  

“Damn!” He heard someone cry out. “Shut that damn fox’s mouth!” Before long, he heard your loud noises of protest become muffled. They must have muzzled you.  It was a small struggle later when he was being thrown into the back of a wagon that had come around the corner of the valley- clearly their get away.  

Hoseok’s hands were tied behind his back- with a sloppily tied knot with his eyes blindfolded.  He leaned against the side of the wagon and he could tell that the wooden cage beside him had you in it. In front of him, he could hear the faint breathing of two goons probably set to keep an eye on him and his fox companion just in case you try anything funny.  

Hoseok was stripped of his swords- something he had to mentally restrain himself from snatching back from the thugs he was supposed to be ‘weaker’ than. His bag was probably already ransacked for grabs. He was sure that even your small cloth pouch around your neck was taken. He had to internalize a groan from how annoying this assignment already was.

Thankfully though, he could roll his eyes behind his blindfold.

-x-x-x-

He wasn’t sure when he nodded off, but he was hyper aware when he was being woken up by a yanking under his bicep as his body was being dragged out of the back of the wagon he drowsily remembered being thrown in.  He was practically walking on his knees and rolling out of the back of his abduction transport before his feet hit the ground in an unsteady drop.

He heard ruckus behind him, sleep still covering his mind like a thin veil before he started adjusting. There were two men at either of his sides, both holding his arms to yank and push him in whatever direction they wished.  He got annoyed with each motion they jerked from him, but knew if he reacted now he’d risk the rest of this stupid job.

Behind him he heard wood scraping the floor of the wagon and guessed it was your cage being pushed to the edge for someone to take. Before he could try and figure anything else out, he was being shoved forward and directed away- the sounds of the wagon being unloaded fading behind him.

After a trip down halls, many turns and down stairs, he was aware of the sound of other people around him.  They didn’t sound like other thugs, but they whimpered and whispered like people who were wrongfully caught around and taken- like he was currently.

The squeaking of metal grinded his ears as someone went behind his back to work on the rope ties around his wrists.  The moment they were loosened, he was kicked in the small of his back- throwing him forwards before he hit the dirt ground that crumbled with small bits of dirt and gravel under his palms that broke away from being bound behind him and now braced up by his chest. Metal squeaked again and slammed shut at his back.  

He didn’t need to see to know that he was just shoved and shut inside of a cell. He pushed himself up to his knees and brought his free hands up to push the blindfold up his forehead and away from his eyes before flinging it off his head completely.  His vision was bleary from the time he spent in darkness- the cloth ever so slightly applying pressure to his eyes.  

He blinked and squinted and his eyesight hadn’t completely adjusted before he could see others in the same cell as him.  All huddled back against the furthest wall and all clinging to each other like a lifeline.

He scanned the huddle of about 20 people; prisoners.  Young, old, woman, men, children- some looking like they had been here for months, covered in dirt and tattered clothes.  The women held tightly to a child who may not even be their own to protect them, while the men sat in the front to keep the others behind his back and away from any potential danger.  The handful of elders were coddling any weeping women who may have been taken from her family offering hushed words of what could be unrealistic encouragement.

A man approached Hoseok, dusting off the hunter’s shoulder of dirt and placed his hand with a firm grip on him.

“They got you too, huh?” His voice was gruff and the stubble along his chin was a time indicator that he’d been here at least a handful of days by now.

“Are you all townsfolk?” Hoseok didn’t see a single expensive looking piece of cloth anywhere on these people.  Most didn’t even have a half-coat like he did. In fact, his red haori may have been the most expensive thing in this cell. He’s half shocked it wasn’t taken off him with his swords and belongings since it was such high end material.

The man sat with a huff as he crossed his legs and his arms in front of him.  His everyday, dully colored clothes stained and frayed with future holes. It looked like he was the head dog of prisoners.

“We are.  Some of us were taken when out searching or herbs or hunting. Some were just taken straight off a path while traveling or returning to our homes. Nonetheless, we ended up here all the same.” The man looked around Hoseok then to the guards outside the cell who never spoke a word and would switch at dusk and dawn daily. “Were you captured alone?”

Hoseok bit back a click of his tongue. He wanted to say yes, try and ignore the fact that you were obviously taken somewhere else.  They were under the impression you were just a fox- nothing special.  He assumed they had you stored somewhere else to either try and break into submission or just kill you later.  He was pretty positive you wouldn’t get yourself killed though.

“I was the only person captured, but I was traveling with a fox.”

The man raised his brow. “A fox? What in God’s name do you need a fox companion for?”

“It’s a long story,” Hoseok huffed.  He just kept repeating Taehyung’s orders over and over in his head to be civil.  Typically, he’d blow off any conversation or useless, prying questions that no one else really needed to know. However, he knew Taehyung would answer and give any information in this situation.  

Hoseok looked around. It looked like it’d be tough to find a way out with constant guard surveillance and no weapon- so maybe these townsfolk could somehow prove useful in the long run. He wasn’t sure yet, no ideas running through his head.

If there was ever a time to depend on you, this was your test.  If he couldn’t break through on his end, you’d have to prove how useful you could be to him. His brows furrowed as he sat in thought. He was pulled from his solitude by a tug on his haori sleeves.  Beside him, sitting on her feet after scooching forwards on her knees was a little girl looking no older than eight.

“What?” He unintentionally bit, she didn’t seem to catch his tone- or maybe the tone she received previously from her captors were more harsh than his so she paid it no mind.

“What is your fox like?” She asked, a small gleam in her eyes.  A gleam of curiosity and childlike interest.

“It isn’t mine,” Hoseok clarified.  His statement didn’t seem to phase her as she just kept staring up at him with expectant eyes. Hoseok groaned. Clearly, waiting for her to leave him alone wasn’t an option stuck in a cell with her. “It’s annoying and disobedient.” That was partially a lie, he breifly thought.

“You don’t like your fox?” She queried.

“Like I said, it isn’t-”

“Is it a boy or a girl fox? What color is it?”

Hoseok paused.  He looked around and only a few other prisoners were even showing that they were listening to his conversation- if you could call it that- with the little village girl.  Others were engaged in their own chatter, or some were trying to sleep to pass the time, hoping for their nightmare to end and to be free again. He looked back down to the little girl.

He put himself in Taehyung’s mindset.  Even in the circumstances that she’s in- captured and being held prisoner with no idea on when or if she’ll even be freed- she sat beside Hoseok with an air of childlike ignorance. Or maybe it was optimism that seemed to outline her eyes.  Were all children like her? Just hoping for the best and letting their childlike tendencies help fuel them forward in situations like this?

Had Hoseok been like this before in the past? Back when he was still alive? His fists tightened at the memories and the thought of his second, unused sword before he was pulled from his thoughts by the little girl once more.

“Mister?”

“The fox is a girl,” he told her.  “She has white fur,” he simplified, obviously keeping the fact that you’re also a demon to himself.  He couldn’t let anyone know, especially the guards he knew were within ear shot.  They’d probably kill you immediately if they knew- or imprisoner you with different means to keep you restrained to break you.  Anything was possible when it came to thugs who didn’t seem to think before they acted.

The whole reason he was here was to try and get any information about Zath- but he couldn’t very well do that while stuck in a cell and without his Zath scent-smelling demon fox.

Taehyung would probably laugh at the situation he was currently in if he knew.

The little girl in front of Hoseok smiled at the idea of a white fox somewhere in the hideout.

“A white fox?! I bet she’s super pretty. I see foxes outside of the village all the time when I went with mother to find mushrooms. They always ran away from me though.” Her small pout made Hoseok curious.

“You like foxes? Even though they’re wild and could harm you?”

She quickly nodded.  “They’re pretty!”

Hoseok almost bet that if he whispered that the fox in question could turn into a human woman, she'd jump for joy at the idea of what you would look like then. Hoseok’s memory of your human form seemed to slip away from him given that it had been several weeks since you had regressed to a fox.  Tempting though the thought seemed, he didn’t speak a word of it.

Her quick fire questions continued for a bit that Hoseok lost track of time.  He started speaking with other prisoners along the way too.  A woman who had come to try and pull the girl away from bothering Hoseok before he dismissed it and said she was fine.  An older man who began to ask Hoseok how he got captured- a story he had to spin to keep the real reason hidden. A younger man who use to work in the fields of his village, but was taken when his home was ransacked and burned to the ground.

It was an odd sensation.

It had been some time since Hoseok had spoken with anyone outside of Taehyung and his small circle of fellow demon killing comrades.  Just talking casually as he was with other people made him feel like he was just that- a casual villager once again.  It calmed him, opened his mind and helped him think.  

Was this what Taehyung wanted to happen? Did the leader really plan out or theorize that Hoseok was so tightly spun around work and killing demons that he gave him an order to vocalize and communicate with other humans to derail his tightly spun thread? Hoseok grimaced at Taehyung’s far thinking- especially since it hadn't been that long in the first place.

Soon, evening came among the hideout and the guards were swapped out. Hoseok was leaning against the cell rods, his eyes shut as the other prisoners were almost all sleeping by now.  Nothing else to do, having nowhere to go and being all talked out. He listened to the small pieces of chatter the guards exchanged to catch the day guards up on anything that might peak their interest.

“There’s a fox that’s unusually aggressive being kept caged somewhere above us, I heard,” one of them spoke.  “It seems to understand what we're saying, or so the boss says. I think he’s gonna keep it caged up and see what happens.”

“Yeah,” another scoffed, “because what we really need is a damn, smart-ass fox running around.”

They didn’t say much else Hoseok cared about and as he heard the day-shift travel back up the stairs, he cracked his eyes open and stared down absentmindedly at the dirt, prison cell floor.

So, you’re being held upstairs, huh?

Hoseok spent one more boring, question fueled day down in that barren, cramped cell.  He was slowly starting to piece together information from passing thugs and devise a plan to get him and the rest of the hostages out of the hideout.  However, it seemed that this plan of his was going to be cut short.  

The afternoon of the third day, there was an explosion from above the basement level prison. That and screams about a fire of blue and red engulfing the hideout.

“There’s a demon!”

An unknowing grin crossed Hoseok’s face as he rose to his feet.

-x-x-x-

You jolted awake when your wooden cage was practically dropped onto a metal crate. Waking up in a frenzy, your attempt to raise your four paws was immediately stopped due to your front right and back left legs being tied together beneath you diagonally.  Clearly the thugs who had subdued you had taken future precaution when it came to your mobility.

Your nose was still covered in a thin cloth and tied shut with rope just strong enough for you not to be able to tear through with the raw power of your small fox jaw.

You looked in your cage of thick, wooden bars that was covered by what smelled to be an old, dried bear skin. Your free paws clawed at the bottom of your cage in an attempt to do something- anything.  Whether it be to signal your consciousness, your annoyance, to try and spin your body to maybe even snag the bear hide covering your vision from the rest of the room.  If you were lucky, maybe you could snag the rope tying your legs together beneath you, but it was just out of your reach.

Whatever your goal was, it wasn’t long before the door to whatever room you were being held it was opened- you could smell the shift in the air difference and hear the slight creaking of the door frame and floorboards.  You growled beneath your makeshift muzzle as the bear skin over your prison was lifted and thrown off.  

Your wide pupils narrowed into slits at the new exposure to light as your growling increased.  These men- these thugs- that had taken you and Hoseok prisoner here smelt like dirt, grime and blood.  You had smelt worse- but you had also smelt far, far better than them.  

You took a moment to scan around the room.  It looked like a storage room. Boxes and crates were lined along one wall.  Barrels of what you assumed to be dried foods or stored fish were lined beside stacked crates.  Along another wall were bags, clothes, clothes, and sandals thrown about in a messy mountain that climbed in height.  Above them were shelves with jars and weapons.  Some were lined with knives or daggers, some throwing stars and sai.  Along another wall on jutted out wood pegs were swords, naginatas, bows, hanging quivers- some with arrows, some without- even half coats lined on a wall of hangers.  

Now, you were here- just another added piece to their stolen collection.

The sound of someone else entering the room caught your attention and your eyes followed them as they threw the cloth you wore around your neck earlier on and what seemed to be the sack Hoseok had with him into the growing pile of trinkets.  You saw his two weapons being placed on shelves as well- the one sealed sword certainly made a statement among the others.

That at least told you that he was somewhere in the compound and they didn’t completely split the two of you up and that he was currently disarmed. If you had to guess, he was somewhere caged and imprisoned just like you were. However, he was posing as a simple human- probably mistaken for a merchant without trade- so he was probably not a current threat to them at the moment so his location would be lightly guarded.

You however were seen as a wild animal- a fox who needed tamed.

“Why is this mongrel dawning a pendant around its neck?” The man who stood in front of your cage, front and center, asked as his head lowered to get a look at you. Your body laying stuck on it’s side as two of your legs kicked and pulled against each other to try and snap the rope restraining them. “I thought I made it clear to remove all items from the fox and it’s owner.”

That pulled another, loud growl from your throat.  That hunter, your owner? You’d sooner climb up a mountain using only your fangs before admitting that man anything close to an owner. You weren’t owned by anyone.

Your small burst of attitude didn’t go unnoticed.  The man in front of you gleamed. “Oh-ho? What is this? Say it isn’t so, but perhaps this fox can actually comprehend human language.” He reached for your wooden cage door and opened it with a few jolts- clearly not well made in the first place. “Remove that necklace from its neck, it has no need of it.”

The moment another man’s hands reached into your cage, you brought your one free front paw to your nose and tore away at the cloth at the end of your nose.  Your jerked your head up and your fang sunk into the hand of the perpetrator. The base of your nose may have rope still around it, but you could open the end of your mouth just enough to get a clean bite in- in fact the rope helped keep your teeth in place around his skin.

The man let out a cry as he yanked his hand out of your cage, taking your fox body out with it like a fish on a line. Your fangs remained in the man’s hand as you dangled in the air, still tied and helpless- but on the offense nonetheless. 

It took another man to untie the rope at the base near your eyes before you opened your mouth again and dropped to the floor.  You immediately landed wrong and fell to your side, once more not being able to move- not even in a position to crawl.  

You smelt the fresh blood from the hand of the man who tried to touch you and you saw the small crimson droplets hit the ground and seep into the wood, staining it.  You lifted your head, hackles raised and growling. If anyone else tried to take your pendant from you, they’d receive the same punishment.

You let out a small yelp as you felt your tail being grabbed and soon you were being lifted up from behind.  You trashed around, the discomfort and pain from being lifted into the air by your tail made you let out small whines and squeals of protest. The man from before, the apparent leader of the group, held you to his eye level but away from his face.

“What a temper,” he mused with a grin.  You snapped at him, trying to swing forward to bit that ugly smirk off his face, but he just swung you back away from him- pulling another painful whine from you. “Have it your way, fox,” he sang as you were thrown back into your cage.  You rolled along the small floor space of your prison before you bounced off the back, wooden rods designed to keep you in.  “You may keep your pendant, but I will be back and I do hope you’ll be more obedient.”

You kept distinct and furious eye contact with the man who thought he had seen it all and had it all figured out.  You hated men like him- human’s like him. Human’s who thought that once they had seen or figured one small thing out, they could outplay it no matter the outcome or future rebellion.  How wrong he was and you were determined to prove it to him.  

The moment you’re free of these ropes, you’ll teach him just how wrong he is.

That following day you weren’t permitting any food or water and by the evening, you were exhausted.  Not allowing yourself any rest you kept clawing and scratching away at anything your free paws could catch.  The bottom of your cage was engraved with claw marks and littered with splinters and wooden flakes.  

You weren’t nearly as tired as a human would be without sustenance or rest, but any longer like this and it would become a problem.  

You knew this was just the leader’s way of trying to break you.  He surely thought that if you were starved, dehydrated and imprisoned for long enough, when he’d give those things back to you- food, water and freedom- he’d win your loyalty.  You began to think that perhaps you allow him to think that for a time. When he releases you, you play the perfect pet before you sink your teeth into his throat.  

That’s when your eyes would always travel to Hoseok’s weapons along the wall. He was still somewhere down here and while you didn’t exactly approve of working with him, you had agreed to it and were stuck with him now.  It was for Taehyung- it was all for Taehyung’s sake and his safety so he wouldn’t end up like Fuuta did.

You couldn’t waste time here.  In all the time you’d spent in this cage, in this room with all these stolen belongings from every corner of this region the scent that you had memories wasn’t there.  Zath’s scent wasn’t here.  It wasn’t on any of the men who came and went either.  

There was always a chance that if they had worked with the demon it was a one time deal. Or perhaps that Zath had already moved locations- but then he should have some sort of lingering scent.  You weren’t sure of anything at this point. There was a sort of hazy feeling in the air of the hideout, but that was it.  You couldn’t get any solid deductions, just a bad feeling- especially being stuck and tied like a hog.

You needed out. You needed to be able to walk around and investigate. You needed to try and find a trace of a scent in other rooms in other places and with other people. You just needed to get out.

The door to the storage room opened as that same sickeningly familiar man waltzed in and stopped at your cage.  Pulling a chair- just as he had before- he sat beside it and began to go on with some sort of briefing as if you weren’t even there.  

Lucky for you he didn’t seem to read too much into the fact that you could understand everything he was saying.  His intelligence didn’t run too far it seemed.

It was the third day and there he sat just as before, in a chair and talking with a duo of men. Your eyes were shut, feigning slumber to see if they were willing to talk further on things if you played ignorant.

“We’re running short on room in the cell below the hideout,” one man spoke. “The man we captured with the fox is probably the last hostage we could take for now. Unless we free up room or create another cell- holding hostages like them won’t be easy.”

“We don’t have the foundation for another holding cell,” the main man replied. “If it becomes too much of an issue, just kill them. Emptying the lot of them out would make for easy room for higher paying cargo, yes?”

Your eyes shot open and the man had been staring at you.  It was like he expected that reaction from you as you started to fumble to your tied feet, still unable to properly gain any sort of balance.

“My, oh my, were you listening, Miss Fox?” His was toying with you.  “Soon, your owner will die and you’ll be free for grabs.  You won’t be without guidance long, worry not; I plan on making you my little errand pet.”

Kill? He was going to kill them? All the innocent people he had captured below and he was planning to just slaughter them all? Hoseok. He was going to kill Hoseok? Your mind flashed to Taehyung and how angry and heartbroken he’d be if that happened.  Then, your mind filled with your parents.  

They were killed.  Mercilessly and without protection. You couldn’t keep them safe, you couldn’t protect the two people who treated you like you mattered the most to them.  The two who took you from being just as ruthless as this man in front of you and changed you.

Kill?

You hissed. One error they failed to correct was re-binding your nose and mouth with cloth and rope. Not muzzling you again was a mistake.

You started thrashing like a fox on fire in your cage.  Your head hit against the bottom of your cage and dragged your neck and head along the rods.  You whined and hissed and barked like a rabid canine. You were only vaguely aware of a hand coming to clutch at your scruff and yank you out of your cage.

You thrashed and kicked and bit at the hand and wrist that held you and before you knew it, your necklace had worked up your neck and to the top of your head. You curled your fox body up and extended your one back leg to kick yourself free from the grasp of the man who held you.  You fell to the ground with a thump as your necklace removed itself from your head and hit the ground besides you.

It happened in an instant.  

Flames of blue erupted in the storage room, engulfing you like a bomb. Your previous cage was destroyed and the three men in the room with you were breathless, wordless and choking on the smoke and fire that began to fill the room.  

Among the flames, a pair of golden eyes peered through them- pinning the spineless thugs in their place.  No one could move, none of them dared to move. 

“Kill them, huh?” You hissed. Your flames diminished and there you were. Your human form was bare naked.  Flamed covered  your breasts and around your lower body. Your red tattoos among your cheeks were nearly glowing and your eyes were shining with a rage so hot it fueled your fire.  Your claws were sharp and your temper sharper.  “If your plan is to kill the people you’ve captured, then I’ve got all the permission I need to kill you first.” Then, you lunged.

-x-x-x-

The prisoners behind Hoseok began to murmur and gasp in panic as the guards in front of the cell dropped their guard.  Hoseok shot forwards, his arms stretching out past the iron bars and wrapped around one of their necks, pulling them back against the cell bars.  One arm under his jaw while the other gripping his chin and twisted his head with enough force to create a sickening snap as he crumpled to the ground.  

Hoseok ignored the gasps behind him as he knelt down to rummage around the corpse the best he could before he gripped the iron ring filled with keys. Fumbling with them, the clanging of the metal grating on his ears; after so long without water his head pounded.

He threw open the door the moment he heard the correct key slot into the lock and twist- freeing him and the others. He quickly stepped out and moved towards the second guard who had finally become aware of the murder of his partner and the freedom of the two dozen prisoners. “Hey!” He screamed, readying himself for what he expected to be a small skirmish.

Hoseok dashed forward, ducking under the metal tipped rod the guard wielded. Diving to the ground and rolling behind him to stop on his heels and spring up to his feet at the enemies back.  His hands grabbing his shoulders and his knee raised as he yanked him backwards.  The snaps and screams of the guards voice was in tune to the sound of his spine snapping.  Hoseok let the guard fall pathetically to the ground as he picked up the rod.  He spun it around, tossed it from palm to palm vertically and nodded.

It would last until he could get his hands back on his own weapons.  

There was a tremor above his head.  Small pieces of debris shook and fell from the ceiling due to whatever was causing so much ruckus above on the higher floors.  He looked up as he could hear the faint screams and cries of battle.  He almost smiled.  

This was what he remembered.  This was the life he was used to. Fighting; ruthless and rule-less battle and survival. He hadn’t been in this situation in a long time- eons it felt like with all the other occurrences that had been happening around him recently.  Oddly enough, the bloodshed and violence felt like a form of stress relief. It gave him a reason to take out some pent up aggression- therapeutically of course.

For a moment, he came back to himself.  He lowered his chin and looked back into the cell.  No one had moved, everyone was still huddled tightly in the cell corners and back wall.  Perhaps that was the course of action best for now.  

It was odd the way those people looked at him differently now.  They had just witnessed him kill a man and injure another that still writhed on the floor like a carriage-crushed raccoon.  It wasn’t shocking to see them look at him with fearful eyes, but something about it made his stomach turn nonetheless.  These men were keeping them hostage- why wouldn’t he try and end their lives? It was basic self defense.

“I suggest you all stay in the cell,” he announced.  “I’m not sure what’s going on up there, but I can guarantee it’s a hell of a lot safer down here than up on the other floors.” Hoseok turned to start his journey up, when a man from the cell had called out to him.

“Are you mad?!” Hoseok halted. “There’s a demon up there!” Hoseok’s back never turned around to look at the man who had attempted to keep him down below.  “I understand that you may be some fighter, but a demon running rampant isn’t something you can-”

“I’m much more capable than you assume, Sir,” Hoseok interjected quickly.  “I am an able man who has killed more demon’s than I can count. Besides,” he turned before he took one step up, showing he wasn’t backing down.  “That’s my fox up there.” Hoseok bounded up the wooden stairs two at a time, ignoring the cries behind him to stay below ground.

At the top of the stairs he was met with a trapdoor keeping him, and the others, down below; a cellar-type door.  He quickly jabbed the door’s handle with the metal end of the stolen rod he had and then threw his shoulder up and against it, the trapdoor flinging up and around to bounce off the wooden floor. He climbed out of the basement as cautiously as he could in an active battlefield.

He immediately coughed, lifting the back of his hand and haori sleeve to cover his mouth as he felt like gagging at the taste of smoke on his tongue. It was unbelievably warm up here compared to the damp basement, but that was to be expected.  

There was no fire around in his sights, but he could hear the sound of flames sparking and roaring in a lively fury elsewhere. The foundation shook with another tremor of unhuman battle as he finally got his butt in gear.  He ran around the floor of the hideout.  It was scarce of bandits, probably in an attempt to escape the fire or to hunt you down.  

He found another set of just barely put together stairs as he quickly ran up them. Coming up to the next floor up, the floor had spots of flames and debris.  Raising his head, it seemed that there was still another level about him and if he had to guess, you were up there raising hell if the screams were anything to go by.  

“How did you get out of your cage!” Hoseok’s chin dropped back down as he was met with a bloodied and banged up bandit.  He assumed from his familiar tone he was part of the main group who had captured him in the first place.  The man readjusted the grip he held on the sword that hung at his side and raised it to point at Hoseok from afar.  “Get back below ground level!” He ordered, making the hunter’s brow dip in annoyance.  

Hoseok didn’t say a word in response to the thug, he simply raised his temporary weapon and stood in stance. Hoseok could tell just by looking at him that between the fire outbreak and a demon on the loose inside the hideout he was on hyperdrive- something that Hoseok was going to take advantage of.

Just a little bit more noise and distraction could send him into a hurl of overload and leave him open to anything.  The man’s stance wasn’t even proper- he staggered on his feet and his arms were trembling.

Hoseok looked around the area he and the man occupied just a handful of feet apart before his sight was brought back to the front from the movement of the man charging forwards with blown-open eyes and a loud, distressed cry.  

Hoseok similarly moved.  Running to appear to charge into him head on, but at the last moment stepped and pushed himself to the right of the man’s raised arms to swing his sword down- slicing nothing but air.  The man let out a breathless gasp as Hoseok spun around on his heel getting behind him and swung the metal ended rod into the back of the man’s head.

He crumbled to the ground with ease and Hoseok couldn’t honestly tell if he was dead or not.  He lay on his front, his sword discarded at his side as he lay motionless.  The hunter wasn’t about to stop and check to see if he was alive either- what use was it to him if he wasn’t after all?

He did, however, toss away the rod he had been swinging around in exchange for the sword of the man he had just taken down.  Picking it up, he twisted and adjusted to the feel of the hilt as he clicked his tongue.  Nothing was going to feel right until he had his own weapon’s back in his hands.  He just hoped his second blade hadn’t been wrongfully unsheathed.  

With a much more comfortable weapon in hand- although still unpleasant to hold- he took off once more.  He had just started up the set of stairs leading to the top level of the hideout when another tremor shook the foundation.

“Damn!” He immediately turned tail and started back down the staircase as the top of it began to crumble- the entire case coming down with it.  

Steps fell in heavy, burning blocks of wood as they hit the ground.  Splinters flew and a blast of heat came down with the wooden debris. Some pieces broke into two or three pieces.  Some remained whole but acted as live inferno food to spread your flames and others disintegrated into nothing but splints as they stuck into the floor like an arrow hitting a target.  

Hoseok’s footing down the stairs faltered as he tumbled, rolling over his shoulder and onto his back as he quickly bounced back to his feet and rubbed at his smoke dusted eyes.  They stung and he got more and more irritated.

He looked up into the hole in the ceiling that would have lead him up as he squint.  He thought he saw something moving up above and behind the smoke and flames of blue and red.  A set of movement before something came hurling down the hole and onto the ground near Hoseok’s feet.  

He jumped away and unlike the pieces of wood and stone that had fallen, this was a body.  Charred and burnt to a crisp with puncture wounds leaking blood from his neck.  Presumably he was thrown after being attacked- but of course that was a hunch.  A very likely hunch- but a hunch nonetheless. The smell made Hoseok’s inside quiver.  

He’ll never get over the smell of burning flesh no matter how long he’s been in the field. He can say for certain though that burning humans smells a hell of a lot worse than demons.

“Hey!” He called up towards the carnage above him.  He doubted that anyone would be able to hear him at all over the sound of the fire, as he just turned away from it and started to scan the area.  There had to be another way up. Another path or maybe something to climb that wasn’t on fire.  

Amidst his scanning he failed to hear the bandit sneaking around behind him. Ducking down behind a crate that had yet to catch fire.  They pulled an arrow out of the quiver just barely hanging on their shoulder. Knocking it and drawing their bow, they aimed at the center of the hunter’s back.  

“Behind you!” Someone called out.  Hoseok jumped, instinctively turning around. The archer panicked, unable to get a clear shot, they immediately released. Arm following through behind their shoulder as the arrow flew.  Hoseok was able to move to get out of getting directly shot, but not fast enough to dodge the arrow completely.  The sharp tip grazed and cut the skin of his bicep. Tearing through the fabric of his haori and his keikogi and tearing his arm open.  

Hoseok yelped before he hissed, his hand coming up to grasp around his arm. He felt his blood leak between his fingers as it smeared on his skin.  He whipped his head back up to see the archer trying to knock another arrow instead of fleeing as he should have done when the fletchings left his fingertips.

The hunter swapped the hold on his sword’s hilt.  Flipping it so the blade was facing backward and traveling up the back of his arm instead of facing outward before he swung his arm in front of him, letting the sword go and flinging it far ahead of him. The blade sunk into the crate the archer hid behind- effectively startling him to lose hold of his next arrow and stumble back to his ass.  

Hoseok was quickly over to him, slamming his foot into their chest as he knocked them fully onto the ground.  The fire was growing nearer and he was tempted to just throw the bandit into the flames and be done with it.

“Please,” the bandit beneath him begged.  “I don’t want to die!” His whines fell upon deaf ears as Hoseok ripped the sword out of the wood crate and held it in his palm so the tip of the blade was positioned in front of their eyes.  “Please,” they pleaded once more before Hoseok thrust the blade into their head.

Bringing it back out after the body slackened beneath him, he swung the blade away from him- blood flying off around him as he stepped around the corpse and out into the open again.  Looking around he saw the body of the man who had called out to him.  

He the leader prisoner being held down below who had apparently disobeyed his suggestion of staying below until it all calmed down.  Hoseok rolled his eyes as the man ran up to him.

The man looked at the wound that still leaked down Hoseok’s arm.

“How’s that arm?” He asked loudly over the sound of the fire. Hoseok lifted the offended arm and looked at the cut.  It stung like a son of a bitch, but it wasn’t anything to worry about.  He’d clean it properly once all was said and done.  It wouldn’t be a hindrance- that was the most important thing.

“It’s nothing serious.  Forget about it,” he told him. “Why did you not listen to what I said?” Hoseok inquired, a small bite in his tone for not being obeyed.  The man just smirked and crossed his arms. He looked to be quite a bit older than Hoseok and the idea of the hunter calling the shots was a refreshing idea, but not something he wanted to stick to his older bones.  

He explained that he and Hoseok were still just strangers and that he didn’t need to be instructed to do anything- even if it was for the greater good of someone's safety in the end. Hoseok tutted at him, turning and resuming his search for a way up.

He cautiously walked around being weary of any worn floorboard he could fall through or any ceiling above him that could fall.  Support beams were beacons of flames and discolorations thanks to the fire and damage and were just barely holding themselves together.

The man followed behind Hoseok, a rod in his hand- probably taken from the corpse of the thug Hoseok killed downstairs.  Hoseok eyed him behind his back- unsure on if he should trust him to be behind him or not.  He didn’t even know if he could really fight.  Sure he looked like any other village man- toned from field work and fit enough for his apparent age, but Hoseok knew not to assume anything.  The last thing he needed was a false image of a man who can’t actually hold his own.

Hoseok just had to hope he knew what he was getting into when he came up from the cell.

The duo stopped as a ruckus came from right above them.  Screams and shouts for help and for mercy before Hoseok felt another tremor.  The man jumped back- he clearly wasn’t really understanding that the whole reason everything was on fire wasn’t because of bandits but because of a demon.  He held his rod tighter in his palms and pulled it close to his chest as he went rigid.  

All was silent for just a moment before the ceiling above them broke open. Hoseok was quick to react.  He grabbed the man by the back of his torn and tattered clothing and threw him onto his back as he himself jumped out of the way of the falling debris and bodies.  

A fireball of blue fire came tumbling down with the carnage and Hoseok covered his face with his sleeve to avoid anything flying into his eyes. When the rush of air settled, he dropped his arm and he wasn’t all too shocked to see you standing in the middle of the flames.  

He was, however, shocked to see you in your human form and completely bare breasted. Fire licked around your body, swirling around the calves of your legs and spinning around your waist.  It engulfed your shoulders and breasts, cheaply covering you in small portions.  Your demonic features were on full display as the red marks ran along your cheeks and your eyes lit up in their demonic gold. The necklace that was supposed to conceal all that wasn’t on your chest.

You were covered in spots and smears of blood that he was sure wasn’t your own.

He was also able to see for the first time the talisman on your back that the others had mentioned before.  It looked like it had been burned straight into your body. Symbols and characters scarred your back in twisted skin. It was between your shoulder blades and he narrowed his eyes at it.

So, that was what Fuuta and Shiro had done to force you into submission.  They really did just engrave a sealing mark on you.

The man who was on the ground behind Hoseok whimpered as the hunter glanced at him from the corner of his eye.  He was trembling as the rod was laying across his lap no longer in his grip as he stared wide-eyed at you. Hoseok held back an eye roll.  

“You knew full well a demon was here,” Hoseok quipped as the man looked up to the armed hunter.  “Yet, you still left the cell and came up here to do what? Tremble on the ground?” Hoseok scoffed as he started forward. “Fox,” he called as he watched you silently turn to look over your shoulder.  

Two bodies were on the floor next to your feet.  They were dark and burnt as they got consumed further by the blue fire mixing red with their clothes and flesh. You were obviously in control of your actions or else you would have lounged at him the moment you saw him- like you have before- but you were still standing and listening to him.

Hoseok was hesitant- not for fear, but for his pride.  He knew that he would be forced to take the rest of this trip with you; this assignment was both of yours until it was complete.  His hand twitched in instinct to raise his sword against you and fight, but he knew better.

You turned fully around to face him and your pupils spread just enough he could tell you recognized him.  Thankfully, he didn’t have to rush around and look for his taken bag for the safety talismans Taehyung had given to him in cases of need. 

“If you can put this fire out, do it,” Hoseok ordered.  He watched your brow tick before your chest deflated like you were holding your breath.  Closing your eyes, you ultimately did as you were told.  As your breath left you, the fire around, below and above the hideout started to simmer.  The flames shrunk and the cracking sounds of it started to fade.  

Eventually only small spots of contained fire and sparks were buzzing around. Hoseok nodded looking around at the ruined compound.  He could hear a lot better without the raging flames now. It helped that apparently you could control fire even when it spreads so long as you started it.  It could possibly become handy in the future.

Hoseok hadn’t realized just how long it had been since you were in this form in front of him. It almost knocked him off his concentration- the eye contact between you two.  

“A-a demon,” the man who still sat on the floor whispered.  Your head moved as your chin dipped to look down on him.  You weren’t exactly trying to cover yourself up as it didn’t seem to bother you that you were openly standing in the nude.  Hoseok sighed as he started to shrug off his haori.  He caught the faintest glimpse of red on the man’s cheeks due to your exposed figure.

Hoseok threw the haori at you as you caught it in front of your chest.  Hoseok’s form looked bare without it on and just his keikogi covering his body.  

“Put that on,” Hoseok told you. “I don’t need someone without clothing picking any fights around me. We can find something else for you to wear later.”

You nodded as you opened the fabric and started slipping it on.  You bunched and twisted the front of the half coat at your lower stomach and started tying it to keep it closed in front of you.  It wasn’t the best, but it was better than nothing. When you were finished adjusting it you turned to Hoseok.

“Thank you,” you told him as his eyes widened a fraction.  Not only did you talk to him for the first time in weeks, but you thanked him on top of that.  Had Taehyung brainwashed you without him knowing? “Your weapons are in a storage room up on the higher level.  I saw them when I was caged before.”

Hoseok clicked his tongue.  If that were the case there’s a chance that they could be burned or damaged.  

“They aren’t damaged,” you told him as if his face had told you his entire internal dilemma. “I kept your position as my partner in mind when I was allowed permission to defend my life as well as the other hostages. My flames did not touch your sword or the sealed one.”

Hoseok narrowed his eyes, but not out of resentment.  No, he was in thought. Your attitude sure seems to have taken a drastic change to come from tackling and pinning him to the ground in Fuuta’s compound, to not speaking to him (or anyone else) at all, just to arrive at this point.  Speaking to him with full eye contact and without too much attitude.  

It baffled him and he felt like you were trying to be the bigger person, which almost got under his skin. He took a breath.

“Is there a way to get up there? The stairs to the top floor got destroyed and I haven’t found another path up.”

“I will get you up there,” you told him.

“Excuse me?” His shot back without much of a filter. You stride towards him as you grabbed his uninjured arm.  He tensed his body, his grip on the hilt of his temporary sword tightening. The man who still shivered at the sight of you and had remained silent on the ground the entire time whimpered as he scooted back away from your close proximity to him.  

Hoseok wondered why he was acting so frightful when you had clearly shown you were no threat. He mentally halted himself when the thought passed him.

When did Hoseok deem you harmless?

His was ripped from his thoughts when you bent your knees and jumped. Hoseok’s body was yanked from the floor as you jumped with- literally- inhuman hieght and strength.  He was dragged through the air as your jump arched the two of you through the air and you were soon landing with Hoseok on the upper floor.  His mind took a moment to catch up.

He then looked at you with a scowl.

“What the hell was that?!” He screeched. “If you’re going to hurl me into oblivion with you, at least tell me!” He warned.  You looked at him as if you had just walked him down a hallway and not jumped several feet into the air.  He sighed as he pulled his arm from your grip and stood up.

You stood as well and started walking the path to the storage room you were held in.  He trailed after you, the sword of his fallen enemy still tight in his palm just in case any surviving bandit tried to pull anything funny.  

You both walked with ease, but that should not be considered lax.  Your guards were still raised and you both were ready for anything that may pop around the corner.

You showed Hoseok the burned and disheveled entrance into the room and just as you said, the weapon wall and around where they had kept bags and cloth were kept unharmed and preserved.  Hoseok let out a small breath when he saw both of his swords hanging safely on racks.  

He quickly abandoned the sword he had been using and quickly moved to take them down and replace them on his hip.  Finally, he felt whole again.  It just wasn’t the same moving and fighting without them at his side.  Looking around he went to the other pile of belongs and sifted through them until he found his knapsack.  His eyes then caught a glimpse of the makeshift cloth folded into a pouch Taehyung had given your fox form.  

He picked it up and turned before tossing it to you.  You easily caught it as you looked at the bundled cloth in your hand filled with small items.  Perhaps he was imagining it, but Hoseok saw your lips twitch up in the smallest of smiles.  

Your expression quickly changed when your head shot up and you spun around. Hoseok did as well, hearing just as well as you did. Somewhere on this floor there were still violence seeking thugs.  You could hear their stomping feet and the sound of their gruff voices calling out for survivors to ‘show themselves’ with small- delusional chuckling.

“The vermin just keep popping up,” Hoseok seethed. You both rushed out of the room and were quick to be seen by the bandits.  They were clearly shaken up with their hideout being destroyed and their men taken down one by one.  They were just asking for early graves.

You let out a small whistle to gain their attention and then they were immediately on track.  Running towards the two of you, swords out and ready. Hoseok drew his as you bent your knees.  You both broke away from each other’s side and split the two men apart for your own separate battles.

Hoseok felt much more at ease fighting with his own weapons.  From the corner of his eyes he watched you in your own scrap.  You seemed to almost be playing with the attacker.  Jumping and leaned around any swing the man would attempt to deliver.  At one point you had jumped just high enough his blade swung under your feet.

Hoseok was trained to kill demons, so facing off against others humans was of little difficulty. You had slammed your heel into your attacker's gut, knocking him into a fit of coughs before you took his wrist and threw him away from you. Hoseok had disarmed his own offender as he knocked the end of his sword’s hilt into the man’s throat and shoved him back down the hole you jumped him through to this floor.

Hoseok sighed, annoyed as he sheathed his sword.  He looked behind him to the storage room again.

“We should get the hostages from the basement and return their belongings to them before we go,” he said.  He then turned back to you. “You didn’t happen to smell that demon around here did you?”

You shook your head.  “If Zath had been here, it must’ve been a long time ago because his scent isn’t anywhere around now.” your eyes fell as you sighed. Hoseok just shrugged.  

“Then we’ll move on,” he said, turning around to go back to the storage room. “I'm going to clear out this room. Go get the hostages out of the cell.”

You almost told him no and to think about who he was sending down there. You were a demon, still just cloaked in his haori and demon qualities on display.  You don’t even know where your pendent flew off to when you broke free.  You just yielded in the end as you turned and jumped back down the hole and made your way all the way down to the basement.

The hostages gasped at the sight of you descending the stairs.  They all glared at you- a demon- and you weren’t too shocked about it.  You had been the enemy of many for a long time; far longer than you were an ally of humanity. You paid their fear no mind.

“The hideout was cleared of threats. You can come out now.”

“You’re a threat!” A woman cried as you just stared her down.  

“That isn’t an incorrect assumption,” you replied, “however, to you I am no harm. Leave and my companion will return your stolen belongings.”  You finished what you were tasked to do and were ready to go back above and away from their eyes when something grabbed your hand that peeked of the red sleeve of the haori you wore. Looking down, it was a little girl.  

She looked up at you in awe as her eyes traced your red lined cheeks and gazed into your different eyes.  You stare down at you.

“Child-”

“You’re that man’s fox, right?” She asked as you recoiled.  That man? Did she mean Hoseok? Had he mentioned you while he was down here? Why would he do that, you were just some demon he was stuck with.  It was clear as day that he had no reason to completely trust you- let along befriend or speak about you to others. “He said that his fox was the one getting rid of the back guys above us. You’re the fox, right?”

You just nodded to her at a loss for words.  Her face split into a smile as she tightened her grip on your hand and rose to her toes in glee.  

“Thank you, Miss Fox!” She cheered before she was ripped away from you by an older woman who quickly rushed up the stairs.  You just watched the little girl’s back before you looked at the palm of your hand.  

It was warm.

You could hear the stomping and rushed steps of the freed people as you stayed below.  You kept yourself away from them as you sat on the stairs staring at nothing as your mind was hazy.  It had been so long since you had been in this form- you almost felt tired.

Before long, it was quiet upstairs before you hear someone come down the steps behind you.  They stood there and it wasn’t hard to figure out it was Hoseok. He would be the only one left, plus you knew his scent fairly well by now.

You heard him move behind you as he knelt on the staircase before you felt his hands coming around your neck.  You jolted before you felt something being looped over your head and you spun around.  Was he going to perhaps choke you to death?  When you turned, he was above you just a step and his eyes weren’t far from your own.  It was the first time you both properly made any sort of eye contact without any dire circumstances behind it.  

There was no glaring, no hissing or shouting.  No active battle or carnage.  Just eye contact and the feeling of something now resting on your chest when he pulled his hands away from you.  

“Lose that again and you’ll be the one apologizing to Taehyung about it,” Hoseok told you before you lifted one of your hands to touch the pendent you had previously lost. You felt something about your body change and you were certain you looked like a normal woman now.

“Did you-” you started, but Hoseok quickly cut you off.  He stood before he turned around.

“This place is a dud when it comes to leads on finding Zath.” You wordlessly nodded as you go to move.  “We need to get you something to wear, you can’t keep wearing my haori.”

You followed Hoseok through the hideout and soon out of it.  Hoseok seemed to know where he was going when he started walking through a small wooded area that lead out into a path of trees.  Following it, you both came to a gate of a private and closed out estate.  It looked large as the tall, thick walls around the perimeter kept it away from the outside world.  

The front gates opened revealing an older woman who seemed pleased to see Hoseok and yourself before she was inviting you both inside.  Hoseok walked in without hesitation, but you just followed behind confused. Did he know this woman?  

When you both entered the estate, Hoseok was quick to turn to the old lady.

“You can get her something to wear, can’t you?” He asked, his voice still as monotone as you normally heard it, but it seemed softer towards her.  She was older, so perhaps it was his way showing some sort of respect due to age. “She’s a demon though, so she’ll need something that won’t tear and I’m sure you’ve heard from Taehyung that we’re going to be traveling, so something easy on weight and movement would be ideal.”

So, this woman is an ally of Taehyung then? Did she know about the organization you were a part of.  She also didn’t seem to mind the open knowledge about your demonic nature.

With a bit more chit chat, Hoseok was walking away and leaving your side with the woman gesturing for you to follow after her.  She took you to a room before she asked you to remove the haori of Hoseok’s you still wore.  

Untying it and removing it, you gave it to another younger woman not too much older looking than your physical appearance as they started to work.  Rope and measuring tactics were put around your body for proper measurements and soon you were being covered and put into all sorts of clothes to see what looked right.  

It was hours later and Hoseok was boringly lounging in the sitting room with his swords propped up against his shoulder. He had alredy cleaned and bandaged his arrow wound on his arm and had his keikogi stichched back up- it was a simply fix.  He was only brought out of it when the same old woman had told him that you were now well dressed and that he should change and relax for the night aswell before heading out again tomorrow.  

He was quickto accept the offer.  Sleeping in a futon sounded a hell of a lot better than the prison floor he had been in the last two nights. He was heading off to the room he would be using for the night when he rounded the corner to see you staring out of a window into the darkening sky.  

The estate women had placed you in a dark yukata. The robe of the cloth only fell to just above your knees, leaving your legs free for battle and travel.  It was black with red butterflies and flowers littering it like a garden in the middle of the night.  The sash around your waste was black with red stitching as the sleeves fell to your fingertips and fanned out to hang beautifully to the length of the robe by your knees.  They had even pulled your hair back and given you twine sandals to wear.

You finally noticed his presence as you turned to him.  His haori was folded in your arms as you started towards him.  You reached your arms out to him.

“This is yours,” you said.  “Thank you for allowing me to borrow it.” He hesitantly took it back as he just held it like you previously had.  He didn’t throw it on considering he was about to change, but you just dipped your brows.  “You can have them wash it to get my scent off of it if that’s a problem.”

Hoseok just shook his head and readjusted his stance.  He wasn’t aware of how tense he was standing until he forced his shoulder to drop and his stance became more relaxed.  

“It’s fine.” You just wordlessly nodded as you started moving to go past him and were only a few steps away when he called for you again.  “Y/n.” You halted, spinning around immediately and looking at his back.  “Get some rest. We’re leaving in the morning.”

“Right,” you softly told him as he started walking away. You were left in the hall with a state of shock clouding your mind. “He’s never said my name before,” you whispered. You weren’t even aware you were smiling as you returned to your temporary room.

#btsboulangerie #btsbookclub #btswriterscollective #bangtanidx #hoseok angst #hoseok romance #hoseok fic #hoseok au #hoseok fanfic #hoseok fanfiction #bts #bts hoseok #bts jhope #jung hoseok #jung hoseok fic #hoseok #demon hunter au #au #demon reader #hunter hoseok #hoseok series #hoseok x reader #hoseok x reader au #series #angst #violence #kim taehyung #taehyung

[starfruits-world]

CC Making Journal day 7- Collars, tailoring, transparent patterns, LODs.

Aka what started as a night full of hope and excitement over nipple lace button downs turns into bowling alley manager uniforms, tiramisu, irl shirt theft, screaming about paint buckets, and disappointment. Yuuri making his cute face is all I can stand. I didnt even go in game for this shirt I was so disappointed. 

First realization- when the mesh is ugly as fuck there is no saving the piece. Just start over. 

Second realization- half sleeve will never be flattering

No matter how these jazzy looking boy pose:

BUt I started off realizing this piece was not a simple 4 piece suit. No- it had many moving parts. So I made my first button down. The original piece had these hideous buttons:

I was pretty happy here.I had, after all, created my first button down with the two pieces n the back, the trim, collar, the whole 9 yards! A certain tofu loving dragon helped me find a collar pattern guide after they caught me blindly making the worst collar known to man on stream. Thank you for your guidance. (I also wasnt sure if the collar was 1,2,or 3 pieces so I stole a shirt from my dads closet. Its still on my bed. I may keep it. He doesnt need it anyway. Its so soft) We were still so naive though. Dofu tried to warn me about the weird sleeve length and frumpy sleeve holes. But I didnt listen. I was too busy screaming:

Yes I did a little peak at the stammi vicino possibilities. I felt so close.But then...

Then... 

It came to open it in S4s...

(at least the white swatch is clean)

And I was met with a huge disappointment. The shoulders are rounded hideously. and the collar stands up weird. And I cant for the love of me figure out where the sim waist pant line is on the Sims 4 male rig for MD. 

Basically I achieved the silhouette “Boy stuffs himself into a button down that is much to small for him” DX I mean if we wanna play chubby Yuuri it works. 

The waist UV didnt copy over from the sim so he has a different body shape. This keeps happening on tops I have partial transparency on so I think this is related to that issue. As I learn more I realize the issues on my cc are all fixable at their various step. Yuuris waist is supposed to be SNATCHED 

Okay some may think the shirt doesnt look bad on Yuuri, right? But I knew something was wrong....when I put it on Victor and his shoulder SUNK INTO HIS BODY: 

THIS IS WHAT HE IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE. 

Oh the disappointment I was met with. Victors beautiful broad shoulders. Decimated. 

(Oh speaking of decimate i managed to get this mesh to be under 12k and then I imported it into s4s it JUMPED TO 20K AND I WAS SHOOK LIKE WTF SO OF COURSE MY OTHER 3 LOD DECIMATES WERE ALL HUGE POLY COUNTS. NONE OF THEM NEAR 500 FOR LOD 3). I was annoyed but had bigger monsters with this piece.

Already deterred by some much disappointment, I almost didnt want to continue on. But I roped my friend in again and we went at the Lace texture. BC AS UGLY ASTHE MESH WAS, THE TRANSPARENCY WORKED. SO I failed the war but won the mission. We shared a few pic me up photos of our good boys and powered on. 

And then I found out in PS version 20 there is NO PAINT BUCKET TOOL.

After screaming over no paint buckets (silently bc my discord audio broke) we tried like 10 different methods. I tried to follow along but boyyyy I had no idea what mask laters or rasterize was. I dont even know how to rotate and combine photos in PS. I was in pain. Perhaps I am still traumatized. But not enough to not keep trying.

By then it was 3am and I had inhaled a piece of tirimisu cake to fend off sadness. I ate my late dinner from a paper plate like the sad bachelorette I am and watched again and again as my friend tried to explain how to make the transparency work. 

Eventually they got it to work. I did but I had the pattern too small. So it was useless. 

Anyway, I had to show SOMETHING so I tried Archive actions weird pants that I cant put on literally any outfit bc its clips awfully on the sim and BAM

CANT YOU JUST SEE HIM IN A BOWLING ALLEY?!?!? UGH

Anyway credits to StinkyDofu here on tumblr and the victuuri birb server, Otaku Sim server, random twitter followers who will not see this image or else my follower count will continue to drop, and NO THANK YOU TO HALF SLEEVED SHIRTS. 

Also heads up usually im not a negative person and wont be as harsh on cc to others as I am to myself. But this particular piece was started with such high expectations and the downfall really hurt. But, like I said, this is all for learning so I will keep going. I love this process fully.

It was calming, the boring parts of cc making. Lowering poly with edge loop deleting, extruding edges, uv mapping, texturing. I love the process no one wants to show in their time skips. 

I’ve already linked the tutorials I used in my last journal. So today i’ll advise yall to watch Grafity-cc on youtube for their great speed meshing blender. I would tag but I am but a measly peasant.

Also of course follow StinkyDofu, DroSims, and Poeticfalls for my sim inspo, teachers, and friend groups. 

#cc making journal #daily cc challenge #ts4cc #ts4 male cc #BOWLING ALLEY AESTHETIC