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xiaolindude · 8 days
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"Yourself. Anything else you wish, but I'm going to have to insist that you bring yourself," he played, raising an eyebrow at her with a smile. Ahh, but they couldn't stall any longer, could they? He didn't want to risk her getting in trouble with Madam Gothel. That woman was capable of outright cruelty, that much he knew, and he'd do whatever he could to spare Rapunzel.
With a sigh, he pushed himself to a stand, then held out his hand for her. "Would you prefer the walk or the carriage?"
Her eagerness was a balm to his troubled soul, and he relaxed for the moment, a smile tugging at his lips. She held his hands; he glanced down at them, only to smile wider and return his gaze to hers, squeezing her fingers as he did.
“And we could take lunch in the garden, if the weather permits,” he suggested. How long could they get away with? How long would Gothel allow Rapunzel to be away for? Well, Rapunzel had every right to court him, and he had every right to invite her to his home for however long they both wished. He outranked Gothel without question.
He glanced down at her skirts, then back up again. “How is your dress?”
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xiaolindude · 8 days
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you cant tell me he wouldnt make him his own SRC evil theme song
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xiaolindude · 9 days
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Her eagerness was a balm to his troubled soul, and he relaxed for the moment, a smile tugging at his lips. She held his hands; he glanced down at them, only to smile wider and return his gaze to hers, squeezing her fingers as he did.
“And we could take lunch in the garden, if the weather permits,” he suggested. How long could they get away with? How long would Gothel allow Rapunzel to be away for? Well, Rapunzel had every right to court him, and he had every right to invite her to his home for however long they both wished. He outranked Gothel without question.
He glanced down at her skirts, then back up again. “How is your dress?”
"Oh, yes please!" Rapunzel breathed, her eyes imploring. "This house might be my favorite place in the entire world!" Perhaps she should not have said that out loud, but she did very much want Sofia and Rai to know that their hospitality did not fall upon an ungrateful heart. "I would stop by daily if I thought I could get away with it. I shall need to return Doroteia's stockings, after all. They shall be clean, I assure you."
She glanced at Rai again, basking a moment in the very idea that she had a right to spend time with him. For some reason, that had not occurred to her! She shifted her hand under his, allowing her thumb to brush against the back of his hand. Some day, she should never have to leave again. Someday, this would truly be her home.
Her tea was almost done, and her stomach sank at the thought that this would be it for the night. She did not want to go! But she must not weep, despite the fact that she had the sudden urge to.
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xiaolindude · 9 days
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When their tea was finished and Sofia and Ela had said their goodbyes, Raimundo and Rapunzel were left in the parlour alone once again. Still sat on the floor by the fire, empty cuts and plates taken away by Nancy to be washed.
Rai looked at her, knowing they couldn’t keep putting it off, knowing she had to return soon to avoid angering Gothel even further. “… the day after tomorrow,” he said decidedly. “Would you come back here? Not for baking or embroidery, but… for me.” He rubbed the back of his neck almost sheepishly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Perhaps I might teach you to ride Benison, like we discussed the other day…?”
Immediately upon the touch of his hand, her heart rate picked up, and she lifted her cup to her lips so she could swallow without being obvious about it. Subtly, she lifted her pinky to rest it over the tops of his fingers, a slight but present way to acknowledge and accept him. Why did she think about kissing him now? Why did her pulse race anew at the memory of his hands mapping the shape of her clothes body?
She sipped her tea, her blush not remotely ebbed for her thoughts.
"Then I shall bring them upon my next visit," she assured Ela, loathe to begin ignoring her simply because of her thoughts and emotions. "And if I have my say, my next visit shall be quite soon!"
Her eyes were drawn to the mantle clock, and her just-rapidly beating heart felt as though it seized in her chest. "But alas... once tea is done, I ought to head home... Madame Gothel will be wondering after me."
How she wished that wondering was as warm and inviting as Sofia's was. More and more with every visit and interaction, this place felt like home, and the place she lived felt like some sort of punishment. What wrong she could have committed, she did not know, and yet her life had recently taken such an abhorrent turn.
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xiaolindude · 9 days
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Her blush didn't escape his notice and he grinned, eyes fixed on the fireplace as he tried to control his expression. This was utterly ridiculous! But she was sat by his fire, wearing his cardigan, and only minutes ago her mouth had been on his and her palm had been rubbing up his thigh... He swallowed hard at the memory, willing it away. It was inappropriate for a Lord, particularly with his mama and youngest sister in the room!
Sofia's expression soured a little at the mention of Gothel. That dreaded woman. "I am sure we will see fit to inviting you here most often, dearest," she assured the young woman. "For baking sessions, for stitching with my girls, for visiting the man you are courting..." She looked pointedly over at Rai, who was still gazing resolutely at the fire. "You two have every right to spend much time together, given your courtship, after all."
Gosh, but he didn't want Rapunzel to leave. He was finding himself colder without her, missing her with a physical ache every time she returned to Gothel's side. And he had only himself to blame for drawing out their courtship. They could be engaged right now, if not for his cowardice. His mind whirred with all the ways he could get her out of Gothel's sights, to grant her a reprieve from that awful woman.
"Meteorology," Rapunzel supplied the word to Ela. "That's the study of the weather. You know, I shall go through my papa's books and see what I can find on animals and rocks and weather! It seems he had quite a fascination with eggs, so I hope you are prepared to learn as much as you can about birds and reptiles!"
Honestly, she knew quite a bit about all the things Ela was interested in. She had a sizeable rock collection at home, and had studied her samples profusely. She could also identify several types of clouds and say what the weather patterns surrounding them were.
Again, she caught Rai's eye and her smile broadened, and perhaps her cheeks got a little pink when she realized how ardently he was gazing at her, but could she be blamed? She wished so much that she could sit nearer to him, with deliberate and obvious contact. It felt as though he were oceans away, when he was not even across the room!
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xiaolindude · 9 days
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Ela clapped her hands together, delighted with the prospect of new books - and diagrams - to study. The words were too long and difficult for her to understand, being only seven, but the diagrams were rather self-explanatory for the most part, and she could trouble her brother or mama for elaboration if needed.
"Yes! I should enjoy that, thank you!"
Sofia looked between Rapunzel and Raimundo, the look they were sharing, the blush on Rapunzel's cheeks, and she hid her smile behind her teacup. The two of them were simply incorrigible, weren't they? She thought of Manoel, of their early courtship, and a sad yet adoring weight settled in her stomach.
Clearing his throat, Rai returned his attention to his cup of tea, sipping lightly at it with one hand while his other slipped across the carpet until it found Rapunzel's. He settled his fingers over hers.
"Mm!" Rapunzel said, and spoke a moment around the cheese cube currently in her mouth. "I adore science!" She swallowed quickly, not wanting to be rude, but too excited about the topic to but utterly polite about it. "Which diagrams do you like most? I know you fancy animals, but where else do your interests lie? You know, your brother loaned me all his school notes so I could learn at the same level as he, although women are not generally permitted to attend university."
She smiled over at him, still adoring how kind he was for loaning them in the first place, how close they had become because of it, how much trouble she had gotten into because of it, and how extremely worth it it had all been.
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xiaolindude · 9 days
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"Animals the most," Ela confirmed immediately. "And perhaps... the geography. Geology. The rocks and the weather."
Rai smiled to himself, at his sister's fascination with science. A small, almost-sad smile - society did not support a young lady wishing to pursue academia, particularly science. For the millionth time, he wished he could change the world for the sake of his sisters. They deserved better than they would be permitted in this society.
His smile became more real as Rapunzel's gaze found his. Goodness, but he was glad he'd thought to loan her his notes. She had been so appreciative. He couldn't keep his attention from her. If she were his wife, he would not need to keep his attention from her... yet how was he to propose without putting her in danger of Gothel's wrath? Perhaps if he proposed to her here, on his own estate, and simply did not allow her to return home...
"Our dear Ela has not been blessed with the gift of patience, I am afraid," Sofia put in, shaking her head. "I have tried to teach embroidery several times. But no matter - we have our baking, and she is becoming quite the bookworm, as it happens."
Rai laughed. "But rarely stories, unless there is a dragon. She mostly steals my science books to look at the diagrams."
Ela glared at the two of them, and Rai softened, holding out his hand for hers. She obliged, hers tiny in his, and he squeezed her fingers gently. "But we should never wish to change you, of course. I am lacking in patience, too," he assured her with a smile. Again, Ela brightened at this, the dark cloud shifting away at once.
Raimundo returned his attention to Rapunzel, watching her enjoy the cheese. It was silly, wasn't it, for him to get so much joy out of watching her delight in little things like this? But he couldn't find it in him to mind at all.
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xiaolindude · 1 month
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Thanks to @sopranointhechoir for reminding me that I like Xiaolin Showdown! It's been out of my headspace for a while So the easiest thing for me to draw ended up being Fantasy RPG AU cause I've been playing hella pathfinder
Closeups under the cut!
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btw I was GOING to include Chase and Wuya but I realized that they really wouldn't look different in this AU! So since I didn't have an idea for the redesign I decided to skip it.
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xiaolindude · 1 month
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Just updating my Raipunzel RP/ficlet list with @xiaolindude/@xiaolintease for our own reference.
Xiaolin-verse:
-Dragon of Light -Home Is Where Your Ass Is [COMPLETE] -Nova Scotia (ficlet) -Building Up Walls [COMPLETE] -Is This Okay? (ficlet) -Not a Nightmare... (ficlet, 18+ for s.exual content) -Suns Out, Guns Out [COMPLETE] -Diffident Diversions (18+ for s.exual content) -Cramp (ficlet, 18+ for s.exual content) -Lucky 13 (18+ for s.exual content) [COMPLETE] -You Can't Save Me [COMPLETE] -Catch (ficlet, 18+ for s.exual content) -You're An Asshole But I Love You (starter) -Stolen Studies (18+, for s.exual content) -Mind Games (18+, for some s.exual content and several dark and potentially triggering themes) -Rum Soaked Sunset -I Want You to Want Me (18+, for s.exual content)[COMPLETE] -The Balance of Waiting (18+, for s.exual content)[COMPLETE] -Negative Head Space -Something's Gotta Give -The Intimacy of Hands - prompt (ficlet, 18+ for potentially triggering themes)[NOTE: Is not "canon" to this AU, but still takes place in it]
Bodyguard AU:
-Nowhere Safer -You Worry Too Much [COMPLETE] -Freefall (18+, for s.exual content) -Closeted Desires (18+, for s.exual content) -Jealousy (18+, for s.exual content) -Silence and Patience (18+, for s.exual content) -Another Inch of Your Life Sacrificed (18+, for s.exual content and potentially triggering themes) -One Year Kissaversasry -Behind Closed Doors (18+, for s.exual content) -The Sweetest Dessert (18+, for s.exual content) -I Choose You
Futbol AU:
-Charitable Contributions -Reopened Wounds (18+, for s.exual content and potentially triggering themes) -Fall Apart to Reunite (18+, for s.exual content) -Flight to Catch -Nothing Will Burn Us Out (starter) -Christmas EmergencEve (18+, for s.exual content and potentially triggering themes)
Tempting Scandal AU:
-Teach Me to Be More Adaptive (18+, for s.exual content and potentially triggering themes) -The Intimacy of Hands - prompt (ficlet)
"Villain" Rai AU:
-New to Rio, New to the World [COMPLETE] -Secretly On Your Side [COMPLETE] -A Guy Like You Should Wear a Warning (18+, for s.exual content)
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xiaolindude · 1 month
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It was a silly fight, that was all. It happened. People fought. Especially when in close quarters for a long period of time and while under stress, like they were. It had been a crazy few days - of course things were going to get rocky at some point. What mattered was that they'd moved past it.
For a while longer, he was quiet, just soaking in her touch and the fact that he wanted her proximity. Her words had hurt like hell, and he'd needed that space for a while, but man was he glad that he was moving past that point. She kissed his shoulder; he sighed lightly. What a fucking week.
"... Breakfast," he said eventually, voice quiet but not upset. Just... calm. Almost peaceful. That all-encompassing sense of relief that followed the resolution of an argument that had felt devastating.
The tighter he held her, the better she felt. She’d never had an argument like this, and she was only just learning that you could fight with someone and have them be the one to comfort you afterward. Maybe this wouldn’t have worked last night, but it was working now.
At the sensation of his kiss, she felt like her heart was thrumming in her chest, jump started by the simple, sweet contact. She looked up at him, her green eyes searching his a moment, as the urge to make this all better quickly grew stronger and stronger. And then she threw caution out the window and kissed him. It was light and sweet, giving him ample opportunity to pull away if he wasn’t here yet, but if she was reading him right, he was.
She very much needed to make it up to him somehow. He’d let her take pictures of him, and he was letting her hold him and possibly kiss him. She was finding herself more in love with him than ever before, possibly because of the fight, which didn’t make sense, but here it was.
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xiaolindude · 1 month
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Raimundo Pedrosa as a weasel. Deal with it.
First art of 2024!
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xiaolindude · 1 month
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Aftermath - The First Night
This is a pic I’ve had in progress since sometime in 2020. It’s mostly an exercise in severe light and shadow (plus fabric folds that aren’t clothes). It’s from my roleplay with @xiaolindude called “Another Inch of You Life Sacrificed.”
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xiaolindude · 2 months
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rai canonically wearing high-waisted cargos and a short-sleeved cropped hoodie??? fucking insane i love him
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xiaolindude · 2 months
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A lil old screencap redraw, I missed doing these hehe
Patreon / Twitter / Instagram
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xiaolindude · 2 months
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xiaolindude · 2 months
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"Our dear Ela has not been blessed with the gift of patience, I am afraid," Sofia put in, shaking her head. "I have tried to teach embroidery several times. But no matter - we have our baking, and she is becoming quite the bookworm, as it happens."
Rai laughed. "But rarely stories, unless there is a dragon. She mostly steals my science books to look at the diagrams."
Ela glared at the two of them, and Rai softened, holding out his hand for hers. She obliged, hers tiny in his, and he squeezed her fingers gently. "But we should never wish to change you, of course. I am lacking in patience, too," he assured her with a smile. Again, Ela brightened at this, the dark cloud shifting away at once.
Raimundo returned his attention to Rapunzel, watching her enjoy the cheese. It was silly, wasn't it, for him to get so much joy out of watching her delight in little things like this? But he couldn't find it in him to mind at all.
Ela pouted. "I cannot embroider. The needle just pokes my finger and it hurts."
Rai smiled, rolling his eyes in amusement and ruffling his sister's hair. "But Teia is particularly kind and embroiders things for you, does she not? So that your clothes are beautiful too."
Ela brightened and gave a little nod.
"Cheddar!" Sofia announced brightly. "We would normally have had Cheshire or Stilton, but I found this at the market and apparently it is all the rage overseas. Isn't it delicious?"
It was very good cheese, Rai had to admit. He imagined this taste, but even stronger, and hummed at the thought. Cheese could be quite expensive, but when he and Rapunzel were married, there would be plenty of money for all the cheese they should wish for.
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xiaolindude · 2 months
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Omi gets easily distracted while driving and Kimiko experiences terrible road rage, so neither of them are allowed behind the wheel anymore
Clay is technically the best driver on the team, and he's even forklift certified and used to driving things like tractors. He doesn't like the feel of most motorized vehicles though, and vastly prefers the feel of riding something alive like a horse or a dragon. Plus, Clay drives responsibly and slowly, in a way that Kimiko and Rai have compared to how an old lady would drive, and in a way that's not really suited for chases
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And thus, the monk's usual designated driver is Raimundo by default
...That is, whenever it's not Dojo, the licensed pilot
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