#I love argentina a lot and I love having the opportunity to visit it more in recent years but it sucks the disconnection

[repurposedmeatlocker]

Very little people talk about the odd experience of having parents or one parent from a particular country/culture, but you grew up largely disconnected from it.

Like, on one hand, it is a part of you. You might even have the opportunity to visit said country occasionally and see extended family. But on the other hand, your communication is limited because you understand the language only a little bit or not at all. Usual cultural norms you know you should share, you can not connect to. A part of you can't help feeling guilty as if you have purposely allowed something to become lost (even though this isn't actually the case).

[v4lky-ri3]

Tattoo Headcanon

. ݁₊ ⊹ .🏐 ݁˖ . ݁

Notes: If you’d like to write any fanfics based on this headcanon make sure to credit and tag me, I would love to see what you guys come up with.

Word count: 360 words

I’ve been having this headcanon stuck in my head since forever. I don't know if this has been done yet but I haven't seen anything. So, there’s this tradition amongst Olympians that once you successfully compete in your sport, it’s like a rite of passage to get a tattoo of the Olympic Rings, which is the logo (examples below). You can also find out more here.

I think that some of the guys on Japan's National Volleyball team will have their own tattoos of the rings after their first Olympics as a team in 2020. They'd probably all go to a tattoo shop in Japan as a "team bonding experience", as I think Bokuto would put it. He would go around begging to everyone saying, "It's our chance to celebrate this once in a lifetime opportunity!". They would eventually all give in to stop him from bugging everyone during practice. I definitely believe that Bokuto, Atsumu, Iwazumi and Suna would get tattoos during that visit at the tattoo shop.

So, where would they get them? Bokuto would get it on his back, where his shoulder blades are. Atsumu likely would have it on his bicep, so he can flex it to show it off to people. Suna would either have it on his wrist or ankle. Iwazumi would join in with the fun and get one on his forearm. Oikawa would also have one too at the base of his neck on his back, that he got done back in Argentina after his third place win in 2020. If you disagree with me, go argue with the wall.

Eventually, some other members of the team would get the Olympic Rings tattoo themselves like Hoshiumi and Hakuna. Maybe even Hinata at one point in between the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Ushijima and Kageyama would be more reluctant but not opposed to getting one. It would take a lot of convincing for them to finally get themselves tattooed with the Olympic Rings.

If you’d like to write any fanfics based on this headcanon make sure to credit and tag me, I would love to see what you guys come up with.

[mzannthropy]

Any Camibilly fluff headcanons?

They make sure they have a date night at least every month, just the two of them. They go to a nice restaurant, or to the movies, or they just drive to the beach and have a moonlit walk (I have them living in Pasadena). Sometimes they get themselves invited to a red carpet premiere if they feel like it.

Something I've been thinking about for a while: at some point they renew their vows. Bc their wedding was so rushed, and I don't think Camila ever got any engagement ring, Billy will buy her an eternity ring and they have another wedding--nothing too big, but their parents will be there and Camila's sister (I named her Isabel) and Graham and Jeanie (that's his wife, I think I found her name on wiki and that's what I'm calling her anyway), and Teddy. Julia is the flower girl. And this time around at least they get proper pics! Camila's photographer friend will take care of it.

I once suggested Billy will buy a trip to Argentina for Camila's parents, but idk why I didn't think of Billy and Camila going themselves (and with Julia ofc), but when you said it, it started growing in my head. They go to Buenos Aires (stereotypically the capital, but come on, it's literally one of the largest cities in the world and it's not wild to imagine Camila's parents were from there, even if they/their parents were born elsewhere and moved there for jobs/opportunities). Now, there's an area called Boca and Camila takes lots of pictures there, they visit the taverns and watch tango dancers (ah, there's something here, Billy and Camila dancing tango?). When they get back, Camila sells her collection on Boca to National Geographic and from then on, starts doing street photography. She felt unfulfilled doing those celeb photoshoots. This is what will lead Julia to become a documentary filmmaker.

Billy tries to learn Spanish, I picture him being like the dad character from the Barbie film, you know the husband of America Ferrera's character, the father of that bratty kid.

I can't fit more kids into my imagination (my own bias, I admit), so I'll just let Julia be an only child, but they do have a conversation about whether they want to have more. (I have to discard the one in the show bc it makes no sense). They decide NOT to have any more, at least not for the foreseeable future, bc they're doing good the way they are and Camila is doing her photography work. Then before you know it, Julia is a teen and they're like, eh, we won't bother now, so they don't. But I'm still playing with the idea of them fostering an orphan boy, a child whose immigrant mother died. Needs to be a Spanish speaking one, so probably from Mexico (stereotypical again, but also most likely).

Some interior ideas: link 1 link 2 The first one has guitars handing on the wall, the second has old fashioned cameras as decorations!

Oh also one thing, Billy does DIY around the house. Kids here are so young, they think love is all long stares and cHeMiSTrY and CoNnEcTIon, but I'm too divorced and too tired and too middle aged to not see the value of having a man around who can fix things, I said what I said!

[allisian]

K/DA Lore pt.3

It took me a while to decide on how teen Evelynn would look like. So I held off my last post until I could finalise her design. Yes I heavily based her off Maddison Beers look at the 2018 worlds. Its a shame I wasn't able to showcase her fashion I had in mind. Perhaps I'll try drawing a full body reference in the future.

Time for Kai'sa! KDA's most shallow member! (I love Kai'sa guys I swear. It's riot that ruined her potential.)

As a child Kaisa would travel a lot because of her father's work (military) She would grow up as a model student fluent in many languages and educated in geography and history. Kai'sa is socially underdeveloped due to her "really moves around" upbringing. She also is the "Broken Ace" type (nomadic life), always striving for perfection in her grades and career but in turn suffers socially. This makes Kai'sa very awkward and oblivious to social cues when interacting with people outside of a professional manner. Because of this, she was typically outcasted throughout the many schools she attended. Others feared her like she was some sort of monster. A creature too mysterious and focused on achieving to be understood. School became a hunt to survive mentality to kaisa and nothing else mattered in her world. Yet the longing to belong was still there in her heart. After discovering dance in her teens Kai'sa would start to evolve. She never had hobbies or any indulgences in her life. All she knew was how to survive an ever-changing environment as she constantly moved with her father's tours and deployments around the world. With dance, she finally opened herself up to the idea of living over surviving. From ballet in Russia to hip hop in the Americas Kaisa would find the universal language to feel herself and to connect to those around her no matter where in the world she was. Kaisa grew to have a passion for the arts, she discovered she was diversly gifted in creativity. Her hardworking attitude and serious studying nature helped her achieve many degrees. As an adult, she would make her own studio the Firefly Collective (located in America) where she would share her passion and teach others the wonderful world of dance and would go on to create a popular youtube channel for her studio (think 1MILLION Dance Studio). She was happy being a teacher and was astonished to have been visited by Ahri and Evelynn. Kaisa wasn't too aware of K-pop artists so she didn't recognize them as celebrities but her students did. They freaked out when popstars Ahri and Evelynn entered their dance studio. Seeking out someone to be their choreographer. Kaisa's students urged her to take this opportunity and so Kaisa became the third member of kda.

*Yes Kai'sas lore was mostly ripped off the comics. But I was able to add more context

*in 2018, one year before KDA debuted she won Hong Kong's "Can you dance?" competition. This success was what put her on Ahri and Evelynn's radar. (Kai'sa was 21 at the time)

*Kai'sa had a complete personality overhaul when she discovered dance. She went from the recluse, studyholic to the hippie, free spirited type.

*In her life Kai'sa has lived in 10 countries: China, South Africa, South Korea, France, America, Australia, United Kingdom, Russia, India and Argentina.

*She was born in south africa (as a omage to her default voice actor)

Art by me

Here's a link to my playlist of the music I think suits this pre KDA Kai'sa

(Edit links to the other KDA girls)

Ahri

Evelynn

Akali

[lucysarah-c]

Can you tell us more about you moving abroad?

Are you scared? Excited?

How is the procedure going so far? Which country are you planning to visit?

Sure! I don't mind it haha I'm moving to Germany to do a PhD and a Master's degree. You're probably wondering why both and it's because Argentinian degrees already have a "master" inside it so it's like the master's topics are stuff I've already seen in my "bachelor's degree" in Argentina but I need the master to be taken in PhD in Germany so they made an exception. I'll be working for research in the lab and etc. doing some publications that will later on be part of my PhD while I do a Master's. Of course all this under the speculations that the government of Germany accepts my papers etc.

I'm really excited, I've been working and planning this for a while so I'm really enthusiastic. Basically my last 2 years of my degree were planned on this and this opportunity so I guess I'm excited that it's so close to happen, if it happens.

I've already lived alone since I was 17, I moved over 500 km from my hometown to study at uni so living alone and re-discovering myself in a new environment was a grateful experience when I was 17, can't wait to see what person will I be when I move alone again across the globe with 24.

The only thing I'm scared of is finding a way to bring my cat Taylor with me and money. Moving to a new country implies a lot of money and, at the same time, understanding how much money I will need per month and being fully economically independent since it's impossible for my family to support me economically in this decision.

The process is... dehumanizing and exhausting. I have been sending mails almost everyday; for translation, for certificates, for uni papers, for uni papers in germany, visa stuff, etc. You send a mail and they reply when they please and how they please lol. I think there's a special place in hell for "administrative in universities". To be honest, the hardest part of all this is money, it takes a lot of money and while my family can somehow help me with this part I feel extremely guilty. That's why I had been thinking of doing some art sketches commissions because each penny counts.

So far the decision is permanent if the opportunity is given, I may move permanently to Germany. I won't say forever because you never know but sadly it's been a really harsh past year for me. I finished university, I got my honor degree and be "the top of the top '' in a career that in other countries people are making a bunch of money off and... in my home country I didn't get a single job offer. Plus to that, the economy in Argentina is really delicate and I took this decision also to be able to have a better job or just a job and send money to my family so my mom can finally retire and be calm. She deserves it and I'm willing to do what it takes. 

Hahaha sorry for the rambling!

Have a lovely day!

[taylover98]

✍🏽 OPEN LATTER TO TAYLOR SWIFT:

Hi! I introduce myself, my name is Sofía Im 25 years old from Argentina 🇦🇷. I've been swiftie since 2009/2008 I guess it's been a lot time ago in those time when internet wasn't a big omnipresent thing jaja so I can't really remember how and when I hear you for the first time. Anyways, YOU more than anyone can realise that your fame and fans an music and numbers grown so fast the last year's 📈 and of course I'm so proud of you and I love that people know you music appreciate your lyrics and stop see us like stupids little and immature girls like was the whole decade of 2010-19. Even a lot of girls that I know and bullied me for listen pop now wants to go tu your show y Buenos Aires and A LOT of Boys that made fun of my friends and I NOW will or want to go or listen your music.... ☺️🔪 I love your recently massive fame BUT I'm honest it hurts me and put me in disadvantage bc now I have to fight with more than 1.000K persons that wants to go to the show! Rich persons, persons that started to hear you in 2020, I even think that MY WHOLE FAMILY deserve go to the show for sing and listen yours songs since 2008/9.

Tomorrow is the day. I'm honest, my family is kinda poor media class is luxury for us the tickets of 40.000 in 6 dues will cost us A LOT we doesn't even have credit card ☠️ my neighbour will borrow hers ♥️

My point is, I hope go to the show with my familia, I hope every swiftie thats share time with you since little girls 🪻 have the opportunity I hope Taylors Nation do a investigation and can gif this girls something and the experience we've been waiting for more than 10 year's!!!! I'm SO glad your visit ✨ it's like a dream come true, I felt like a 9 year old girl again with a 13 in her hand and the dream of every dress you wore with the perception of you like a truly princess 💗🥹 I re born somehow a trip to the past.

🫂 Hope you enjoy the journey and come back again, choose us again. Think about your old fans and poor fans and fans that live in Argentina but far to Buenos Aires. This is the real world only the persons who have money can do anything to go. A privilege world. So I trust you and your team and I hope and know somehow some girls have the tickets that they deserve 🫶🏼

I love you Taylor, I'm so grateful for your music it helped me so much in a lot of bully, loneliness, sad, struggle times.

Enjoy Latinoamérica ✨🪻

Sofi.-

P.s: TAYLOR LPM I FORGOT IM PHOTOJOURNAL SO IF YOU CAN GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE PICTURES IN YOUR SHOW IT WOULD BE AWESOME 🫂🫶🏼🥹

@taylorswift @taylornation

[umichenginabroad]

Thoughts Before Study Abroad

Hello!

My name is Jaselyn Porter, and I just finished my first year of study in the College of Engineering. I recently declared Biomedical Engineering as my major. This summer, I will be visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina. I chose Argentina because I am enchanted by hispanic culture, and I would like to improve my spoken Spanish skills. In addition, I’ve always dreamed of visiting South America, and this summer seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so! Here are a few of the things I am the most excited/ nervous about. 

Meeting Locals 

The program in Buenos Aires allows a student to choose between staying in apartment style housing or stay in a home with a local family. Initially, introverted me thought that this would be a terrifying option. I would have to stay in a house with people that I had never met before and communicate in a language that my tongue still stumbles over a bit. My brain was screaming at me to pick the apartment style housing option. It's a much more socially comfortable option after all. But after a lot of internal debate, I decided that the homestay would allow me to get the most out of this study abroad experience. Although it may be scary, I realized that staying with locals can give me a cultural perspective that I would otherwise not be able to experience. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone a bit!

Trying New Food

I am a foodie. I love going to new places and trying new foods. If I am honest, I have never tried Argentine food. Therefore, I am super excited to try all of the different Argentine food during my time in Buenos Aires. Asado is a type of food that I am specifically excited about trying. Asado, or barbeque, is the national dish of Argentina and usually consists of beef, pork, and sausage roasted over a fire. I also want to try the empanadas, locro, and choripán. 

Argentine culture is greatly influenced by Italian culture, and therefore many of their popular dishes have Italian influence as well. These include Fugazza, provoleta, and ravioles.

Argentina has such a broad range of food, and I cannot wait to try as many of the dishes as possible. I think it is safe to say that I may gain a few pounds during my stay.

Literature, Art, and Culture

Buenos Aires is a city booming with culture. To me, it seems like art is infused into the fabric of the city! La Boca is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires that is famous for its colorful, intricate street murals. Tango originated in Argentina, and remains a very popular art form throughout the country. Buenos Aires is also home to the Colón Theater, one of the greatest opera houses in the world. 

Best of all, (at least for me), Argentina has the most bookstores per capita than any other country in the world. It is home to the Ateneo Grand Splendid. This book store is an old theater that has been converted into a bookstore, and I am so excited to visit. I know I will be spending more than just a couple hours in that store. 

Picture Credit: puentesabroad.com

I truly cannot wait to experience all that Argentina has to offer. As I prepare for this trip, I have decided that I am going to treat this as a once in a lifetime experience (because it is), and I am going to get out of my comfort zone. I am going to talk to the locals. I am going to try new foods. And I am going to immerse myself in a new culture. My motto for this trip is going to be, “Great things never come from comfort zones,” and I am going to have the time of my life.

Fun Fact

Less than 36 hours before I left for this trip, I was in Ireland with the Women’s Glee Club! Check out some of my experiences below!

Jaselyn Porter

Biomedical Engineering

Engineering in Argentina, Buenos Aires

[sugamamacustard]

Lips like sugar~

Pairing: Alpha! Toru Oikawa x Omega! Reader

Genre: NSFW. semi-fluff?

Request: Hey!! Can we get a sugar daddy alpha!oikawa; who's out with friends in public and sees his f!omega bby with some friends, but her group of friends decided to approach his group, and she tried her best to distance herself from him, and he was just having none of that, and became super annoyed and possessive in front of the group, later making it clear that he did have actual feelings for her? AAAA sorry if that doesn't make sense!!! I hope you're taking care of yourself <3

Summary: Toru Oikawa had no qualms about paying a pretty little thing to hang off his arm, but he expects you to be at his beck and call for the price tag you come with. And if you aren’t? He’ll put you back into your place real quick. 

Author’s Note: Holy f u c k I cannot explain how much I loved this request-- Please don’t make tiktoks on my work I might cry

Requests: Open!

NSFW Warnings: Fem! Reader, Uhm....It gets soft at the end tho- Mirror sex

➵ You were so, so pretty. 

➵This was a fact that Oikawa knew. 

➵ While the price tag you came with wasn’t as pretty, he was willing to pay it. 

➵ He had the funds to do so, and though he wouldn’t admit it, you were always worth it.

➵Always. 

➵ He would hope you saw him as more than a walking, talking bank account. Especially now that, not only were your friends, but his as well were all settling down.

➵ He could see himself settling with you, having at least two pups, big yard, white picket fence.

➵ “Shittykawa!” 

➵ Shaking his head, he caught up to his friends (Which were visiting him in Argentina), taking over and leading them around. 

➵ It had taken a lot of asking and begging to get them here in the first place and he was not going to let this opportunity go. Not one bit!

➵ He took them to the best street vendors and street stalls, encouraging them to enjoy the bright liveliness that South American culture had to offer. 

➵ Not to mention the girls and guys a like that were more than eye candy. They were more like a whole ass eye buffet. 

➵While Oikawa wouldn’t admit it, they all felt lackluster compared to you

➵ A nudge from Mattsun had him looking in another direction, his eyes widening as he saw you. 

➵ You were glammed out, tastefully of course, with jewels and gems that he either gifted you or gifted you the money to get so (He assumed); hair flowing and shining beautifully as your eyes glimmered.

➵ Iwaizumi was already talking to one of the girls you were hanging with, and Makki and Mattsun were quick to pick up the other two. Leaving you and him.

➵ He shot you one of his coy smirks, sauntering up to you, quickly wrapping an arm around your waist before you had a chance to react.

➵ Your hands rested on his chest, trying to discreetly push him away. 

➵ His grip only tightened as he leaned into your ear.

➵ “Come on, pretty thing, your fine with me everywhere else.”

➵ Truth be told, you had tried separating from Oikawa lately because unwanted-nor needed- feelings began arising.

➵ Stupid things like butterflies in your gut and your cheeks heating up whenever you thought about the brunet.

➵ Swallowing those thoughts, you plastered a smile on your face, leaning into him and acting the role you were payed to do so.

➵Oikawa seemed to appreciate it, as he played the role as your alpha as well.

➵It felt intimate in every way, meeting Oikawa’s friends, learning old memories and anecdotes of their highschool days. 

➵In a way, it made you yearn for more, but that was a strict rule you kept for yourself.

➵ The minute feelings were brought in, you stepped out. 

➵ You will admit you have kept Oikawa far longer than you should’ve, but you couldn’t bring yourself to let him go. 

➵ By the end of the day, you and your friends left with waves behind you, Oikawa dragging a finger along the bottom side of his chin. A wordless demand.

➵ ‘Tonight. My place.’

➵ You merely nodded, scampering along to prepare for the night to come. 

___NSFW UNDER THE CUT___

“Oikawa-” You yelped as a harsh smack was delivered to your ass, making you reel and your back arch. Slick gushed out of your cunt, drenching his and your thighs, but he was still relentless. 

“That’s not my name.” He snarled, nipping at your spine as he pulled your hips in time with his thrusts. The necklaces you wore that day were still on, glimmering in the limited light as it bounced with your breasts. The chain was  still cold against your skin, making your skin chill over with goosebumps. “Last names are past us, don’t you think, Y/N?”

You whined, withering as you tried falling onto your hands to take some stress off of your knees. The mirror in front of you was foggy at the edges as it reflected your own sopping cunt back at you. At this point, you couldn’t resist the thought of having this every night. Having Oi- Toru behind you, figuratively or literally, sounded like a dream come true-- and not because of the money, you honestly couldn’t care less at this point. 

Licking your lips, you bared your neck to the alpha, head falling back onto his shoulders as one of his hands snaked forward to circle your clit. Your hips bucked forward at the shot of pleasure but he stayed prevalent. “Toru-Fuck, please, I wanna cum so badly.”

“Cum for me pretty girl. Go on, gush all over your alpha’s cock.” His hand sped up as his eyes watched his dick slip in and out of you, slick trails following after it. It was erotic and breath-taking all in one. 

You obeyed his words, back arching as you reached back into Toru’s hair, yanking as you clutched around him. His knot was stuffed into your still pulsating cunt, making him groan as he emptied into the condom he had put on earlier. Nonetheless, you were stuck together for the next ten minutes, panting and coming down from you high. 

“At the risk of making the next ten minute awkward, I wanted to say I really like you.” Toru whispered into your back, holding you close with his arms looped around your abdomen. 

Licking your lips, you relaxed back onto him. “I think I like you too.” You paused before laughing. “And not your checkbook.”

“That’s good. Don’t think my poor heart could take it.” He himself laughed before continuing. “I have a courting gift in the drawer, but right now we’re a little...tied up.” 

A quick maneuver had you laying on his chest as he laid on his back, hands trailing up and down your sides. 

“All the money you gave me went into a trust fund, in case you were curious. If you want it back I’d be more than happy too-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there. That’s our money.”

[elysianslove]

heyyy thanks for making my request with the honeymoon, as a french girl i loved that you mentioned paris! can you do some other boys if you don't mind?

i’ve been trying to find this ask !!! anyways yes yes i’d love to <3 let me know if you want other boys too <3 part 1 is here (includes oikawa, akaashi, atsumu, suna, osamu and iwaizumi)! 

i think bokuto would take you to singapore, more specifically maybe, sentosa island, and that’s because it can be romantic, but it’s also really fun and immersive. there’s universal studios, for example, and there’s also a bunch of cable car that you can ride, and the tourist attraction ‘gardens by the bay.’ i think he’d take you there because there are a whole lot of different activities to do and sights to take you, but there’s also opportunity with lazy days at the hotel, or a simple day at the mall, or touring around the city to sightsee. it’s a little bit of everything, and bokuto would appreciate being able to experience all these fun places with you, but also to just revel in the fact that he just married you. he takes way, way too many photos. of everything. there is a photo of you sneezing into a tissue somewhere and he kept it because “we gotta have all these memories saved for our kids and grandkids!!!” 

oh kuroo would definitely take you to saint lucia, carribbean. it’s perfectly romantic, fun, exciting and just the right amount of private. it’s not just a beach with a pretty view, there’s so much to do there as well. there’s festivals, mountain climbing, zip lining, and they all seem like things kuroo would rope you into doing with him. he’d also really love lazy days on the beach with you, where he can slam dunk your head under the salty water as many times as he likes. he also seems like the type to love romantic strolls on the beach late at night where he will most likely try to push you into the water at some point. he just appreciates how at the forefront, surface level view of it, you’re just enjoying the ocean and some pretty sunrises from your hotel room, but then there’s a lot of hidden gems, and he gets to do it all with the person he chose to marry! that’s just double the fun. he takes two types of photos: really, really sexy photos like borderline lewd and obscene get an onlyfans for this not an instagram, or really, really, really embarrassing pictures that you’d sell a kidney for him to delete. he doesn’t. 

hinata would take you to buenos aires, argentina, and i promise i’m not saying this because of his trip to brazil. i just genuinely believe the vibe of argentina would really match with hinata. there’s the liveliness of the place, the romantic aura, the sights, the music, the dancing, the endless places to visit. he’d take you to a really romantic dinner and then have you dancing till you feel like you’ll drop dead throughout the entire night. he probably also has ways of discovering hidden places that only the locals really know about and he’ll take you there. he also definitely tries to make you go skinny dipping with him in the hotel pool like it’s not public??? it’s not just night life with him though, it’s an all day kind of thing. hinata is very energetic, and to have married him, you have to have known that. prepare yourself, because you’re gonna have to keep up with him. the photo taking is left up to you mostly, but he does take a lot of really secret photos of you that you never really find out about for him to stare at in the middle of the night. he’s hopelessly in love with you, trust. 

ushijima would take you to copenhagen, denmark. just search it up and tell me that’s not the perfect honeymoon destination for ushijima. visiting the markets, visiting museums, sightseeing along the harbor, riding down the canal. it’s very serene, very lowkey, very subtle, something he’d love to share with his lover, the person he’d decided to marry. there’s also a lot of hiking tours beyond the city that he’d convince you to come on with him just because he wants to take a picture with you and the sunset. with him, on your honeymoon, you really feel so in love. like even nights at the hotel are lovely. gives you the okay to order as much room service as you’d like, and takes a lot of baths with you with the whole ordeal of putting in rose petals and lighting candles and sipping wine or sipping just juice if you don’t drink. he’ll tell you he disapproves of the photos you take of the two of you in the bath but he can’t resist smiling when he sees you smile as well. he actually takes wonderful photos of you, and of the two of you. you’re the carrier of the embarrassing ones. 

sakusa would probably take you to fiji, south pacific. i think he’d want something private, like visiting a resort where you mostly keep to yourselves. he’s not opposed to leaving the resort, obviously, and he more than likely would love to explore with you, take you to different restaurants, take you diving, attempt to surf with you. but he’d prefer fiji over other places because it’s known for it’s seclusion, and he values privacy, especially with you, and especially with something like a honeymoon. it’s a very personal experience, you know? plus, he’ll take seeing you in a swimsuit everyday as a definite win. he loves going nighttime swimming with you as well, a lot more than morning or afternoon swimming. it’s somehow a thousand times more romantic and fun, no matter how cold the two of you get. sakusa just enjoys being with you, honestly, and nothing else matters. again, with him, it’s mostly you taking the pictures, but he snaps the occasional candid photo of you, and steals some of the two of you from your phone because he needed to change his lockscreen anyways.

[norarigby]

Suprises

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x fem!reader

Warnings: tooth rotting fluff

Word count: ~1k

A/n: I’m a sucker for Argentina/timeskip Oikawa and I feel like there’s not enough of him. So this is my humble contribution. Enjoy!

A/n (part 2): This was originally like half the length. But then the editing process happened and it somehow doubled. I don’t know either.

It was a really long day. Nothing in particular had made it that way. Everything was just moving at a snail’s pace. The morning commute dragged on. Work and it’s many meetings dragged on. Even lunch, the oasis of peace and tranquillity that was supposed to give you enough to carry on, was near torturous. You were one more useless memo away from completely losing it. The only thing keeping you sane was the thought of crashing as soon as your head hit the pillow.

You unlocked your apartment door and as soon as you opened the door, you noticed the light was on. Completely on edge, you quietly took off your shoes and coat. Phone in hand, ready to call the police, you cautiously walked into the living space and saw your boyfriend, Oikawa, sprawled out on your couch, scrolling on his phone. You immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Then it clicked.

Tooru.

Your Tooru.

Was here.

Actually here.

After 6 months of riding the rollercoaster of long distance, he was here. You two had gone back and forth for at least a month planning a visit. But neither of you had decided who was going whom and the trip wasn’t supposed to happen for another month. But here he was on a random Thursday in September. No heads up, no texts, no calls. This impromptu visit was definitely a surprise—a good surprise.

But as much as you wanted to run and hug him, your body still hadn’t recovered from fight or flight mode and was rooted to the ground. Luckily, Oikawa glanced up from his phone and his face melted into the the warmest smile you’d even seen from him—you took a mental picture, trying to capture that moment for the rest of your life. He jumped up to run and capture you in a hug. Oikawa clung onto you like you would disappear if he let go.

Not that you were complaining. You had missed his hugs and, weirdly, the way he smelled. His hugs were always warm and welcoming, like they would fix all of your problems and wash away the stress of the day. Your nose filled with his cologne. He smelled like home and you’d definitely missed it. (In fact, you had missed it so much, you bought a bottle of it a couple months ago to spray onto your pillow when missing him became too much. But that was a fact you would carry to your grave as if Oikawa found out, he would never let you live it down.)

Eventually he let up enough for you to let you finally look him in the eyes—although he still held his arms firmly around your waist. As you gazed into his eyes, you noticed that tears had begun to fill them. Your hand softly cupped his cheek, prompting a small hum to escape his lips. He brought up a hand to meet your own and leaned into it. As the tears rushed down his cheeks, you did your best to wipe them away with your thumb.

His closed eyes gave you an opportunity to finally look at him. He was your Tooru—that would never change—but, he was different. His skin and hair had been kissed by the sun. He’d gotten a little taller, stronger, sturdier. Even the soft smile that lingered on his face revealed early crinkles that told you he’d been smiling a lot more. So much had changed. But you knew this would happened when he told you his plan eight months ago.

Yes, this change was good. He felt different, but not in a way that worried you. He was becoming more like himself. And it was a beautiful thing to watch.

You rubbed your thumb gently across his cheek, “Tooru, what are you doing here? How will Argentina survive without your presence gracing its streets?”

His eyes fluttered open, “Argentina can survive long enough for me to visit my girlfriend for the weekend.”

“Well, be sure to thank Argentina for its generous sacrifice,” You pulled his head down to touch his forehead to yours, “I am glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”

Oikawa lightly held your wrists as they cupped his face, “I’ve missed you too.”

You closed your eyes and hummed in acknowledgment. As you calmed down from the excitement, tiredness washed over you again and you yawned. “Tired of seeing me already?” You could hear his playful smile he always had when he was teasing you.

“I had a long day and I’m exhausted. Sorry.”

Oikawa pulled back, compassion and concern written across his face, “Hey, no sorrys. I’m tired too. Why don’t we go to bed and we can talk more tomorrow, ‘kay?”

You nodded in agreement. He kissed you forehead and lead you to your room. As soon as you changed and got ready, you climbed into bed and he pulled you onto his chest. He lightly drew his fingers over your head and back while humming softly.

You had a slight pang in your stomach from guilt. Oikawa definitely would’ve wanted to stay up and be with each other as much as possible. But, dutiful as ever, he put your needs before his own, swallowing whatever disappointment lingered in him. Besides, even having him here, physically, with you was enough for now—and he definitely felt that too.

Too many thoughts swirled in your head, preventing you from sleeping. So instead, you focused on Oikawa’s steady breathing and soothing warmth. Soon, you could feel yourself drifting off. But just before you fell asleep, you mumbled, “I love you.”

You didn’t expect any sort of response, but Oikawa pulled you closer and whispered back, “I love you too.”

(Posted December 18, 2020, 11:19PM MST)

[midasinc]

modern era jolyferre hcs:

-they are the most domestic out of any possible relationship in les mis and they're both very mature in a relationship. theirs just works so well because they're able to communicate with each other and act like grown adults when they need to be and yes they are married in spirit (not yet irl though) -combeferre learns spanish for joly. he takes night school classes for it and he's so serious about getting it right and being fluent. he refuses to take online courses because he wants a real teacher who can make the process easier for him to learn

-he's also learning it because joly's abuelita loves them and he loves her. one year he went to go meet her in argentina with joly because she's the only member of joly's family that isn't weird and disapproving of their relationship and she loves combeferre. sometimes joly stares at them suspiciously and wonders if she asks joly to come over on holiday to see her or if it's just a ploy to get combeferre to visit

-combeferre is very physically clingy too. this surprises a lot of his friends but he is so physically needy. sometimes joly is just trying to make dinner and he's like "babe please i cant cook if you've got me in a death grip." combeferre is the ultimate spoon. big or little- he wants to hold and be held. period.

-they're also very efficient with meal prep. every sunday, they cook for the entire week and pre-package it in tupperware because the two of them are so busy that they don't have time to cook during the week. they try to spice things up pretty often too by trying different foods from different cultures every week. they've taken a cooking class together and now they've both super handy in the kitchen

-they're also total health nuts. grantaire refuses to hang out with joly at his apartment because their only snacks are baby carrots, sugar snap peas, and sliced up bell peppers and "i cant enjoy myself if the snacks suck, joly." if there's a get together at their apartment, everyone else brings their own food because they can't count on combeferre and joly to have anything actually good for a movie night or a lil party

-combeferre loves museums. they're his fave thing to go to when he has free time and he'll go to a museum even when he knows nothing on the subject or doesn't necessarily care. any opportunity to learn something new is an opportunity he'll take. a lot of their first dates were to museums and joly honest to god thought the museums themselves were really boring, but he really liked being able to look over and admire ferre reading each and every plaque and see how interested he was by new information. over the years, joly now loves museums too and whenever they visit a new place, the first thing they do is map out every museum they want to hit. at each one, they get a sticker from the gift shop to put on their water bottles and their bookshelf

-joly knows how to tango. seriously, like he knows the dance. his clubbed foot kind of keeps him from being a totally fantastic dancer, but he still likes to dance with combeferre around their living room and hum happily because he's face-to-face with combeferre's lovely man tits and that's a win to him <3

-they're both also really good about giving each other space. a lot of other past relationships within les amis didn't work out because they were always together and it became too much and they had to break up because they couldnt stand dating each other and being together 24/7 anymore (i won't name names, but also this was courfeyrac and jehan. they didn't last more than a month). combeferre won't linger every time joly hangs out with bossuet and grantaire and joly usually retires to the bedroom to do work when combeferre and courfeyrac have their star trek nights. the space is good sometimes, everyone needs space

-joly starfishes in his sleep and combeferre is a very happy victim :)

-if anyone were to have kids, it would be them. they'd both be really good parents and they're probably going to adopt a few more years down the road after their jobs are secure and paying enough

[theycallmebun]

chrysanthemums in summer

painting by Nina Butieva

pairing: oikawa x sugawara

wc: 5500+

genre: angst, sprinkle of fluff in the middle but das it

warnings: cursing, relationship insecurities, lots of build up, MANGA TIMESKIP SPOILERS but also canon divergence(let me know if i missed anything!)

summary: a while after oikawa had moved to argentina, he returns to miyagi and to his ex-boyfriend, sugawara. will things turn out for the better or worse?

a/n: thanks for being patient everyone, this took me a while but i tried to make it really good. this is loosely based on me and my last partner so do with that what you will and enjoy!

It was hard for Oikawa and Sugawara. They didn’t lose their connection, no, that’s not the case at all. In fact, it had almost felt the same when they were dating in high school. They were just older now. 

What was hard was dealing with the damage Oikawa had made when he left Japan. Sugawara never told Oikawa this, but he knew that one day Oikawa was always going to leave. It was just a matter of when. And the day Oikawa planned on telling him, Sugawara had this gut feeling, the kind that makes you want to throw up. 

When that awaited “Hey, can we talk?” text appeared on his screen, Sugawara cried. He already knew where this was going. He went to Oikawa’s place, head down, just thinking about how he’d get home with fat tears coming out of his eyes. 

Oikawa dropped the news, saying he still wanted to keep in touch and to stay friends, but come on now, we all know how that really goes. Sugawara couldn’t really oppose, he knows how much Oikawa loves volleyball and this was an opportunity of a lifetime for him. So he said, “yeah, we’ll keep in touch” knowing they’d text only a couple times in the beginning but never after a couple months. And he left. Just like he predicted, hot fat tears rolling down his face on his way back home. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

When Oikawa left, he didn’t look back. He knew he needed to do this, for the sake of himself. God, he’s worked so hard for this, there was no turning back now. That didn’t mean it wasn’t painful though, he was just as hurt as Sugawara, maybe even more, given the fact that this was fully his decision. But alas, he and Sugawara both knew the importance of this and Sugawara wouldn’t dare try and stop him. That’s too selfish. 

Throughout the days, Sugawara found himself thinking about Oikawa often. The good memories they made together, some of the bad ones, the one from that day. When he thought of that day, he stopped himself from thinking about Oikawa any further. ‘I have got to move one’ he keeps on reminding himself after thinking about these memories. ‘He’s in a completely different country where women and men probably surround him. He has definitely moved on by now, it’s about time I do’ he always presses himself even though he’ll just be thinking the same things the day after and the day after that and the day after that and so on and so forth. 

He begins to forget. He gets tired of being sad about this all the time. The boy just wants to live again, it’s just been so long since he’s done it without Oikawa. Sugawara opens up to his friends about it and they help him. Daichi and Asahi take him out to lunch and dinner, take him to go shopping, take him to the parks they would visit when they were just little boys, they bring on late night drives with his favorite music playing, they bring him to parties and he meets the friends they’ve made at their universities. Sugawara enjoys every moment of it and all in good time, he’s living again, without a single thought of Oikawa. 

Sugawara didn’t know it would only take this much to heal himself but it didn’t matter how long or how little it took him to heal, what matters now is that he isn’t hurting anymore. And what a better thing to ask for? He was opening up to the world again and he couldn’t feel any better about it, it was about damn time. 

He’d been going strong for a long time, how long was it now, a year? Something along those lines. He focused on his school and made new friends and found new hobbies. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Now, with Oikawa, his case was a little different. Yes, of course he still dominated the volleyball court alongside staying on top of school work and his studies but it was different. Different without his friends being there to directly support him, different because he was in a whole new country where they spoke a language he was still learning, different because their style and dynamic of playing volleyball was different from Seijoh’s, and different because Sugawara wasn’t there by his side. 

He’s got to admit that the first couple of months hurt, hurt like a mother fucker. Hell, it hurt so much that he almost regretted his decision in moving to Argentina. Almost. 

Over time, he’s learned to ignore the feeling, trying his best to forget about Sugawara because what could he do now? Nothing. So he moved on with his life, trying so hard to not think of Sugawara and what they could possibly be doing together if he just hadn’t left. He makes new friends too, meets up with an old one in Brazil over holiday, learns more Spanish and about Spanish, learns more about volleyball, just trying and trying to forget. That’s what he thinks is the best for him. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

They live their separate lives for a while. During that time, they don’t contact each other once, not even a single time. No, they’re both far too busy forgetting and forgetting and growing and growing. The new lives they live are peaceful, and yeah, they miss each other and still hurt over their break-up, but this was for the best of them. That’s what Sugawara thinks, at least. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Soon again, it was summer, almost two years after the pair had separated. Sugawara was on his way home after his last class of the school year, hair disheveled, eye bags heavy, glad that he can finally catch a break after almost working himself to death. Walking down the street, he catches sight of familiar chocolate hair turn the corner. ‘It couldn’t be’ the boy tries to convince himself. ‘Why would he even be here this time round?’ he questions, still believing that that head of hair did not belong to Oikawa. 

Then, he catches a part of the other’s conversation as he gets closer to the corner. “...-chan! Are you sure he still lives around here? What if he moved?” There was a short pause. “I just want to make sure! I want to surprise him.” 

Uh oh. Sugawara knew all too well who that voice belonged to. With that, he turned around as fast as he could and made his way back to his apartment. ‘What the hell!’ he kept repeating in his head. This was going to be an eventful summer. Now, Sugawara would spend it locked in his apartment and avoid going outside at all times unless absolutely needed. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

About three weeks into this waiting game, Sugawara’s phone has been going off the hook “Oikawa’s here” this “Oikawa’s here” that, ‘Nobody gives two shits about Oikawa!’ he thinks. But apparently he does since he’s going at such great lengths to avoid him. He’s run out of groceries, body wash, shampoo, laundry detergent, and water. He’s been living on tap for a couple days already. After a couple minutes of convincing himself, he puts on the last of his clean clothes, tucks his phone and wallet into his pockets, grabs the keys along with some of his reusable bags, and leaves his apartment for the grocery store. He can only hope and pray he doesn’t run into Oikawa. 

The walk to the nearest store is peaceful. The sky is clear and there’s a slight breeze. It’s like the calm before a storm. Sugawara just knows how this trip is going to go, blessed be for his intuition, and is most definitely not looking forward to it. Now he knows he’s going to bump into Oikawa, but what’s going to happen when they do? Is it going to be awkward? Should he just ignore him? These kinds of questions swarmed in Sugawara’s head. You could almost see a small grey cloud form above his head. Thunder and lightning and everything. He thinks about all the time he’s spent just forgetting about Oikawa and how it’ll most likely jump out the window because it’s Oikawa and oh man, was that boy weak for Oikawa. 

He makes it to the grocery store, puts all the stuff he needs in the cart, pays and bags all of his stuff. Sugawara is in and out of there in 15 minutes. When he exits the store, he left out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. ‘I guess I was just paranoid,’ he thinks. The walk back is going just as peaceful as the walk there. Sugawara is just complaining now about how heavy the bags are. ‘I’m surprised these old bags are still holding up,’ he thinks again. Wow, he’s thinking a lot today. In the middle of his thoughts, he pauses when he hears a tear, followed by a series of thuds. When Sugawara looks down, the contents of the bag are all laying on the floor. “Jesus fucking Christ!” he curses out loud. He kneels and groans, trying to stuff all the groceries into one bag. 

“Oh my, let me help you with tha-” the stranger cuts himself off. 

Sugawara wonders why this person stopped all of a sudden and looks up. Lo and behold, Oikawa is kneeling in front of him, his groceries in Oikawa’s hand, Oikawa’s mouth couldn’t be open any wider. The two just stare at each other for what feels like forever. Sugawara looks back down, takes a big gulp and decides to speak first. 

“Are you going to help me with my groceries or what?”

‘Still so cheeky’ Oikawa remembers. He looks down at Sugawara with a soft gaze. “Yeah, give me the bag,” Oikawa responds. 

Sugawara hands him the bag and gets up to throw away the broken one. When he gets back, Oikawa had just finished packing all the stuff away. Oikawa stands up and sticks his elbow out for Sugawara to grab. Sugawara stares blankly at the elbow. ‘Huh?’ he thinks. “Come on, I’ll walk you back, just show me where,” Oikawa clarifies. 

“I don’t know if we should be doing this, To- Oikawa,” Sugawara is quick to refuse. “Just hand me the bag and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Oikawa frowns a little at the unfamiliar sound of his last name coming out of Sugawara’s mouth. His shoulders drop a little. ‘But I want to spend time with you’ he thinks. 

“Please,” Oikawa pleads. 

“Koushi.”

Sugawara’s heart skips a beat and his eyebrows scrunch the cute way they do when he’s thinking. “Fine, it’s just two blocks down,” he answers as he slowly grabs onto Oikawa’s still extended elbow. 

Oikawa relishes in this small victory. On the short walk back, it’s awkward at first but then they start asking each other questions to catch up on all they missed. Questions like “How’s volleyball?” “How’s school?” “How’s your family doing?” All that good stuff you ask someone when you don’t know what else to say. The pair makes it to Sugawara’s apartment building and Sugawara gives his thanks for carrying the groceries and escorting him back. But when Oikawa is supposed to take his leave, he lingers around a little longer, which leads to Sugawara asking him, “Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee or something?”

To which Oikawa responds, “Well, who am I to deny such a lovely invitation?”

Sugawara rolls his eyes but the smile on his face betrays him. ‘I guess having Oikawa back isn’t all too bad’ Sugawara is thinking. 

They go up to his apartment, they sit, they talk, they laugh, they almost forget about the coffee, they have a good time. Surely something Sugawara was not expecting. But I guess that was just Oikawa, he really had a gift for this whole socializing thing. Oikawa explains how he’s back from Argentina but doesn’t know how long for, says he might not even go back. Sugawara explains that he’s on his summer break and that he’s starting his last year of school in the fall, in education, of course. 

About three hours had gone by when they fully caught up with each other. Oikawa cleans up the coffee table littered with snack packages while Sugawara washes and dries their dirty dishes. When Oikawa finishes, he makes his way over to Sugawara. Oikawa wraps his arms around his waist slowly, waiting for a slap or something. But one never comes. Sugawara just freezes. 

“I missed you, Koushi,” Oikawa whispers into his ear. 

Sugawara puts the mug back down in the sink, grabs onto Oikawa’s wrist to loosen up a bit, turns around, and looks Oikawa straight in the eyes. 

“I think it’s time you get going, Oikawa,” he tells him. 

Oikawa take a moment to observe Sugawara’s face. ‘Oh how much it’s changed’ he thinks to himself. He can see how Sugawara’s face has hardened a little since the last time he saw him. ‘Did I do that?’ he questions. He looks at his big brown eyes that seem colder? Just not as warm and welcoming as they used to be. ‘I definitely did that.’ 

He still holds onto Sugawara, his grip gets a little tighter, and he lets his head fall onto Sugawara’s shoulder. 

“Ok,” he responds. “But we’re going to meet up again soon so don’t ignore me when I text you.”

“Alright, Oikawa,” Sugawara assures him. 

Sugawara gives him a couple more pats on the back before he walks him to the door. Oikawa stands outside of the door and peers down at Sugawara one last time before he actually leaves. 

“I’m serious, Koushi, I’m going to take you out just like I used to, please just give me a chance,” Oikawa says. 

“And I said alright already, Oikawa, now go home. Someone’s probably waiting for you,” Sugawara says back. 

“And please, Koushi,” Oikawa adds, “please stop calling me that.”

“Goodnight,” Sugawara pauses, “T-Tooru,” and he closes the door. 

He doesn’t even need to see it, but he knows Oikawa is dancing on the other side of the door. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

So they do just that. Sugawara doesn’t ignore Oikawa’s texts, whether they be planning dates or just miscellaneous messages of updates throughout his surprisingly boring days. On their first date, they went to a nice park. They had a picnic and shared foods they already knew the other liked. They laid down together on a cozy blanket, deep in a conversation or in a comfortable silence. Oikawa and Sugawara had to have spent the whole day at the park. They watched the sunset and they watched the moon and stars shine brighter and brighter. 

“So why exactly did you come back home, Tooru?” Sugawara asks. 

“Hmm, well there were a lot of things. I hadn’t been home in a while and my mom wouldn’t stop bugging me about it. I got a break from the volleyball team so I didn’t really need to be there anymore.  And I missed you. I mean, I’ve been missing you but the time just felt right. To come back home. To my mom, to my friends, to you.” Oikawa answers truthfully. 

“Oh,” is all Sugawara has to say. He doesn’t know if he’s satisfied with that information but he chooses not to press any further. He’s just glad to be with Oikawa, I guess. 

After a little more conversation, the cold gets the best of the two of them so they pack up and get ready to leave. Just like last time, Oikawa picks up the picnic bag and extends his free elbow for Sugawara to latch onto. This time, Sugawara doesn’t try to fight it, though. He holds onto Oikawa as they head to Sugawara’s apartment. The walk back is quiet, but neither of them were complaining. They really couldn’t ask for anything else right now other than to be together. Sugawara knows how much effort he’s put into avoiding ending up back like this but it was so familiar and so comfortable, it was unstoppable. 

They stop at the door, Sugawara grabs his stuff from Oikawa’s other hand, and they stand in front of each other. 

“I had a really good time today, Koushi,” Oikawa is the first to break the silence. 

“Likewise,” Sugawara answers quickly. 

“And I’d love to hang out with you more often, now that I’m back,” Oikawa adds on. 

“Oh,” Sugawara is speechless again. 

“U-um, sorry, this all happening so suddenly but yeah, we could hang out more.” 

“I’ll text you,” Oikawa tells him. 

“Ok, I’ll hear from you soon then,” Sugawara states. 

“You will. Goodnight, Koushi,” Oikawa closes. 

“Goodnight, Tooru,” Sugawara says soon before entering his apartment complex. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The two go home that night feeling lighter, glad, really, that they aren’t out of each other’s lives permanently like how they thought before. It was funny. It felt like they had picked up on where they left off, save for the “love of my life is across the country” heartbreak they endured. 

That whole light chest feeling lasted about a couple days for Sugawara. Oikawa would text him and he’d feel the best he ever felt for some reason. They would meet up again and he’d enjoy it. He didn’t really notice how much he’d actually miss Oikawa until now. He didn’t know he was missing his comforting smell, or soothing voice, or his dashing smile.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Although, that feeling was short-lived. He soon started to overthink every single thing that could’ve come out of this. He doesn’t know when Oikawa is going to leave again and that part really scares him the most. But he’s also scared by the possibility that Oikawa was only looking for Sugawara because they were already familiar and that he didn’t have any true feelings for him. Soon enough, he’s got that gut feeling again but isn’t sure. Is it his intuition? Is he just paranoid? He thinks and thinks and thinks about all the ways this could end tomorrow. About how Oikawa could just end this and Sugawara would let him. Hell, they aren’t even dating right now but he still feels this way. He thinks about all the power Oikawa has over him but the latter doesn’t even have a clue. He thinks and thinks and thinks. He realizes that there’s so many things you don’t hear about getting back together with a previous partner. You don’t hear about the million ways you need to reassure yourself every moment. He’s never heard about the feeling you get that you’re trapping them because they are only scared to hurt you like they did the first time. He’s never heard of how plaguing it can be on your brain. The constant “he broke up with you once, it’s only inevitable for it to happen again.” It’s funny because Sugawara didn’t even know if he and Oikawa were back together again. They’ve been dancing around each other for weeks. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

His thoughts consume him. Absolutely devour him. Then he gets a text. God, how much he dreads it’s that “Hey, can we talk?” text. To his surprise, it’s just a calm “Can I come over?” text. It’s not as unsettling but he still feels it. “Sure,” he responds. So he waits for Oikawa, not long though, the boy gets there in less than ten minutes. ‘That was quick’ Sugawara thinks. Normally it would’ve taken fifteen to twenty minutes. He buzzes Oikawa in and when he sees him, Oikawa is a little red and a little sweaty. ‘Did he really run here?” Sugawara is curious. 

“What’s up, Tooru? Is everything alright?” Sugawara asks as soon as he opens the door. 

“Yeah, I just wanted to see you,” Oikawa says. 

“Was it so urgent you had to run here?” Sugawara inquires. 

“Of course,” Oikawa is quick to respond. 

“Ugh fine, but tell me about it inside, and let me get you some water first,” Sugawara says as he pulls Oikawa inside. 

He guides Oikawa to the couch although he is well aware where it is and after he sits down, Sugawara goes to get a cup of water. When he returns to the couch, he sees Oikawa sitting nervously and still sweating. Sugawara hands him the cup of water which Oikawa drinks fervently. 

“Seriously, is everything ok, Tooru?” Sugawara asks as he sits next to Oikawa, hand coming up to caress Oikawa’s shoulder. 

“Really, everything is ok, Koushi, I just needed to see and talk to you,” Oikawa tells him. 

“Well, what is it?” Sugawara’s heart beats rapidly. 

“I know I’ve only been back in Japan for a short while and the time I’ve spent with you even shorter but I want to be your boyfriend again,” Oikawa answers. 

“Oh, Tooru. I’d love to get back together with you but think about when you left the first time. I was so hurt after that and I’m sure you were, too. I think it’d be best-”

“I’m not leaving you this time, Koushi. I promise,” Oikawa looks at Sugawara with those big eyes. 

“Please, Koushi. I need you,” Oikawa begs. 

With that, Sugawara looks back up at him, gently holds and brings Oikawa’s face to his, and presses their lips together. That kiss, that damned kiss is the sweetest they’ve ever shared. They haven’t been together like this for almost two years. So they make up for it. They kiss and kiss and kiss, bringing each other impossibly closer. The time they’ve spent together has shortened the distance between them and this kiss just closes it. Oikawa spends the night at Sugawara’s place, they kiss some more, and they sleep peacefully together. Sugawara is grateful that he was just paranoid. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

From then on, they fall into a routine. They go on dates on Tuesday and Thursday, and Oikawa sleeps over on Fridays. They were really boyfriends again. Oikawa couldn’t believe it at first because he didn’t think Sugawara would give him the chance and Sugawara didn’t think he would either. The time they spend together is as sweet as sugar, it’s kind of like that honeymoon phase of a relationship where nothing could possibly go wrong and life is filled with heart-eyes and rainbows. 

On a particular date, Oikawa takes Sugawara to a garden. Sugawara realizes how Oikawa has sneaked back into his life so easily. He thinks about how naturally they flowed together despite the time and distance they’ve spent away from each other. They walk into a large field of blooming and beautiful chrysanthemums. The two spend a moment just staring, the flowers were just so captivating. 

“It’s beautiful,” Oikawa mutters.

“It really is,” Sugawara agrees. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

They continue their routine but something feels a little off. Not to Sugawara though, only Oikawa. He doesn’t know but he just feels that Sugawara seems a bit more disconnected than how he remembers. He spends the whole day thinking about it. He’s so occupied in his head that he ignores all messages from Sugawara that day. Oikawa thinks about how he should approach this situation. He wants Sugawara to be open with him because he knows Sugawara has been holding back since the day they ran into each other. Oikawa just hoped he would stop holding back when they got back together but it never happened. 

Sugawara waits the whole day for a call, a text, anything. He doesn’t text Oikawa more because he just assumes he’s bothering him or that Oikawa just needs some space today. So he waits, but it never comes. Sugawara goes to sleep with that gut feeling he finds he gets often now. The next morning, Sugawara opens his phone to a long message from Oikawa. Something about “wanting to communicate more” although Sugawara thought they had been doing that just fine. And there was another thing about “opening up more” which Sugawara was scared of because he doesn’t want to dump his problems on Oikawa and he also doesn’t know how Oikawa would react to one of the problems being himself. 

At the end of the text, Oikawa clarifies that he “doesn’t want to break up or anything” to which Sugawara lets out a great sigh. It takes Sugawara a little to come up with a response, but he overall agrees with Oikawa even though he might be thinking differently, Oikawa doesn’t need to know yet. After the air is cleared, they kind of return to where they once were. They go on their dates on Tuesday and Thursday and Oikawa comes to sleep over on Friday. Sugawara takes this opportunity to talk more about the texts. 

“Tooru?” He starts off. 

“Yes, Koushi?” Oikawa says softly. 

Sugawara sits in front of Oikawa on the bed. 

“About the thing you texted me about the other day,” Sugawara begins. 

Oikawa puts down his phone and gives his full attention to Sugawara. 

“About opening up more. To be honest, I really don’t know what to share with you. My life is boring and I don’t really have anything worth mentioning to you,” He says while looking down. 

“And that’s fine, Koushi. But I’m talking about your struggles. I want to hear about what you deal with because I want to help you. I want you to tell me the things you tell your friends about or the things that bother you and need someone to confide in,” Oikawa says as he grabs Sugawara’s hands. 

A quiet, “Oh,” is all he says for the time being. Sugawara looks up at Oikawa and thinks about all the things he’s been struggling with since they got together. The gut feeling, the insecurities, the fears. He takes a leap of faith, and tells him. 

“Well, um... “ he tells Oikawa all of it. And Oikawa listens. Oikawa tells him not to worry about it anymore and that it’s all past them. After the deep discussion, they fall asleep together like any other Friday night. When Sugawara wakes up, the bed is empty but there’s a note on the side table. One that reads, “Sorry, Koushi, there was an emergency at home. I’ll text you when I can♡.” Sugawara hopes everything is ok at home for Oikawa. He shoots Oikawa a quick “Good Morning” text just to notify him. He doesn’t expect a response or anything, just wants him to know. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

So Sugawara carries on with his day, filling it up with errands he’s been meaning to run. Every so often he’ll just check his phone to see if Oikawa said anything. Nothing. No biggie, he’ll text when he can, Sugawara reassures himself. 

It isn’t until the next day, again, that Sugawara gets a text from Oikawa. The beginning of the text is Oikawa apologizing for not texting sooner but the last sentence of the text is what makes Sugawara’s heart drop. “Can we meet up? I need to talk with you.” God. There’s that damned feeling again. The cursed feeling that Sugawara can’t tell is his intuition or paranoia. He shoves it down, ‘Everything is fine, we just talked the other day, I have nothing to worry about,’ he convinces himself. 

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

They meet up at a park. This park has chrysanthemums that pop up all around. Not as grand as the garden they visited but still beautiful in ways all their own. Sugawara observes them on a park bench while Oikawa says something. He doesn’t fully hear what Oikawa says as he stares at the flowers. He doesn’t want to hear it but is forced to when Oikawa brings his face to look at him. 

“Koushi, about what you said last time. You were talking about that gut feeling you get whenever I text you. You were talking about how you always felt like I was going to leave you because of what happened last time,” Oikawa says. 

“Mhm,” Sugawara hums to encourage him to keep on talking. 

“I don’t think that was very fair of you. You’re making me the bad guy by saying that. I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around you and can’t even say anything now. Last time, when I left, it was what was best for me. I didn’t leave because of you, I love you,” Oikawa gives his argument. 

“Tooru, that’s not what I wanted you to take away from that. You told me to tell you about my struggles so I did. I didn’t mean to make you the bad guy or make you feel like that,” Sugawara responds, the tears almost spill out of his eyes, was he really that hard to understand?

“There’s another thing I’ve been sitting and thinking about. If you feel like I’m always going to leave you, I can’t really help you, now can I? I shouldn’t need to give you reassurance that I’m not going to leave, you should already know that, was it not enough reassurance that I came back? That I reconnected with you? Confessed? If you’ve been feeling like this since the beginning, I think that already says a lot about where this relationship is going, Koushi, this just isn’t working out,” Oikawa tells him. 

Sugawara doesn’t say anything. He thinks, ‘I should’ve seen this coming.’ 

“I think you’re right, Oikawa,” he tells him bitterly. 

“I’d still like to check up on you every once in a while, Sugawara, I will still care for you-”

“Bullshit, Oikawa,” Sugawara cuts him off. 

“If you cared for me, you would try harder, it doesn’t take the whole world for some fucking reassurance, it only takes a little. If you cared for me, you wouldn’t have invalidated the feelings I confided in you after you told me to. If you cared for me, you would not ‘check up’ on me again because God knows you’d only do this to me again. And I would let you. You’d break me and ruin me over and over again. So please, never talk to me again, don’t even try. Please, I don’t want this again, you have no idea what you put me through,” Sugawara delivers as he goes back to staring at the chrysanthemums. He gets up from the bench, picks one of the nearest flowers and walks back to place it in Oikawa’s lap. 

Oikawa can see the steady streams rolling down Sugawara’s cheeks. 

Sugawara stares down at Oikawa, lets out a sad laugh, and walks back to his apartment. The walk back is so slow. Sugawara can hardly see with the tears in his eyes, but he makes it. He takes off all his clothes and hops in the bathroom to take a burning hot shower to scrub off any Oikawa left on him. He cries even more in the shower. When he gets out, he’s lethargic. He’s exhausted from the walking, the talking, the crying. He takes a nap after he gets dressed. He still feels the pain but that discomforting gut feeling that makes you want to throw up has dissipated. 

Oikawa sits in the park a little longer. He stares at the chrysanthemum given to him and after about ten minutes, he feels the tears roll down his cheeks. He doesn’t sleep that night. No, he spends it thinking about what he’s going to do in Japan now. He thinks about how there’s nothing left for him here. He hits up his captain from the team in Argentina. Fortunately for him, they’re going to need a setter for an upcoming tournament. So he books a ticket on a flight to San Juan, Argentina. Oikawa is set to leave the next night. 

He knows Sugawara told him not to talk to him again but he felt this was appropriate for discussion and he wants to give him one last thing before he leaves. He tries texting him but finds that he’s being ignored or it’s possible for Sugawara to have blocked his number already. When he can’t reach him for ten minutes, he gets out of bed and runs to Sugawara’s place. He rings the doorbell but gets nothing. Keep in mind, it’s 2:47am on a Wednesday. Luckily, some drunk college student who also lives there stumbled on in, letting Oikawa inside. He gets in front of the door and bangs and bangs and bangs. To no avail, his efforts go unnoticed by Sugawara. Accepting defeat, he leaves something right in front of the door so Sugawara wouldn’t miss it. 

Oikawa goes back home to pack for his journey back to Argentina. 

Little did he know, Sugawara was exactly on the other side of that door and also read the text Oikawa sent a couple minutes prior. He could hear everything. When he heard Oikawa enter the stairwell to go back downstairs, he finally opened the door. He opens the door to see a beautiful chrysanthemum on the floor, it’s a different one from the park but a chrysanthemum nonetheless. 

They both cried a little more that night. They hold onto their flowers and yearn for each other but nothing more. Oikawa leaves the next day and Sugawara finds himself back to where he was two years ago. 

“Although it is only a flower, it can mean so much. Because what other flower is powerful enough to say ‘I love you’ and ‘Good-bye’ at the same time?”

-yours truly <3

this was how things ended with my last partner and this is how i cope so if you made it this far, thanks for reading it! likes/reblogs are very appreciated:)

a/n: if it gets confusing during the argument/that’s because that’s how it actually went so dw i was confused too. also this is super self indulgent so sorry if it’s too personal? idk i thought it was great angst so i wrote it down. 

[stellaluna33]

The Phone Call

A preview of what’s coming next in my Gilmore fic The Long And Winding Road, as a phone conversation between Jess and Luke. (You now know more than Rory will in the next chapter... No one knows this except Jess and Luke... and you.)

"Hello?"

"Hey, Luke."

"Jess.  How's it going?"

"Oh, you know.  Just fine.  You still in Nantucket?"

"Yeah.  Rory and Richie came with, as you probably know.  But we also have a, let's say, 'surprise' visitor up here today."

"Reeeeally.  Who's that?"

"Oh, none other than the great Logan Huntzberger himself, who finally deigned to see his son because he could pass it off as a polite visit to a family friend while he was 'in the area.'"

"Jeez.  He still hasn't told anyone, has he?"

"Apparently not.  Claims he's 'waiting for the right moment,' or some kinda bullsh**."

"Bastard."

"You're tellin' me.  But why'd you call?  You don't usually call this time of day."

"Yeah.  Well, I, uh… I got some news today."

"Oh yeah?  What's that?"

"So, I don't know if you remember me talking about that writer's residency program in Argentina last year?"

"Oh yeah, weren't you thinking about applying for that?"

"Yeah.  I did apply for it, actually.  There was a pretty long waiting list, though."

"Oh, I see.  So, d'you hear something about that?"

"Yeah.  Today, actually.  I, uh… I got in."

"Jess, that is fantastic news!  Good for you.  That's a really great opportunity for you."

"Yeah.  Yeah, it is.  I, uh… just… I'm not sure if I wanna take it."

"What?!!  Jess, you can't be serious!  You've been wanting to do something like this for God knows how long!  And now you've got this opportunity and you're just going to let it pass you by?"

"I don't know, it's just… I don't know if it's a good time for me to be leaving the country right now."

"What, you got something goin' on at work?"

"No...  No, it's not that, it's…  I don't know."

"Well?  What is it?  What's stopping you?"

"I just… part of me thinks that I should be here, right now.  In case… you know, in case a... friend might need me."

"In case a friend might-  Oh jeez. Jess.  Tell me you're not talking about Rory."

Jess took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily through his nose.

"Are you serious?!  Jess!  You told me you were over that!  Long over, if I remember it correctly."

"Yeah, well, I was over it!  At least, I thought I was…"

"Oh, Jess."

"I know!  I know.  I'm pathetic.  I swore I would never end up like you, and yet here I am."

"Hey!  Things didn't turn out so bad for me in the end, you know."

"I know.  You're right.  I'm worse.  I already had my chance with Rory, and I screwed it up so badly that she wishes our entire relationship had never happened."

"Jess, you were just a kid. I'm sure that's not true."

"Oh no?  Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that's exactly the way she remembers it."

"Ah jeez.  She put that in that book she's writing?"

"Yup."

"And you've been reading over it, right?"

"Yup."

"Well, sh**.  I'm sorry, Jess."

"Yeah, well, it is what it is, and it's my own damned fault, so I don't really have the right to be put out about it."

"Well, ok, but… that being the case, don't you think it's time to let this go?"

"Past time.  But that's the worst part… I've tried.  G-d, I've tried.  And I thought I was mostly ok with it, you know?  There's been occasional relapses of… regret or… moments when I've wished things could've turned out differently, but… I haven't been hoping for anything.  I've been trying to move on.  I've had relationships."

"You only went on, like, two dates with that last girl, what was her name?"

"Sylvia?"

"Yes, Sylvia!  But two dates, Jess!  You give up that quickly and you call that trying?"

"That's what I'm getting to, though.  This year has been… different.  It wasn't so bad when I only saw her for a few minutes every couple years or so, but between the wedding and the book and everything that's been going on with her lately, Rory and I have been talking all the time, and I just… I still like her more than any other woman I've ever met, Luke.  And I told myself that she hasn't wanted me for over a decade now.  She made her feelings abundantly clear, and I have offered myself up like an idiot over and over and over again, just on the off chance that she might have changed her mind, and she has turned me down every single time.  I mean, how many times does she need to say it before I get a clue?  'No means no,' right?  I'm done.  I'm not doing that again.  So, I guess we're friends now.  She really likes me as a friend, she says, so I'll be her friend and be grateful I get to spend time with her at all.  And I'm doing my best to be ok with that.  So I finally asked Sylvia out, and it was nice.  She's beautiful and interesting, and maybe it coulda gone somewhere… but then you had to go and tell Rory about it.  And she got weird, man.  She called me up, and she was comparing me to Mr. Darcy, and-"

"Am I supposed to know who the hell that is?"

"Are you serious?  You've lived with Lorelai for, what, ten years now, and she hasn't tied you down and made you watch all six f***ing hours of that BBC monstrosity?  Pride and Prejudice?  Jane Austen?  Lorelai going on and on about Colin Firth emerging from a lake in a wet shirt and breeches?  Ring any bells?"

"Ah, maybe.  I think I fell asleep about five minutes in."

"Of course you did.  Well, all you need to know is that he's the romantic hero of the story, but he's a complete ass for like, two thirds of the book, which is obviously where the resemblance lies.  So she's on a roll with that, and hey, I deserve it, but then she throws in the fact that he changes and fixes everything and the heroine can't help falling in love with him in the end.  And what the hell am I supposed to do with that?  Because last I knew, we were talking about me, and that would imply that… I don't know.  All I know is that she got all flustered and started grilling me about my date with Sylvia, that you told her about, thanks so much, and then she starts going on about how she hopes I'll be very happy and how I deserve to be happy and I deserve to be with 'someone who has her life together.'  And then she started crying and frickin' hung up on me!"

"Huh."

"Yeah!  So, that whole thing kinda threw me, and all of a sudden, I'm not so sure where I stand anymore.  I mean, am I crazy?  Is that a normal reaction to hearing that a friend is seeing someone?"

"I don't know, Jess.  It's weird, I'll give you that… but who knows, with pregnant women…"

"Well, yeah, there's that, too… But I went out with Sylvia again, because I was trying, you know?  I owed it to myself and to her to give it an honest shot, but… I couldn't… I couldn't stop thinking about that phone call, Luke.  I couldn't stop thinking about her.  Because what if this was finally, finally a chance after all these years, and could I really just let that slip away?  Could I start a relationship with someone else, knowing that I might be throwing away a shot with Rory?  And I've been saying that there wasn't any chemistry with Sylvia and me, but the truth is, I know that's all on me.  It was awkward because of me, because I was distracted and I was distant and I wasn't sure I wanted to be there.  And Sylvia deserves better than that.  It was better to end it before anybody got hurt."

"Ah, jeez, Jess."

"It's true.  I'll go ahead and say it:  I sabotaged my own attempt at having a happy relationship because I'm still hung up on my highschool girlfriend.  And there it is.  I'm such a pathetic loser."

"You're not a loser, Jess.  You've come a long way.  But she's got a baby now."

"I know that.  And even if she has changed her mind about me, the timing is so bad...  She needs me to be a friend she can depend on right now.  The last thing she needs is the stress of fending off yet more unwanted advances from her crazy ex-boyfriend who can't take no for an answer.  And I can't go there again, I just can't.  So, I'm stuck in this no-man's-land."

"So how is all this stopping you from going to Argentina?  Maybe a few months away from all this would be good for you."

"Maybe… maybe.  But I just… I broke her trust before by leaving.  I made a lot of mistakes, but that?  That was the one she couldn't forgive me for.  And I want to be there for her, I want her to know that she can count on me now, that if she needs me, I am there.  But I can't do that if I'm halfway across the world.  I'd be of no more use to her than Logan is, and I… God help me, I want her to think of me as someone who can give her something that he can't.  And if I go, I can't do that.  And I have this feeling that if I go now, that'll be it for her.  The end.  Three strikes, I'm out.  For good this time."

"Were you planning on leaving without telling her?"

"Well, no, of course I wasn't..."

"'Cause I think that was a big part of the problem last time…"

"Yeah.  I get that.  But what if she doesn't see it that way?"

"Jess, all I can say is maybe you should talk to Rory about it.  See how she feels about it."

"I guess I'll have to."

"For my part, I think you should go.  And she won't be alone, Jess.  She's got Lorelai, and me, and Lane..."

"You're right.  Who'm I kidding?  She doesn't need me anyway."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"Yeah, well, it's probably true anyway.  But it's good to know that she's got you looking out for her.  I'd need you to promise me that, if I'm gonna even consider this."

"You got it."

"Well… thanks for listening.  I guess I'd better go.  I'm gonna call Rory, like you said."

"I think that'd be a good idea."

"Yeah.  Well, talk to you later, Uncle Luke."

"Later, kid.  You… you take care of yourself, alright?"

"I always do.  But thanks."

Thank you for reading. Please, PLEASE share any comments or ask any questions you’re wondering about!  I crave your opinion. What do you think of this?  My muse is in desperate need of encouragement so I can finish writing Chapter 9 sooner rather than later!

[umichenginabroad]

Week 0: Preparing for Buenos Aires

Hello my name is Taiki Kobayashi, I am a Freshman studying computer science. In a few days, I will be on my way to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the Engineering in Buenos Aires Program. I am currently in Seattle, Washington visiting my girlfriend's university, and I will head to Buenos Aires from here. I am Japanese, and I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. I have never been outside of Japan and the United States, so I don't have a clue about what to expect in South America. As much as this opportunity to explore Argentina makes me feel uneasy, I am extremely excited. I love trying new things out, and this program will entirely consist of that. Here are a few pictures that show me and my hobby.

I will now leave a to-do list of what I want to accomplish over my time in Argentina. My future self will cover my performance in my reflection post after the program.

#1: Eat lots of local Argentinian food: Argentina has more cows than humans. Steak is one of my favorite foods to eat, and I am so excited to try out the steaks that Argentina is known for. I don't know much else about the food culture in Argentina, but I hope to try and become aware of it by the end of this trip.

#2: Play soccer with the locals there and watch a soccer game live: In Argentina, soccer is the major sport. They have produced some of the greatest players ever such as Messi and Maradona. I have played soccer all my life and I enjoy playing and watching. I hope to become immersed in the huge soccer culture in Argentina.

#3: Explore lots of cities and nature: Whenever I travel I am excited to see the beautiful landscapes and active cities of my destination. I hope to be able to explore as many places in Argentina as possible during my time there. Some of the places I know of and want to go to are Patagonia, Iguazu Falls, and Rosario (Messi's hometown).

#4: Form relationships: I am unfamiliar with everybody that is going on this program. I hope to get to know my University of Michigan classmates, and students from other universities who are in the same program. This may be difficult, but I also hope to make a relationship with locals in Argentina. In Argentina, I will always put my authentic self out there to find good friends.

As I edge closer to my flight on Wednesday, I will be finalizing my luggage, but I am basically all readied up. I am excited to share my journey through the upcoming Engineering in Buenos Aires Program!

Taiki Kobayashi

Computer Science and Engineering

Engineering in Buenos Aires/ Buenos Aires, Argentina

[ksyescribe]

The Boys™ Speaking A Foreign Language (HQ Edition)

Featuring: Oikawa, Osamu, & Ushijima

Warnings: Some slight manga spoilers!

A/N: This headcanon is centered around these bbs speaking Spanish but I think they can really be applied to any language! I hope you guys enjoy! Also thank you @cttnclouds​ for the Osamu fusion idea you’re literally an angel and i love you.

Oikawa Tōru

Why he learned: 

He moved to Argentina. It’s either learn or get really got at using hand signals.

Learning Process: 

Honestly? Probably tried the whole DuoLingo thing the first few weeks after he got the okay to move to Argentina. But after a while he burnt out.

He probably got up to like the introductory phrases and then fell off. Probably because he had to deal with all the logistical stuff that comes with moving.

(Someone help him cause he literally thought moving would be an easy one two three job :’) Iwa-chan help!)

The next time he remembers that he’s literally going to a new country with a new language is like a month before he moves.

He’s shopping with Iwaizumi for some new clothes and stuff when Iwaizumi just goes “So how’s your Spanish coming along?

freeze frame, his face looks like this: (∩╹□╹∩)

Anyways he really like stress buys like three different Japanese books that he then FORGETS ABOUT for the rest of the month.

He reads them on the flight to Argentina. The only things he learned were how to ask for the time and directions. 

Oh boy, Argentina’s going to be fun :’)

When he uses Spanish in front of you for the first time:

Right so, the first time you see him use his sorry excuse for Spanish is at the little corner coffee shop down the street

Of course everyone’s like eyeing him cause, why is a foreigner here in the hidden gem of the city? But also he’s kinda cute what?

Anyways, you’re minding your own business until you hear the heavily accented Spanish.

And pues, we’re all little chismosos so of course you pay attention to what he’s trying to do (order a coffee but he literally cant remember what the word for sugar is dear god someone help this man)

After cringing you step up with the translator app on your phone open and obviously help him out. 

He’s a little impressed because: 1. Your Spanish is so smooth and flowy it sounds like you’re reciting poetry and 2. Why didn’t he think of the translator app tf??

So you get his order shoot it back to Sandra over the counter in fast Spanish and then order your own stuff before moving off to the side to wait for your coffee.

Oikawa might be an idiot right but he’s not going to pass up the opportunity to ask you to teach him Spanish?? 

I mean you’re cute, you’re obviously a local from the way you were greeting everyone inside the shop, and well, you’re the only person who’s tried to help him out so far and that means a lot to him.

For some odd reason you actually agree? You still don’t know what caused you to say yes. Probably the pitiful look he had when he told you he had to move cause of work and he knew nobody else here.

How you help him with learning/bettering his Spanish:

Honestly, he bitched a lot at the beginning but forcing him to only communicate in Spanish really helped him out. 

So taking him on town trips and having him tell you about what he’s seen or what he wants to do in Spanish really helped him. Also having your friends come with is really fun cause he tries to teach them some Japanese words while they translate that into Spanish.

Also being immersed in the language is a big plus.

But I think the #1 thing that really helped him was watching novelas with you. 

Like he wants to understand what Gabriela is yelling to Sofia about in real time not through the subtitles. (But damn Gabriela really slept with Sofia’s fiance? Wack, that man is not worth it hun)

You know his Spanish’s getting better when you walk into a completely new bread shop that the two of you are visiting and he just goes ahead and orders in fluent Spanish.

Leaves both you and the attendant in shock. But he just comes back and asks you in Spanish too, “Lo hice bien? No me trave verdad?”

The woman literally swoons from the whole encounter. He is now a danger to any woman within five miles of the vicinity. Gets all cocky about it.

Favorite Spanish Word: Alborotar - Disturb? That’s what google says but it’s more like mess up.

Miya Osamu

Why he learned:

Honestly? This Mexican-Japanese fusion place opened up and he just wants to talk to the chef about where he gets his ingredients from because this shit tastes amazing!!

Learning Process:

Went home the first night after eating at that restaurant and bought a year subscription for Rosetta Stone. 

He’s kind of regretting it because like, maybe he should’ve gone with the monthly plan? Fuck he shouldn’t have gotten ahead of himself.

He tries to do an hour of the program a day minimum. There’s some days where the hour like drags on and other days where he’s so pumped that he does more than one hour.

His max was one day where it snowed so hard that nobody could go out so he spent like 10 hours doing Rosetta Stone.

He tried going to like one of the Brazilian stores around his house to try out his Spanish with them but was sorely disappointed to learn that Brazilians do not speak Spanish.

Still got some bomb ass brigadeiros though so who’s the real winner here huh? 

Actually put up a craigslist ad for a Spanish partner. 

It’s up for a whopping 5 minutes before he promptly deleted the ad. 

Instead!! This man signs up for one of those international pen pal services and gets matched with someone fluent in Spanish (it’s you hello).

And it turns out said person is coming to Japan soon for a year abroad?? And they have a basic Japanese foundation?

Yeah dude he lucked out.

Out of all three boys, his alone learning goes pretty well. Gets a good foundation of Spanish.

When he uses Spanish in front of you for the first time:

This one’s so cute!! He actually does it sort of by accident?

He’s made friends with everyone at the fusion restaurant including the chef because he actually managed to hold a decent conversation in Spanish.

His brain just automatically switches to Spanish when he enters the restaurant.

So when you hear him bust out into a full fluent Spanish conversation with the waiter you kind of sit there like: (・о・)

This man even orders and asks you if you want to split a bottle of wine in Spanish.

You could only nod because holy shit. 

Like yes you’ve heard him speak it over the discord calls before but in person?? That’s a whole nother story.

Specially because his pronunciation is so good?? And he has the right accent? It’s so smooth like it just flows naturally from him.

And he can actually roll the r’s god damn sir

How you help him with learning/bettering his Spanish:

So he has a pretty good grasp on the language which means he doesn’t need much help with learning.

But you can help expand his knowledge. Like teaching him about how in some countries/dialects things might be said differently. (Like how there’s 17 ways to say straw. Hondurans say pajilla and that’s all I knew for a bunch of years)

He’ll also need help with learning about a lot of food names. He only knows the basic names, not any special fruits or like combination dishes so that’ll be fun. 

You actually start cooking new latin recipes every Saturday so he can familiarize himself with the cuisine.

Some ingredients are hard to come by but the adventure in finding them is so worth it.

His favorite recipe so far? Making Pollo con Tajadas from Honduras. The Bandeja Paisa from Colombia is a close second.

Favorite Spanish Word: Popote: Straw (in Mexico)

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Why he learned:

His last current concern is literally “he would like to work harder at studying languages”. 

Fair, makes sense. 

But instead of going with a familiar language he just says fuck it time to learn the latin alphabet with Spanish. 

yeah okay why not

Learning Process:

Ushijima is more of a visual learner. 

Which in it’s own makes sense. He’ll probably get a book that has like those floating numbers over items and it tells him what it’s called in Spanish right?

Wrong.

You know what he does?

This man. This 24 year old man. Goes home, opens up Netflix, and puts on... wait for it... DORA.

I kid you not!! Ushijima Wakatoshi will always begin learning a new language by watching children’s shows.

You know why? 

Because he read an article a while back where it said that the best way to start learning languages is by watching children’s shows due to the fact that the shows are literally tailored to teach kids the language.

See what he did there? Y’all thought he was a big dumb dumb but in reality he’s a big smart smart.

Uh, anyways.

He will sit down to watch the children’s shows with a notebook. He takes very good notes, has a Japanese translation for everything.

His show watch list: Dora la Exploradora, Plaza Sesamo, Maya Y Miguel, Go Diego Go, and Handy Manny.

The crazy thing? It actually works. He literally gets his Spanish base from these shows. 

Crazier thing? HE LITERALLY PICKS UP THE CORRECT ACCENTS.

I kid you not bro, he literally somehow managed to sound like a FLUENT speaker. I-

But from there he picks up some more books and audio files to try and increase the complexity of his knowledge.

He’s the best speaker out of the three.

When he uses Spanish in front of you for the first time:

Honestly? He’s been looking for a Spanish partner for a while and he genuinely doesn’t know how to go about it. 

One day though, he overhears you on the phone with your mom. 

He’s seen you before. You’re one of the girls working under the main manager and you’re actually really helpful. If he remembers correctly, you’re the only co-manager that can wrap the compression sleeves just how he likes them.

Anyways, not uh, important.

He’s not one to eavesdrop but, well you’re in the equipment room and he needs to grab one thing. Just a quick in and out. He’ll even turn off his ears.

But then you start speaking like fluent Spanish? And suddenly his ears are very active. 

He doesn’t harass you while you’re on your call. Instead he waits until after practice.

Then he just comes up to you and goes, “Perdóname por molestarte pero, estabas platicándo en Español anterior?”

Kind just sat there like: ◉‿◉ - (￣ー￣) - ⚈ ̫ ⚈

You can’t even speak, you’re still processing that he just spoke Spanish like a natural??? So you just nod.

He launches into a whole talk about how he’s been learning but he needs a speaking partner so that he can get better.

At some point during his whole speech you sit down because your brain IS NOT CATCHING UP.

In the end you agree to become his partner. He’s paying you in food how the hell can you say no?

How you help him with learning/bettering his Spanish:

Like I said before, he’s already good.

You mostly help broaden his knowledge about the culture from Spanish countries and their cultures. A lot of it is through food and the small glimpses of hispanic life from Japan. 

Can’t really teach the customs and traditional stuff unless it’s in person.

You’re actually getting ready to go back home for your once a year family reunion when suddenly this man invites himself to your trip?????

I mean, it’s not a bad idea in the first place but then he offered to pay for your trip and well...

You’re kind of broke and he’s rich so it works alright?

God but going back home? Ultra boosts his spanish.

Not sure if it’s the atmosphere, your family, or just the fact that the country is now in a whole nother language, but this man just adapts. 

It’s really uncanny. 

While he’s here, your family teaches him a lot of Spanish idioms and phrases that don’t translate over well and he starts incorporating them into his every day usage.

Someone on the team got hurt and he literally walked over and rubbed their wrist and went “ Sana, sana, colita de rana. Si no sanas hoy, sanarás mañana.”

When you leave his apartment? “Te veo Mateo”

But he also gets to see how unique and beautiful the culture in your country is. 

His favorite part of the trip? Probably your family’s land that’s just surrounded by nature.

He also really liked the traditional shops that the old ladies from the village ran. (They also liked him and pinched his cheeks and called him a big strong boy so maybe that has something to do with it.)

His favorite Spanish word: Topogigio (to-po-i-yo): In Honduras, frozen ice cream (? not really but don’t know how else to describe) that is typically sold in a small bag. Flavors: Fruit juice or traditional ice cream flavors. 

[dweetwise]

Ace Visconti pre-Entity headcanons

since the archives didn’t provide i made my own  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Visconti is probably not even his real name. Ace is definitely not his real name. At one point he swapped identities like shirts, but he liked Ace so much he’s stuck with it for the longest. It makes for good stories about how he's always been destined for the cards.

Back in Argentina, he grew up poor in a shitty part of town with a single mother. He never knew his father, and if anyone asks, it’s “A charming Italian fellow on a weekend business trip who fell head over heels for my mother, and nine months later I was born!”. In reality, the Italian genes are from his mother’s side and Ace always had an uncanny similarity to the rich, fat asshole she worked for as a maid.

He always embraced his Italian roots. The electronics store in town used to play some Sicilian mob movie on repeat and he visited it frequently as a kid. He wanted to be like the guys in the movie; suave, badass, and living a life of luxury.

His first introduction to gambling was through his friends, as a way to kill time together between dead end jobs.

Beginner’s luck made him a profit at first. He loved the thrill of winning, with his friends and the other patrons flocking to him and cheering him on. After his first big win, he was hooked.

He worked less and less and focused on gambling. He learned to count cards, bought knock-off designer wear to fit in high-end casinos, and put on a role of smooth-talking Italian businessman.

Loaned money from family and friends and eventually couldn’t pay it back. Burnt a lot of bridges with empty promises of riches and glamour. If he would just get another big win, they could all leave their shitty little town! His friends just wanted the old Ace back.

With no more money from friends, and no bank giving loans to someone unemployed (”Professional poker player, not unemployed!”), he approached some shady individuals.

Lost the money and had to skip town when the gangs started to threaten his remaining family. Maybe someone even got hurt.

Put on a new name and new shitty suit and smooth-talked his way into shitty deals, dares and bets to keep playing and winning and losing. Most of his skins are memories of the disguises and identities he used.

Had a bunch of lovers, charming anyone who would give him an opportunity. Even better if they wanted to give him a small loan. Sometimes he just helped himself to their wallet and bailed while they were still sleeping.

He’s not actually that lucky; he’s an optimist. Every small victory is a blessing from his Lady Luck, every loss just doesn’t “count”. He’s not above cheating to win. It’s a mystery whether he actually believes himself to be lucky, or if it’s just something he invented to avoid suspicion during his mysterious win streaks.

When he was low, he was low. Sitting in a shitty motel room drinking overpriced whiskey from the mini bar and questioning what he’d accomplished in his life, whether anyone from his previous life even remembered him. Having to slip out in the middle of the night because he couldn’t afford to pay his mini bar tab.

He thinks the realm is some sort of ironic joke; after all, he’d wished to disappear that night when he had loan sharks circling his motel. Pleading to Lady Luck, “I don’t care what happens, just get me out of here!”. She wasn’t listening, but someone else was, and suddenly there was fog.