#and if someone is marrying that character specifically because of their wealth

[flameraven]

Was reading a period* arranged marriage story and had to give up because it was just TOO historically inaccurate.

(*Which period was unclear. I think they were aiming for Victorian but it was so vague it could've been any time from 1800-1915ish)

Like, I am all for hand waving historical accuracy for a good story, especially if you want a queer romance or just don't want to deal with period racism. Bridgerton does this and while I think there are some issues with their approach, overall it works and it's clearly very appealing to a lot of folks.

No, the thing that really got me about this story was that the character was said to be quite wealthy, but lived in a relatively small house with no servants. There was mention of a cook who came in one or two days a week. That is where my suspension of disbelief just gave up.

Because like, even if you're going to ignore the social aspect of this wealthy person not having servants and the gossip that would create, even a small household, without the benefit of modern appliances, involves an enormous amount of labor to keep up. You need servants. Not just A Cook, but a cook and several kitchen maids to assist her to do the hard labor and menial tasks, because you can't just pop into the kitchen and cook something up quickly. There's no just turning the stove or the oven on, you have to build a fire and manage to to get the right temperature and keep it even. Household heating, too. You need people to clean and also to manage fires or your house is going to be freezing. Someone needs to change out the linens and also help you dress! A lady's maid or valet weren't just for prestige, the styles of the time meant you genuinely needed help getting in and out of clothing.

Also the characters' ideas about consent and levels of sex education were all jarringly modern. Again, I don't mind some of this but on top of all the other stuff it was too much.

Overall the story felt like it was a modern setting where people were wearing period fashions. And if you're not going to engage with any of the details of the period... why are you even writing period fiction?

[srjlvr]

SEVEN ROYALTIES

7 brothers. 7 new kings. 7 new thrones. 7 love stories.

note. im a bit early to do this, but we’re getting closer to 1.5k followers so i decided to drop it! i cant believe i am able to reach this amount of followers honestly! this is a special series to show you how thankful i am. i wouldn’t be here without y’all.

THE seven brothers of hybe’s kingdom will be getting each a new throne and kingdom of their own to rule, and each one gets a love story of his own too.

GENREs will be included in each member’s story and so are the WARNINGS and WORD-COUNTS.

TAG-LIST ; i’ll consider this tag-list to all members, send me an ask or comment on this post if you’d like to join.

PERM TAG-LIST ; @sungwhoonz , @ohdudehesflirting

lee heeseung x fem!reader genre: strangers to lovers , commoner and a royal , fluff , angst ! warnings: loads of curse words.

you always knew your short temper will be a disadvantage, but you never thought that moment will happen when it came to a royal blood.

“watch where you’re going!” you yelled at the person who just bumped into you, “my apologies madam, perhaps i can offer you some sweet cookies as an apology?” he smiled.

you laughed at the nickname and the cute offer, “people don’t offer here cookies just because they want to apologize, are you new in town?”

he then shook his head, “you keep your things to yourself if you don’t want people to keep asking you for favors”

you ran before the person could even reply, “didn’t she realize who is she talking to?”

STATUS posted!

park jay x fem!reader genre: arranged marriage , one sided love at first , angst , fluff ! warnings: curse words , mentions of food (nothing serious, just dinner breakfast and all) , uhh dunno if it’s really a warning but just a rude behavior.

it’s been a few months since your huge wedding held in the castle, “i’ve married to you only because of the fact that i need to marry off to someone to get the throne” your newly husband groaned.

he’s been telling you the same sentence each time you remind him that you’re actually a married couple.

you’ve been taking care of him when he got sick, made him meals and even did most of the laundry, regardless of the fact that you have tons of servants.

jay has been ignoring you all day and all night ever since you first met, even ordered that you must have separated rooms.

but all it took for him to understand that he so longed for you, is to see you walk away. now, he’s determined to bring you back and love you all over again.

STATUS posted!

sim jake x fem!reader genre: strangers to lovers , fake relationship , he fell first but she fell harder , runaway royals , fluff , angst ! warnings: mentions of pregnancy(nothing serious i promise trust me) , mentions of food (not specifically, just meals).

your beauty is beyond compare, and you know that. your parents knows that too. which is why they’ve been forcing you to go on dates with filthy princes who wants nothing but to use you and your beauty as a trophy.

you hate that, being treated as an object in the eyes of other people. so you ran away. where? you didn’t know, but you packed your bag and left the house in the late late hours.

what you didn’t expect however, was to get caught by another runaway prince.

“who are you?” you suspiciously asked. “i’m sorry madam, let me introduce myself, i’m sim jake, hybe’s-“

“hybe’s prince” you gasped, “and you are?” he shrugged off the fact that you just cut him in the middle of the sentence.

“i’m l/n y/n—“ “the runaway princess?”

STATUS posted!

park sunghoon x fem!reader genre: childhood friends to enemies to lovers , one sided love somewhere into the story , heavy angst , fluff ! warnings: character’s death (not a main character) , curse words.

sunghoon has everything, wealth, power, a throne. but none of these matters when he can’t have you by his side.

“i hate you, park sunghoon” you spit out, nothing but hate is in your fierce glance at him. he just chuckled, “you don’t mean that”

“oh i do,” you nodded, “and i’m only doing it because i promised her it’ll happen”

“looking back at that promise, i realize why you used to believe that promises are stupid” you added.

“i’m sorry” he apologized, “sorry isn’t going to change anything, is it?”

STATUS posted!

kim sunoo x fem!reader genre: mistakenly falling in love , strangers to lovers , fluff , a bit of angst ! warnings: none atm.

the ballroom was full with young royals who are there the celebrate ni-ki’s birthday, the youngest out of the seven brothers.

it was a NO ADULTS party and therefore, the king and the queen ( aka the parents ) tried to describe him who is he going to marry. it was a pretty obvious force marriage.

“you’ll know it when you see her, she’s awfully pretty” they said.

“i’m l/n y/n” you introduced yourself with a curtsy, sunoo took your hand and kissed the back of it, “you look awfully pretty, y/n”

“oh! her name is minju!” right after the party, the queen and the king reminded sunoo that the girl he’s off to marry is named minju.

STATUS posted!

yang jungwon x fem!reader genre: childhood friends to lovers , promised to marry , fluff , angst ! warnings: mentions of food , pregnancy i think , maybe curse words (do lmk if i missed something!!)

you’ve known jungwon ever since you can remember. his castle is considered your second home and your castle is considered his second home.

you were pretty confident in your friendship, until you became teenagers and things started to fade away between you two.

he knows you’re promised to him, so why was he so unconfident about it when he saw you talking to other princes?

and you know he’s promised to you, so why do you feel like crying when he’s being introduced to other princesses as well?

STATUS posted!

nishimura riki x fem!reader genre: troublemakers falling in love , strangers to lovers , dumb and dumber relationship , fluff , angst ! warnings: none atm.

you were some kind of the black sheep in your family, always breaking rules and doing what you’re clearly not supposed to do. you love your freedom.

you heard about a prince who’s just exactly as you are, and you’re more than eager to meet him.

“are you…?” in one of your usual sneak outs, you bumped into a familiar face, “am i…?” he mocked.

“never mind” you shrugged, “i thought you were nishimura riki”

“i thought you’re l/n y/n” he chuckled, it was too dark for the both of you to see each other. “so who are you?” you asked, “nishimura riki, you?”

“l/n y/n”

STATUS coming soon!!

••• copyright © srjlvr all rights are reserved.

[dykepuffs]

I want to argue that Dracula is the first work of Nokiawave.

-It's heavily concerned with new technology which drives the plot: Telegrams between everyone being collated into the text, Dr Seward's audiolog on the phonograph which Mina types up, mass transit in the form of both trains and Tube, steamships (and specifically the contrast between steam and sail) and loads of minor examples.

-It's concerned with new social technologies and social change: Mina is a typist, a respectable modern job for a young middle-class woman. Jon is a clerk and is working in an exciting emerging market. Dr Seward uses all the modern methods and keeps up with theory and scientific developments. Lucy is pleased to have plenty of male friends, not just to be seeking to marry. And it contrasts this with both the "good" Old Ways - The helpful, hopeless, peasants who give Jon his anti-vampire icon, the "broad minded" but also clearly steeped in superstition Van Helsing - and the "bad" Old Ways - Obviously, Dracula and also the enslaved Roma (Who, oh god, I I have to write about them in the context of Romanian chattel slavery of Roma, which was technically abolished in stages throughout the 2nd half of the 19th century, but where emancipation came with enforced sedentarism and obligation to a landowner - And where many remained enslaved in all practical terms into the C20th, and specifically in Transylvania the effects of Maria Theresia's Four Decrees that were still in effect that meant they would both be indentured to a landowner as "new farmers" and their children would be kidnapped by the state and given to white families for "reeducation" - but most people analysing the text seem to treat them as willingly Evil Minions).

-It's full of the anxieties about what Eastern and Southern Europe will do as they "modernise and open" (ie become financially and culturally available to the West) and specifically the fear of the Rich Slavic* Oligarch (to a certain kind of British mind, anyone east of Berlin and north of Athens is Slavic, sigh) spreading their malign influence in the Capital Cities of the West. Even the touch that Dracula was once a warlord but is now a slick investor and man-about-town.

-It has lots of continent hopping, focusing on the ~local colour~ in Transylvania and the contrast between both the "superstitious" locals and the traveller who finds it all very quaint and interesting but not very serious, and between the poverty of the normal people and the wealth and seclusion of Dracula, and then likewise giving us whistle-stop tours of the interesting bits of Whitby and London, making the city as much of a character as the humans. The Westerner abroad is seen as just a natural phenomenon, but the foreigners* in Britain are notable and exotic.

- It has a mysterious superweapon/monster which is hidden around a big western capital city, where most people (and even the police and regular military) have no idea what it is and are powerless to stop it, and a lot of tension lies on the crux of "What happens if this gets out here, surrounded by all these civilians?" - In a way that treats the mythological East* as a natural place for atrocities to occur, but them happening in London is a shock.

-It has spying: Jon sneaking around the locked-up Carfax with his miniature camera, trying to take pictures to find out what Dracula is doing in there, could have absolutely been in a 1990s thriller. Likewise, meeting in Harrods to avoid suspicion because it's a plausible place for a fashionable young lady to be, surrounded by anonymising crowds.

-It has information warfare: Dracula reading up on British politics, studying maps of London, paying clerks and using shell companies to disguise his property acquisitions, and likewise the heroes using the telegram and port records and the sheer mass of paperwork generated by his activities to track Dracula, which feels like close kin to the Nokiawave staples of finding someone on cctv or by their credit card, or their car registration being flagged at a checkpoint. Jonathan lamenting the lack of an Ordnance Survey in Europe and the unmapped bits of Transylvania specifically really fits with the idea of the "Control Grid" posited by Gregory Flaxman who writes a lot about surveillance and information control in cinema.

-It has a team of both specialists and laypeople who were dragged into the action by circumstance, and much relies on their relationships. The laypeople's "unimportant" skills (Jonathan's knowledge of property and finance especially, and Mina's skills with logistics as well as her innovation and bravery in using herself as a conduit to Dracula) turn out to save the day. The team is multi-national and basically represents The Free World (TM), as well as allowing for jokes about national stereotypes.

-Mina being notably not a damsel in distress, but instead using her personal connection to the villain to absolutely ruin him in ways that nobody else could, is very much like the role of many women in Nokiawave films: She may be traumatised and in danger, more than anyone else because of the villain's obsession with her, but she's smart and deadly and willing to take risks to complete the mission.

-It ends with a massive cross-continental vehicle chase with tonnes of explosions.

[shadowqueenjude]

Hiiii!! First your posts give me life!!! I’m always waiting for the next one because I know you’re going to spit gems and speak facts 💁‍♀️.

I have a question/thought about the mates situation. People keep saying SJM will be exploring the rejected mating bond concept, specifically in Elain’s book….When did she say that? WHERE? From what I’ve seen and read, she did say it was an interesting concept (fate, mating bond vs agency and all that good stuff) but she also said she didn’t know if she would be exploring it in the future, let alone in Elain’s book or the ACOTAR series. So HOW in the world do people take that as a confirmation that she will absolutely do it in Elain’s book? Even the whole “what if the cauldron is wrong” argument. Well maybe she’ll use Elain’s book to demonstrate that in fact the cauldron is never wrong because it actually doesn’t decide anything. This frustrates me to no end.

Anyway, keep slaying Queen 💅!

My dear Anon, we shall have an Autumn wedding.

This is what SJM said:

“That’s something I find to be very interesting,” she replies. “What if the forces that be put you with the wrong person? Or what if you just decide, eh, I’m not interested. … There’s a lot to explore within the concept of mates and your agency about it. 

“I’m not going to say if I am exploring it in future books or not,” she continues, “but it definitely offers a wealth of things to explore with this concept of freewill and what is true love. Is it something that’s destined? Or is it something that you make? Is it both?”

She did NOT confirm that she would be exploring it at ANY point!!!! I do NOT know why people are acting like it is a guarantee.

What if the Cauldron was wrong? COULD be foreshadowing yes, but the answer is rarely that obvious LMAO. Amren told Nesta that there were other ways to fight beside a sword, but Nesta became a warrior. Most likely it's talking about Elain. So is it really so hard to believe that this is NOT talking about Elain at all, but someone else entirely?

The three most likely options for a rejected mating trope are as follows:

LoA-Helion: we get to explore the pain and angst of knowing a mate has married and had children with another, and dealing with the rejected trope for centuries, but will eventually get together in the end. SJM is not about to give Lucien's parents a tragic ending lmfao. And in her world, rejected mates=tragedy.

Mor-Eris: if we go in the direction that mating bonds can only occur between males and females and Mor and Eris are both gay, so they can never have feelings for each other. In which case we explore the difficulties associated with a bond that neither person wants yet the instincts are still there.

Tamlin-Amarantha: did anyone wonder WHY tf Amarantha was so obsessed with Tamlin? Like, I know he's hot and all, but goddamnit girl what the fuck? Now, if they were mates and Tamlin rejected her, it would make sense. It would also add more nuance to Tamlin AND Amarantha's characters, and we'd get to explore Tamlin's trauma post-UTM after being forced to reject and kill his mate and how that drove him a little mad.

But, the rejected bond is NOT a guarantee, so there may NOT be any rejected bonds. These are all just theories at this point. One thing I am CERTAIN of is that the rejected bond will CERTAINLY NOT be Elain and Lucien. Especially not when SJM dangled Gwyn in front of us. Now THAT one is fucking obvious lol.

[dross-the-fish]

Fascinated that you made Raoul black, is there a reason?

I liked the idea of having a Raoul who was also something of an outcast making all three of the main characters isolated in their own way. In my AU Raoul is specifically the child of a French father and a Haitian mother. His mother was descended from an independently wealthy family of gens de couleur libres (Free people of color) from when a portion Haiti was still called Saint Domingue. The large age gap between him and his siblings is due to his mother being a second wife, making him a half-sibling to Philippe. He occupies a strange social sphere of having enough wealth and power that no one can outright insult him to his face but he still finds himself ostracized because of his status as the mixed-race son of a second wife. Spoiled in some ways, deprived in others. There are no expectations or responsibilities placed upon him, he is permitted a leisurely existence provided he stays quiet and doesn't do anything to draw attention to himself or sully his family's name. During his youth he met Christine and her father, two of the very few people to be genuinely kind and welcoming to him. Part of why he clings so hard to Christine is because in some way she was his only real friend. Raoul has spent nearly his whole life being surrounded by people and feeling entirely alone. Being genuinely loved and wanted by someone other than his immediate family is a big deal to him. Like in the book he has his moments of youthful pride, jealousy and stubbornness but I've tried to re-frame them in a way that adds a little more depth and nuance to the character and his emotions.

In my 1918 AU he and Christine are happily married and have children. He has not forgiven, nor forgotten what Erik put him through and is less than pleased to find out he's still alive.

[eastgaysian]

Sorry this is a dumb question but can you explain why tomshiv is not abusive? Shiv seems to hit a lot of textbook behaviours of emotional abusers

thank you for your follow up clarifying this was in good faith bc i checked my inbox yesterday right after getting high and was like man come on. don't do this to me. but yeah i can talk about it, it's obviously something i have a fair amount of thoughts on

on a fundamental level, i take issue with the assertion that there are 'textbook behaviors of emotional abusers' in the first place. distilling abuse down to a set of behaviors is, imo, effectively meaningless and totally unproductive. it's not the behavior of an individual that defines abuse, it's a specific and intentionally cultivated imbalance of power and control within a relationship. victims of abuse can and do resort to survival mechanisms that could be considered in isolation as 'abusive behavior', the point is that you can't consider them in isolation. there's a gulf of difference between the same actions when they're coming from a person in a position of significant financial or physical or social power over someone else, or when they're coming from the person at a disadvantage.

i think viewing abuse as a set of behaviors also encourages you to treat interpersonal abuse as if it's discontinuous with systemic abuse, which is inaccurate and unproductive. a key part of succession's premise is that, because the family is literally the business, the familial abuse within the roy family is inextricable from the broader systems of capitalism, patriarchy, and the sexual violence and abuse endemic to them. with regards to how the show satirizes and critiques these systems, i think it's very telling that all of the characters are to some degree complicit and/or participants in abuse, but logan is the only one i'd say is unambiguously and intentionally presented as 'an abuser' (whose abuse is not an isolated product of him as a person, but integrated into/inseparable from the capitalist system which persists after his death). still, logan isn't reduced to a one-dimensional angry, abusive dad, he's given depth and complexity. his continued insistence that he loves his children isn't treated as something that's untrue, but that doesn't make it inherently good, and it certainly isn't incompatible with him abusing them.

circling back to tom and shiv. their relationship is unhealthy, it's not good for either of them to be married, shiv does fucking awful things to tom and tom does awful things right back, i'm not questioning any of that. but at my most cynical and bitchy, what it comes down to is quite simply: shiv doesn't have enough power over tom to be abusive, systemically or personally.

the thing is sometimes you see people say 'wow, if the genders were reversed people would say tom and shiv's relationship is unambiguously abusive!' which... hrm, but really the issue is that. the genders are the way they are, that's for a reason, and yes, that does make a significant difference in how we perceive their relationship and power dynamics. tom holds very real and present power over shiv as a man and as her husband, proposing to her when she was vulnerable in a way that placed huge pressure on her to accept and then trying to get her to have his baby so he can become patriarch. shiv's the heiress with the legitimacy of her family name and generational wealth but she is continuously, unavoidably subjected to gendered discrimination and violence. she's never allowed direct access to real power - she has to rely on the men around her, her husband or her brothers, and if they don't feel like humoring her she's shit out of luck.

this doesn't cancel out like a math equation, but it definitely makes things much more complicated than shiv being an Evil Bitch Wife to her Poor Pitiful Husband. when shiv finally does push tom too far, he immediately, successfully, goes over her head to her abusive father to fuck her over. maybe shiv wants to be her father in her relationships and exert the same kind of control he does. but she doesn't and she can't! she does not have that power! she cannot stop tom from kicking back and his hits are significant. as much as she might like to pretend otherwise, tom not only has always had the power to leave in a way shiv doesn't, he had and has the power to fuck her up badly, and he's used that power. that is simply not the power dynamic between abuser and victim to me.

i also have to say that abuse is not always going to be definitive black and white. in real life there are plenty of unambiguous situations but there are also plenty of complicated situations, and applying judgments to fiction is not always straightforward. i can't exactly call someone 'wrong' for personally being uncomfortable with tom and shiv's relationship or believing shiv is abusive, but i'm very skeptical of the viewpoint and the motivations or assumptions that are often contained within. if shiv is abusive, she definitely isn't uniquely so among the cast, so you had better be applying that label and any associated moral judgments equally across the board.

[aikoiya]

LoZ TotK - The Symbolism Behind Link's Rings & the Handshakes

I actually don't really see the scene where Sidon kneels to Link & gives him a ring in a proposal way.

For one, the ring that appeared was on Link's right-hand pointer finger, not the left-hand ring finger, which is an important distinction as a ring on the right pointer is symbolic of authority, leadership, self-esteem, & confidence. It was also the most common place for a man's signet or crest. In some parts of Europe, it was even forbidden for people below a certain rank to wear one as it denotes a very specific family status. It's also a common place for fraternal or family rings. Which actually makes perfect sense for Sidon as a person as well as his relationship with Link. Seeing that, before the Calamity, he likely believed that his sister would marry Link who would then be his brother-in-law as indicated here.

Now, admittedly, a man's right pointer is used for wedding bands in the Jewish culture, but somehow I doubt that Sidon is representative of being Jewish.

There is also the way that Sidon's holding Link's hand when he makes his vow as a sage, which appears to be in more of a two-handed handshake which are typically used by politicians to convey that they are warm, trustworthy, friendly, & honest. Specifically, Sidon's hand is on top of Link's, but very specifically isn't touching his arm or wrist, which is supposed to convey sincerity. If his hands had been touching either, then it would indicate that Sidon wanted something from Link. I've also seen it said that it's a sign of gratitude & that when someone shakes your hand like that, they are conveying that they are genuinely, sincerely happy to see you.

Yes, he's kneeling, but keep in mind that Sidon is also very tall & it's possible that Sidon wanted to give them a more even playing field.

As such, all the signals I'm getting are pointing towards this interaction being platonic & possibly fraternal in nature.

If this were a confession or a proposal, the way that Sidon would be holding Link's hand would be far more tender than it is.

However, let's walk through the other rings & possibly their handshakes as well real quick & see if there's a trend.

Yunobo's was the right thumb which symbolizes wealth & influence, as well as strength of character, willpower, & freedom of thought. Which could work as he's the president of YunoboCo. Thumb gestures are also associated with interaction & friendship. Again, this works. Add to that the fact that the ring was passed via fist bump, which can be used as a sign of giving someone your respect or approval as well as signifying a companionship between the 2 involved, which you also can see Yunobo's expression of respect & approval for Link when he does it.

Tulin's ring is on the right pinky, which in the case of a man's right hand specifically, represents things you have accomplished personally as well as intelligence & communication skills. It is often where you wear family crests. Also fairly accurate considering Tulin's arc was about proving himself fully-fledged to his father. I couldn't really get a good look at Tulin's handshake, but it appeared to be a typical, friendly shake. So, not much there.

Mineru's is on the right middle finger, which symbolizes structure, balance, conscience, order, & purpose. It can also reflect things for which you feel responsible or ways that you seek balance in your life. And, I could see this working for her, I suppose.

Her handshake...

No idea what the hell kinda shake that is, but I'll do some research & get back to you.

I'm seeing that turning one's palm face upward is a sign of submissiveness, but I dunno. Someone did bring up the fact that this was essentially Mineru holding her brother's hand one last time, which is important here, because for every other Sage, the thing highlighted was their relationship with Link, but it's possible that whatever the hell kinda handshake is going on here might have some significance to Mineru's relationship with Rauru.

Anyway, Riju's ring is on the right ring finger, which depends on the culture we're talking about. The right ring finger, of course, symbolizes engagement here in the west, but that'd be creepy af in this situation, so hell no. Now, in some religious organizations, this is also a symbol of a sign of the individual's authority & religious devotion. Not to mention, it's also associated with the sun, as well as beauty & creativity. If nothing else, authority, the sun, & beauty works for her as the Gerudo Chief. Not to mention, her fighting style in AoC was pretty damn creative.

As for her handshake, it at first seems to be a regular one until just after, when she pushes back & away, indicating that she is performing "the pusher." This is done by extending the arm so that Link can't get closer to her, which would be interesting as it'd indicate that she needs both physical & emotional space to be comfortable. This suggests that she's hesitant to let others get closer to her. Which is interesting considering what we read about her in her journal.

I suppose that in a way, I believe that I see these vows & rings as being more signs of the Sages swearing oaths of fealty to a king.

After all, Link gains the right arm of a king in this game. It's also been implied throughout both games that there's something going on between Link & Zelda. This game, specifically, suggests that they are not only living in the same house, but sleeping in the same, very small bed. Which would mean that they were common law married.

If this is true, then it's possible that Link could become, depending on how Hyrule's customs involving such things work, King of Hyrule & if not that then Prince-Consort.

Ganon's declaration at the beginning of the Japanese version of the game that "I am the true King of Hyrule" even gives a bit of an impression.

There's also how the illusion in the castle showcased 2 thrones sitting side-by-side rather than just one.

As such, it's clear that Ganondorf at least believes that the 2 are together.

While up in the air, I feel like there's enough evidence to suggest that my theory could be possible.

LoZ Wild Masterlist

[pernesophe]

Arranged Marriage to the Demon Sakuragi

Chapter 1: Move

WC: 6090 Synopsis: You are an American who moved back to Japan to live with your father - Kenzo Asano - after your grandmother passed away. Truthfully, you had started receiving cryptic letters, small messages, and flowers left in places you’d typically be. One thing that remained constant was the signature: “It’s a beautiful day for flowers, isn’t it?” After a few months being back home, your father proposes you marry The Demon of Sakuragi to ease tensions between the two rival clans. You agree, hoping your marriage can create a lasting alliance and peace. How will you manage being wife of The Demon turned babysitter? Can he love you? Can you love him? Will the letters and flowers stop now that you’re in Japan, with a husband who is Yakuza to boot?

MDNI TW: angst, stalking, general fear / paranoia, multiple character deaths mentioned / grief, slow burn, fluff, eventual smut Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5

Life is wonderful, beautiful, and at times perhaps a little grotesque. This is what you have intimately learned over the years, between moving back to America with your mother to help your grandmother care for your ailing grandfather. Days were spent watching TV and listening to his whimsical stories about when he was a boy and how everything was so different now - all the while the room reeked of antiseptic to keep the deadly germs at bay. To the day that your mother’s head cold turned lethal, and a short 24 hours later you were helping your grandmother choose floral arrangements for the wake. You were grateful for your grandmother just as much as she was for you as the two of you poured over the arrangements, and finally decided on Stark White Lilies. Your mother’s favorite. 

This fact was drilled in when you decided to volunteer at the hospital, specifically in the burn ward. It was gruesome, even turned your stomach the way heat and flame could crisp a person like they were flambe. The stench permeated your hair, clothes, and when it wasn’t burnt skin it was the antiseptic that burned your nose - the rubber glove smell that clung to your fingertips. Still, you couldn’t help the wealth of beauty in watching a person burn to almost a husk, and then be put back together again. It was like watching a forest regrow after an inferno tore through the mountainside. 

For some reason you didn’t mind the smell, the sight, or the way some patients would direct their anger at you - all of it felt cleansing to the losses you’d felt up to that point. Because at least they were going home, and you got to facilitate that, like a gardener diligently watering, fertilizing and pruning a dying plant until it could flourish once more.

It took your mind off the fact that your grandfather’s chair has sat empty for years now, since he passed only one short year after your mother, and yet the living room still reeked of antiseptic somehow. Or how you haven’t been able to replace the white lilies on your mother’s grave stone in months, and you weren’t sure when or if you would visit her again. It especially distracted you from the fact that your grandmother was growing older and weaker with each passing day, or how you could almost feel the grief and ensuing loneliness clawing at your ankles with each step you took.

Still, as you looked yourself over in the L hall bathroom mirror just outside the NICU, a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes cut across your face. Twisting the silver band around your thumb that belonged to your grandfather, then you smoothed down your marigold scrubs and exited the bathroom. As you stepped under the fluorescent lights reflected by the shiny bleached floor under your bright, white tennis shoes - one of the nurses called out to you.

“Hey Y/N, look what someone left for you!” Lynn, the brunette nurse with kind mocha eyes, said as she held up an ornate vase filled with stark white lilies, a knowing grin on her face. “Someone has a secret admirer,” she added in a teasing tone with a wiggle of her brow.

A curious expression twisted your face as you crossed to the nursing station, taking the flowers from her. On the tallest one hung a small handwritten card on a string. Without any hesitation, you opened the card to reveal a short message:

“It’s a beautiful day for flowers.”

It was odd to say the least, but you just assumed whoever sent them was maybe a little awkward. Simpering down at the note as a blush crept over your cheeks, you looked back at the nurse with excitement in your eyes.

“Did you see who left them?” You asked her, barely containing your giddiness, while she put on a dramatic scowl before responding. 

“Ugh, I wish! I came back from the bathroom and they were just on the counter. I even asked around if anyone saw who left them, but nobody did.” She said, the disappointment evident in her tone. 

Humming curiously, but you smiled nonetheless, wondering who would think to send you flowers. That night you showed them to your grandmother, to which she was overjoyed for you, but then she asked if white lilies were your favorite. Like your mom. After some thought you disclosed that no, they weren’t your favorite. She had also mentioned that it was odd for a secret admirer to send you lilies, even going as far to ask, “why not roses?”

Of course you had to admit that it was a little odd, not to mention a weird coincidence that they’re the same type of flowers from your mother’s wake and funeral. But you just chocked it up to that - a weird coincidence, and that  maybe your admirer was just socially awkward.

Little did you know that this wouldn’t be the last of the flowers and notes - far from it actually. 

After that day at the hospital, you started receiving flowers with the same message everywhere you went. Some days you’d arrive at your one class at Uni to find an intricate vase housing a plumage of blindingly white lilies. Of course, the girls in your class would ooh and aah over them, how lucky you were, and you would thank them with a smile despite the mounting unease at the sight of them. It became a common occurrence for your volunteer manager to pull you aside at the start of your shift to deliver yet another decadent display of florals, and though she would compliment them it was becoming increasingly apparent that she was growing tired of it. 

One day when you were walking home from your shift at the hospital, you passed the phone booth on the corner, and what was left inside like some ornate piece of jewelry in a display case? Stark. White. Lilies. 

Panic climbed up your spine and constricted your lungs as you whipped your head to and fro for any glimpse of your secret “admirer”. Despite every primal urge screaming at you not to, you opened the booth and gingerly picked up the flowers to find the signature card:

“It’s a beautiful day for flowers.”

Stumbling out of the booth, your rubber soles scuffed on the pavement - the glass vase slipping from your grasp to where it shattered in front of the bi-fold door. Your lungs burned and your muscles ached as you sprinted the whole way home. The moment you burst through the apartment door, you slammed it shut and bolted the lock before collapsing in your bewildered grandmother’s arms. All you told her was that you had a bad day at the hospital as she soothingly stroked your hair and shushed your sobs, still not quite sure how to explain what was going on. 

What even was going on?

That question plagued your mind all through the night and into the next day. The following weeks felt like you were just floating through them as you waited for the next flower delivery, but to your surprise they stopped. Weeks turned into months, and after a while you began to relax - believing that whoever was messing with you found something, or someone, of more interest.

Until your mother’s death anniversary rolled around. It was still tender even though it had happened years ago, so you and your grandmother would typically hole up in the apartment and watch “Beaches”. Your mom’s favorite movie. 

The day had passed much the same as the years prior - both of you woke up, made breakfast, cleaned a bit, and lit an incense on your mother’s shrine. The two of you went about your separate activities until the evening came, where you cooked dinner together before settling in for the movie. 

As the opening credits began, the doorbell rang, and you looked at each other curiously while shaking your heads. Neither of you were expecting company tonight. So, you told your grandmother to stay on the couch while you went to see who it was. Peering through the peephole first, but all you saw was the empty corridor. Cautiously, you opened the door a crack to see no one there, but as you went to shut it a flash of white caught your eye. As your gaze focused downward, air caught in your throat, heart pounding against your ribs.

Carefully placed on the doormat, directly in the center as if to frame it, was the fanciest vase yet housing none other than a stunning bouquet of white lilies. After a long moment, you swallowed thickly, and then stooped to pick up the vase. Opening the card tied delicately to the largest lily, you felt your blood run cold as your eyes scanned the cryptic message:

“It’s a beautiful day for flowers, isn’t it?”

It had changed, albeit slightly, but why? Immediately, you stepped out of the apartment and walked the flowers straight to the dumpsters at the bottom of the stairs. They made a satisfying crashing sound as the glass exploded against the side of the metal basin, and as you climbed back up the stairs you tried to not think about the fact that whoever it was knew where you lived.

Several months passed before you received another bouquet. During that time, you mulled over the flowers, notes, and specifically your mother’s death date. The more you thought it over the more you were convinced that maybe it wasn’t intended to be cruel? Though the note sounded almost congratulatory, it could have been meant to be a condolence. Anxiety held you by the nape through every waking moment as you ping ponged between analyzing the messages, and trying not to think about them at all.

That is until your grandmother fell and broke her elbow.

It had just started getting icy outside, and you had been nagging her about the stairs being slippery, so you already knew when you received the call. Luckily she was taken to the hospital where you volunteer so you went straight to her room, but on the way one of the nurses flagged you down.

“Y/N! Someone left these for you,” she said as she held up a vase of white lilies. A notch formed in your brow just from the sight, but you quickly told her that you would come back after checking on your grandmother. Luckily, despite the break, it wasn’t too bad.

After checking on her, you returned to the nurses station for the flowers. As expected, a note was delicately tied to the top of the flowers. It was the same message as the one from your mother’s death anniversary:

“It’s a beautiful day for flowers, isn’t it?”

A deep sense of unease that you just couldn’t shake seeped into your bones. Still, you never mentioned it to your grandmother, especially with her recent injury - she already had enough on her plate. So, the following months passed looking over your shoulder, because you constantly felt like you were being watched.

Unfortunately, after your grandmother was released from the hospital, she came down with the flu and it wasn’t long before she was back in the hospital. Though you knew the years were adding up for her, it was difficult to watch the strong woman who raised you deteriorate in a hospital bed. Even the burn ward brought you little comfort during this time, because whereas you knew they were going home, in your heart of hearts you knew your grandmother wasn’t.

It had been months since the last time you received flowers, but when you saw the stark white lilies on the doormat of your apartment you knew right then and there that your grandmother died. They arrived before the call came a few moments later, and the sympathetic “I’m so sorry, she’s gone…” was uttered through the phone. Anger, sadness, dread - none of it could penetrate the thick numbness that settled over you as you made your way to the hospital.

That night after you picked up a volunteer shift, a male volunteer - Cyrus - who just started at the hospital offered to walk you home since he lived nearby, because you were obviously having a day. The two of you weren’t close, but had had enough amicable conversations that you agreed. He was kind enough to let you vent to him, and for some reason you spilled everything.

From the first flowers with the message you received, to the ones that were left for you this morning. Cyrus was shaken by your story, and convinced you to report everything to the police, and promised to come back the next morning to go with you to the police and make a report. For the first time in a long while, you felt relief mingled with a sense of hope that maybe things would be okay.

As the sun rose the next morning, and you waited to hear from your newfound friend, your phone stayed silent. No knocks were tapped on your door - he never came or called. But what did arrive were more flowers with another note. You weren’t sure when they were left on your doormat, but they were waiting for you when you decided to just head to the hospital and stop waiting around.

Dread crept over your skin like the cold after you step out of the shower and don’t dry off right away. Though you tried not to think about it - to not consider the possibilities - later that day, you heard that your coworker’s apartment burned down and that he was in the ICU.

Only then did you start to believe that it was more than a prank or mean joke. You had a stalker, and they were dangerous.

You were steeped in a tingly numbness for the rest of the day. Even as you walked home, you couldn’t bring yourself to look over your shoulder or search for any signs that your secret “admirer” was around. Walking through the door of your empty apartment while you tried not to analyze the new definition behind that phrase as you sank into the couch. Without much thought you pulled out your phone, staring at the numbers, as you dialed one you still knew by heart. Even if you hadn’t called it in quite some time. The shadows in your apartment shifted with passing headlights below as the line rang.

“Asano residence,” a gruff voice answered. One you recognized, but it wasn’t the person you were trying to reach. 

“Um. Hello… I’m sorry to call so late, or early… sorry I’m not sure what time it is there.” Nervously rambling as you tried to find the words. Why were you calling anyway? It’s been so long since the two of you talked, so maybe he wouldn’t want to hear from you anyway. The voice on the other end remained silent through your rambling, until finally you asked.

“I-it’s Y/N. Could I speak to my dad… please?” Stumbling over your words as you choked out what you wanted to say. After a long pause, the gruff voice answered, but brighter this time.

“Y/N!! I haven’t heard from you in awhile! It’s me - Kenji! How are you?!” He inquired excitedly. Kenji had always been like an older brother to you, and was often saddled with babysitting you when you lived in Japan.

A part of you felt overjoyed to hear his excitement, but it was also the first time you’ve been asked how you are in so long. A lump formed in your throat as hot, wet tears fell down your face and sniffles echoed through the receiver. 

“Y/N? Are you still there?” Concern laced Kenji’s voice at the sound of soft sniffling on the other side of the phone. Which only mounted into anxiety when you failed to choke back a sob as the damn broke.

“K-Kenji,” you cried wetly, “e-everything is s-so messed u-up… I j-just want to come h-home.” Voice cracking over your words - barely getting out what you needed to say before you were racked with body shaking sobs. 

“Y/N…” Kenji’s own voice cracked when he heard you sobbing on the other end, and you could hear muffled voices in the background. Some words came through like, “is she alright?”, “what’s going on?” But Kenji was too busy floundering over what he could say to you to answer them. Finally, Kenji figured out what to say as his soothing voice came through the phone again.

“Hey, hey, hey - it’s okay Y/N. Everything will be okay. We’re coming to get you. Soma and Hanzo are already on their way - how does that sound?” He sounded more like a mother comforting her crying child, then the intimidating man you knew him to be.

“G-good, t-thank you…” you whispered back as your sobs subsided a little bit. 

“You still live in the same apartment?” He asked, and you hummed out an affirmative. “They won’t get there until the day after tomorrow - will you be okay until then?” He questioned softly.

“Mhm, I’ll be okay. Thank you Kenji…” warbling out between sniffles. “Sorry I haven’t been keeping in touch,” you whispered pathetically afterwards.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call to check on you tomorrow, okay?” His tone was still calming to the point that you could almost be convinced he wasn't Yakuza.

“Okay. Goodnight.” You whispered before hanging up, and then you curled into the cushion of your sofa as you watched the night pass through the sliding glass door. You realized you didn’t sleep at all when the first rays of light touched the balcony and filtered in through the foggy glass.

Two Days Later:

Barely leaving your apartment over the past couple of days, you anxiously packed and fidgeted around between boxing things and peering out the window. You didn’t bother wrapping up with the leasing office or your job, since Kenji promised to take care of everything. Somehow he did too - from the other side of the world. 

No flowers came in the time you waited. Maybe because whoever was sending them didn’t think you leaving the country warranted “a beautiful day for flowers.”

The morning after you called Kenji, you called him back to explain the sudden death in your family, so you didn’t have to when Hanzo and Soma arrived. Conveniently, you left out the stalker with the hopes that moving across an ocean would deter them.

When Hanzo and Soma made their way up the stairs to your apartment, they discussed what to get for lunch while they helped you pack. So when they knocked and you met them at the door with 3 pieces of luggage and a purse slung over your shoulder, they were taken aback.

“Need help… packing?” Hanzo started to ask, but trailed off as he peered around you to see a completely empty apartment. Since they took care of everything else, you spent the past two days selling all the furniture in your apartment.

“Oh no thank you, everything’s packed already. Are y’all ready to go?” Punctuating your question with a tilt of your head, as you smiled brightly at them. Though your eyes weren’t able to hide the fact that you were itching to get out of there while you nervously fidgeted with the silver band around your thumb.

“No problem, let’s go.” Soma said curtly, not bothering with Hanzo’s concerned look thrown his way. Gesturing towards the stairs, he lets you lead the way to the sleek black car parked outside of the leasing office. After everything is loaded and you’ve settled into the leather backseat, the three of you began the long journey home.

Back Home in Japan

Kenzo Asano, your father, and head of the Asano clan cut his trip short when he received a call from his second in command, Kenji, about you coming home. His tentative partners, at one time rivals with the Asanos, the Sakuragi Clan were actually pretty understanding. Thankfully.

Though you insisted that he stay and finish up his business, since between Kenji, Hanzo and Soma the move, funeral and burial were all covered. Still, he arrived at the Asano estate mere hours after you and pulled you into a big bear hug. It had been years since anyone had hugged you like that, so you couldn’t stop the flood of tears as you sobbed into your dad’s chest. 

After you had calmed down, he took you to the conference room, where you told him about your grandma’s injury, her hospital stay, and her eventual passing. Though you deliberately left out the flowers, notes, and stalker. He poured green tea into two matching cups while he listened intently. 

“I’m so sorry Y/N,” he spoke softly after you finished regaling the past several months to him. “I had no idea you’ve been shouldering all of that by yourself.” He said as he patted your hand soothingly. Fresh tears spilled down your cheeks from his words, but you couldn’t think of what to say in response. The validation was cathartic though. 

After you two finished your tea, your dad showed you to your room. It was almost exactly how you left it when you moved away, barring a bigger bed and some updated decorations. Your dad told you that Kenji could help if you wanted to change anything, but just told him it was perfect. That night, for the first time since you were maybe 10, your dad tucked you in. It felt incredibly nostalgic as he bid you a goodnight from the door before switching out the light.

After about a week of milling about the estate and catching up with old faces, you fell into a routine pretty easily. It was a little awkward to be around your father again at some points, especially when conversation would steer towards the past or your mother. But he was as doting as he had always been, so it wasn’t a huge deal. After about a month, he was able to find you a good therapist to process grief, and helped you get a job at the local art museum. Your dad said it would be a good change of pace from the hospital, and your therapist agreed. At the end of the day, he knew you just needed something to keep you distracted and busy.

Though you weren’t convinced about the museum job at first, missing the hustle and bustle of the hospital, you eventually grew to love it. It was wonderful, beautiful, and grotesque in a completely different way. There was no smell of burnt skin or antiseptic, just lemon scented cleaning products and moth balls. Everyone you worked with had their favorite exhibits, but they were intrigued when they found out yours wasn’t a specific exhibit, but very specific pieces of grotesque art.

“The Bad Doctors” by James Ensor that toured through the museum at one point. Your interest was absolutely piqued after you read its description: 

“The theme of Ensor's satirical print goes back to an old visual tradition, in which doctors are reduced to money-making caricatures and characterised as quacks and charlatans. Not infrequently, the supposed link between the practice of the doctor and death is emphasised. All these elements are also present in Ensor's print, including the doctors ordering each other around and the man with the scythe sneaking into the room. The doctors depicted were all professors at the medical faculty of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. From left to right they are represented: Jules-Adrien Thiriar, Emile Yseux, Guillaume Rommelaere, Jean-Joseph Crocq and Joseph Sacré. The unfortunate patient has not been identified.”

This piece in particular reminded you of the hustle and bustle of the hospital for obvious reasons, but more specifically when someone coded. It was like every person on the floor would jump into action while you stood back against the wall. Sometimes, when the person didn’t make it, just before the frantic life saving efforts were halted, you could feel a stillness fall over the person. Then, the room, and slowly that stillness would spread throughout the hospital. You never saw it, but it truly felt as if death walked past every panicked body in the room just to pluck the patient’s soul and carry them down the quieting corridor.

Next, you favored “The Cave of Spleen” by Aubrey Beardsley which illustrates the poem “The Rape of the Lock, Canto IV” written by Alexander Pope. The drawing itself was quite endearing - filled with thin ink lines to create fantastical women with animal legs, florals here and there, all swirled in the dark lines of the main woman’s hair. The section of the poem that the drawing was based on had to do with a man who stole a lock of a woman's hair and how the world around him became strange and distorted after that. If you had to guess by the look of the drawing, it seemed as if the man lost his sanity all together.

Finally, “The Intrigue” by James Ensor that toured through shortly after “The Bad Doctors”. Though the description was shorter, again you were thoroughly interested: “The story behind the painting is autobiographical and inspired by an actual event during Ensor's life. It depicts his sister's marriage with a Chinese art dealer from Berlin that caused a scandal in Ensor's hometown.” The painting itself was so expressive, that you didn’t feel the description required more than that. The art dealer’s face was stoic and unexpressive, while the people around him wore wide grins - some throwing their heads back in laughter. It was one of those paintings that was difficult to deep-dive into an analysis about, but it did often leave you with a sense of second-hand embarrassment tinged with melancholy. 

Each of the pieces encompassed all of those things you ached for that the hospital had satiated. They were masterfully done, and conveyed a rawness that you rarely saw outside of that gruesome building. A form of dark humor that you hadn’t heard muttered outside of those blindingly white walls before. Sometimes you would hear, “I could’ve done that,” spat through the exhibit. But it always brought a knowing smile to your lips, because truly they couldn’t. Just like they shy away from rag filled bins in the corner of hospital rooms - they shied away from these pieces as well, making it simply impossible for them to wade through such dark emotions, let alone recreate them.

Outside of working at the museum, you also found that you had a penchant for karaoke. You only discovered this after meeting a curious fellow wearing bright red heels, Rei Hojo. It was raining terribly on your way home from work, and while rounding a corner you ran face first into a broad chest that emitted a high pitched, ‘oof!’ Stumbling over yourself with apologies, but the kind man just waved you off and offered to buy you a cup of coffee while the rain died down. While the two of you sat in the cafe, talking and giggling like old friends, you learned that Rei was in the area because he was doing karaoke today. Never having done something like that before, he offered to bring you along which you happily agreed. Turns out you're a pretty good singer, and Rei made sure to let you know through squealing compliments. Safe to say the two of you became fast friends. So a lot of your friday or saturday evenings were spent telling your father that you were working a late shift at the museum while you belted duets with Rei.

Despite how kind everyone had been, you still couldn’t bring up your stalker to your family or therapist. Every time you considered telling your dad or Kenji, some voice in your head would tell you that you left all of that behind you. The Secret “Admirer” was in America, and you were in Japan now. Safe and sound. Even though you froze everytime you got mail, and physically flinched when flowers were brought into the house. 

It’s not like everyone around the estate didn’t notice - it’s kind of their line of work to notice things that are out of place, especially when it comes to their own family. But none of them knew what was wrong, or how to ask you about it. They all assumed you were working it out in therapy.

Since you had fallen into a routine and found some things to keep you busy, you didn’t really notice that the things they did ask you about pertained to relationships. Dating. Who you were currently dating, or if you wanted to date. What your thoughts are on marriage. Though the questions put a notch in your brow at times, you just chocked it up to them being protective or something. 

The only other thing of note was how they consistently talked about “The Demon of Sakuragi” or “Yakuza Crusher” Kirishima. It’s not like anyone spoke to you directly about him, but the stories you heard were certainly daunting to say the least. But you just assumed it wasn’t any of your business, so you didn’t dwell on it too much.

2-3 months later:

No flowers or notes have been delivered or left for you anywhere, but still you couldn’t shake this dreadful feeling that you were being watched again. When you were walking alone you fell back into the habit of looking over your shoulder, and sometimes you would catch yourself doing a double take because you thought you saw stark white lilies.

One day after your shift at the museum, you were called into a meeting with multiple members of the family - something that you’ve never really experienced before. Your father informed you that the Asano clan was working towards an alliance with the Sakuragi clan. Of course you were aware that the two families have been at odds for decades, but you weren’t sure what that had to do with you. Kenzo finished by saying that he hoped to achieve a “lasting peace” between the two clans.

“That’s great, right?” You quietly offered, despite the tension in the room.

“Ahem yes, but we need something more concrete than a verbal agreement…” Kenzo cleared his throat before speaking, and then trailed off. A notch formed in your brow as you cocked your head at the uncertainty in his tone. 

“Typically, by tradition, the two families would seal an alliance with a marriage contract…” elaborating slowly as he tilted his head forward, hoping the gears would turn. As you just stared at him, he added, “that’s where you would come in, if you are willing.” 

The gears have only just started turning as the word ‘marriage contract’ solidifies in your mind. When you continued silently staring at him, Kenzo offered lightly, “I know you’re only 23, and you’ve been through a lot lately. But I’m hoping this could be a new chapter for you. Also the person you would marry, if you agree, is only 28. So he’s not too much older than you, nor has he ever been married before.”

“Who would I be marrying?” Inquiring curiously as you leaned a little closer over the table to grip your cup of tea.

“Toru Kirishima…” your father hesitated before continuing as he mulled over to divulge the next piece of information.

“He’s called the ‘Demon of Sakuragi’, but he’s mellowed out a lot since he was given that title. Kazuhiko has also assured me that Kirishima is respectable, and the Sakuragi clan does not abide mistreatment of their female family members.” He rushed to get the details out. Of course, you were aware that the bitter feud has caused a few issues to their tentative alliance. Honestly, even in the few short months since arriving you’ve gotten really good at patching knife wounds because of it. 

‘The Demon of Sakuragi… Intimidating. I think even my stalker would think twice…’, musing silently, and then you swiftly chastised yourself - hating the fact that this faceless person still occupied your mind. Peering into the now cold cup grasped in your palms as you mulled over the decision wordlessly.

“Okay. I agree.” Finally you broke the silence with your words, devoid of any doubt.

“Well, if you would just give it some thought…” Kenzo began reflexively, before your words registered, “wait. You agree?!” His head snapped up from where he was staring at his hands as the shocked words bounced off the bamboo floors. 

“Yes, I agree. Am I allowed to make my own requests about the contract though?” Querying apprehensively before you straightened up and squared your shoulders to look at your father officially, attempting to be assertive.

“Uh, well. It depends on what they are…” Kenzo responded slowly as a crease formed in his brow. It had been so long since the two of you lived together, so he couldn’t really predict what your demands would be.

“Well, I guess I don’t know what the marriage contract entails… or if there’ll be a wedding…” beginning cautiously as your nerves started to get the better of you, but Kenzo just nodded for you to continue. 

“If there is a wedding, then I left mom’s dress and hairpin with a good friend back in the States…” you inhaled a slow breath to steady yourself before making the request, “the letter she left with them said she wanted me to wear them when I get married. So I don't know if it’s possible, but if there is a wedding, then I’d like to have those shipped here.” Despite your attempts to be assertive, your voice shook, and you felt yourself shrinking inward the longer you spoke. Though your father just threw you a gentle smile at the simple request.

“There will certainly be a wedding, probably the biggest we’ve seen in a long time.” He reassured you with an airy laugh as he room filled with soft chuckles, and the tension in the room finally dissipated. “I will ensure your mother’s effects are shipped here well before the date. We’ll be sure to find a planner who can merge some Eastern and Western themes for you as well.” Kenzo promised as a wide grin spread over his face, obviously grateful that you agreed at all.

“Thank you very much.” Bowing your head respectfully as relief washed over you, and a small smile graced your features. 

“Did you have any other requests?” Kenzo urged gently, as he seemed to already know that, in your usual manner, the requests were incredibly small and doable, yet extremely important to you. 

“Uh, well… Will I still be allowed to work at the museum? Like, will I be expected to be a stay at home wife or anything like that?” Murmuring nervously as your face began to burn from the embarrassment of asking at all. The unspoken questions floated in the air between you and your father as you peered at him expectantly, anxiously sliding the silver ring up and down your thumb.

Will I still be allowed to be me? Can I still do the things I enjoy?

This time a chorus of laughter broke out in the room as your father threw his head back with laughter too. Though he quickly shushed them, and the room fell quiet again as he regarded you warmly.

“Yes you will be allowed to continue to work at the museum, volunteer, and sing at those late night karaoke hangouts you try to hide from us. Though I recommend not hiding things from your future husband - just as a general rule of marriage.” Kenzo teased with a reassuring smile, hoping you finally felt at ease with the situation.

“And here I thought I was doing a good job of keeping it a secret,” you said sheepishly before bursting out laughing, as you hid your face in your hands. Cackles and guffaws filled the room, and even shushing from the boss couldn’t quiet them for several minutes. 

That night, after your father and Kenji made their calls to the Sakuragi clan, you all drank sake and celebrated the good news. For the first time in a long, long while you felt really happy and carefree, so much so that you didn’t even feel like you were being watched. Not once did you look over your shoulder, or hesitate before walking into a darkened room the whole night. 

Of course that meant that you didn’t turn to look outside when passing by the window that overlooked the courtyard. Nor did you notice the accidental flash coming from behind the tea house located on the far edge of the garden.

References: The Bad Doctors from the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent Website The Cave of Spleen by Audrey Beardsley from The Art History Project Website The Intrigue from Wikipedia

Master List (I have no rights to these characters, the works they come from, or the art/screenshots/manga panels used in this post. Screenshots taken from pinterest, so if you know the creator please lmk! Divider is from @sweetmelodygraphics)

Tag List: lmk if you want to be added

Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5

[agaypanic]

really leaning into my nostalgia and I'm listening to various disney playlists on spotify, and now I'm making headcannons about watching the movies with Adam, bree, and chase.

I think bree would immediately resonate with any character who was kept inside (anna, rapunzel, jasmine, etc.), but I feel like she'd be a Frozen girl. I feel like she's so Anna coded and in the second movie, she'd resonate with Elsa navigating her powers. She'd also love Mulan no questions allowed.

Adam would LOVE "I Have a Dream" because all the tough guys have non-stereotypical hobbies. I also think he would love Hercules. He'd totally see himself as Hercules because of his strength, and Hercules/Meg would definitely get him thinking about actually getting a gf and being more than just his strength. Oh and adam would defintely watch Aladdin and focus all his brain cells on what his three wishes would be.

For some reason Chase is harder for me to pin, but I think princess and the frog would be so good for him because I feel like he would go through the same arc as naveen–particularly when it comes to thinking about his money. That scene in "Dig a Little Deeper" where Naveen realizes that Tiana would bring him joy, not money would push chase to think a little more about people because wealth and his pride tends to be our boy's faults.

I have this vision of watching Frozen with the group and Chase hating on Anna at first. "Does she really think she's going to fall in love the moment she walks out the door?? You're telling me she's marrying this guy when she's known him for 3 seconds??" and the reader (me) going, "You're right, it's crazy to get so swept up in the first person who shows they like you when you've lived most of your life in solitaire. How's Danielle?" and Chase shutting up.

(I know I could just post these and my major fault is that I ramble but I just find it more fulfilling to leave my headcannons/thoughts in someone's request box but lmk if I ever overwhelm your box)

-🎀

i feel like bree would really like any disney princess movie from the 90s. aladdin and beauty and the beast specifically. also the little mermaid, it came out in 1989 but wtv

adam loves hercules. after leo showed it to him for the first time, he wouldn’t stfu about wanting his own pegasus. for a disney princess movie tho, i think he’d really like mulan

it’s hard to pick a disney princess movie for chase, but i think i’d go with enchanted bc i think he’d relate to robert philip a lot lol

[dulcewrites]

I know the creators probably did not mean to do it when they made the Velaryons black (more than likely went over their heads tbh), and I do agree with certain criticisms/concerns people had about how black characters are treated in hotd. But I do think in theory, making the Velaryons, specifically Corlys, black was an interesting choice.

I think having a black man, in particular, chasing the Westeros equivalent of ‘the American dream’ and it leading to the eventual hinderess of his house is fascinating. Downfall in the sense that House Velaryon never reaches the heights they had pre dance. Corlys is playing a political game, as someone who is far more suited as a warrior/sailor than anything else, with people that keep him at arm’s length. He can not maneuver the way they do successfully despite the money and connection to dragon riders. But he continues to push for that status symbol…for that recognition and acceptance.

I will be mixing a bit of F&b lore as well as the show so just.. stay with me on this lmao.

When we are first introduced to the corlys/the velaryons, we get this air of ‘new money’ (gag I do hate that term but let’s go with it), though the Velaryons are a house that survived the doom. Corlys has essentially single handedly elevated his house through seafarer. He is described as someone that, despite the wealth and power being Lord of the Tides has brought, is seldom satisfied. Hence why once his own path towards being king consort/having his blood on throne is dashed after the great council of 101, he more than likely gets in his head that he must take steps to right that wrong.

Like many men in this story, if not all, corlys views the people around him - His wife, daughter, son, granddaughters and even Rhaenyra to a certain extent - as extensions of the himself and the pawns in his plan.

Now, this will probably be an unpopular opinion, though I don’t think it should be, but I’m of the belief Corlys cared little about how his family faired because of his ambition. Namely his wife, Rhaenys (who if we go by book canon he married when she was a teen then cheated on her with another teen). I think he sees her as another status symbol. He’s married to a dragon riding princess. I sense a lot of people get blinded by the shiny varnish their relationship has on the show, especially compared to the outwardly hellish relationships in book/show. He constantly undermines her. Though I personally don’t believe Rhaenys when she says she’s over not being queen, I do agree with her when she says corlys is doing all of this more for himself and his house than her. Despite the quippy lines they give Rhaenys, she too is a victim of patriarchy and by extension of that a backseat passenger in her own family. She too follows her husband’s orders even to the detriment of others. She may be able to voice her concerns, but they fall on deaf ears.

Corlys uses his 12 year old daughter as a bargaining chip. And let me tell you, I get so annoyed when people use the argument of ‘well rhaenys and corlys were upfront about pimping out their tween daughter while otto sent Alicent in secret’. They all will be sharing the same room in hell with viserys regardlesss babes. Or the argument that the dance wouldn’t have happened if Viserys married laena. The dance, or some sort of infighting, was set in stone the moment viserys decided to not only remarry but have kids. Weakening Rhaenyra’s already flimsy claim. It was set the moment the Targaryens followed the same male primogeniture many in Westeros do. Corlys would have been right at the ‘patriarchy rocks’ party if laena married viserys and managed to produce a male heir.

Rhaenys expresses wanting the driftmark line to pass through Laena’s daughters. Mind you, Laena is older anyway. If corlys wanted his eldest child to have it.. he could’ve changed that from jumped since he’s so team feminism lmao. Corlys quickly says no because he knows taking that from Lucerys means disenfranchising Rhaenyra’s claim. In turn, laenor will not be king consort and their blood will not be on the throne.

Except… he knows those boys are not of Velaryon blood. The same way he knew laenor, his gay son, would be in harm’s way marrying Rhaenyra. To him, his family name being written in books is more important than empowering his granddaughters, despite tooting the horn he is doing this because his wife was robbed because she is a woman. To him, his family name being written in books is more important than the safety of his kids. He actually mirrors viserys post laenor’s ‘death’ and shuts down. But the point of running away. Leaving his wife to rule without him. All because his own choices and guilt are probably eating him alive.

It’s why I was actually quite taken when in ep 10, it is corlys that finally says enough is enough. But I actually like the choice. By now he has lost his daughter, his brother (I have a lot of feelings/thoughts on how vaemond wants power like corlys but it manifests vastly differently in terms of their house), and he thinks his son as well. Him realizing that his ‘keeping up with the joneses’ phase has done nothing but have the Stranger follow their family is harrowing. He wants to go home; he is ready to be rid of this. And yet it is Rhaenys, his dragon riding princess, telling him they must keep fighting for Rhaenyra. Quickly reminding him that their family is binded to the Targaryens regardless, and because of his choices; through having Lucerys still be heir to driftmark and the farce that jace as a bastard will take the throne with little strife. As well as because of the agreement that their granddaughters, not good enough claimants to driftmark themselves according to corlys, will be married to the strong boys.

His house will not prevail and flourish in the wake of this, which I think is an interesting contrast to say someone like Otto. I don’t think Corlys is a second son in the literal sense but he feels as one because he has had to fight for what he has. In ep 2, he compared himself to daemon, an actual second son, because of this fact. Otto is the same, a second son turned hand of kings. They scheme the same way, and have very similar ambitions. They hurt people in the process, especially those they are meant to protect. Regardless of who sits on the throne or how the war panned out, House Hightower continues to be a relatively wealthy, respected house. Versus what happens to House Velaryon… a now black house in show canon. These men played the same game and only one, in terms of the things he wanted, ‘won’.

That’s such a damning insight on how power corrupts the same way regardless of race, but the repercussions of it are different for everyone. Like I said, I know the writers did not think this far ahead or take this into account. But it’s something I picked up on as black woman myself.

It all comes back to Corlys’ choices. He will soon be adding his wife to the list of people the Stranger takes.

He must take his own advice sail through the storm…

[kitsune-oji]

Hiii! I love your blog and saw that you're requests are open. I wanted to ask if you could write some hcs about Diavolo having a crush on someone? What would he be like? Would there be a difference between a demon or a human? Would he pursue them quickly? How would the confession go? I hope that's specific enough and I hope you know what I mean. Thanks for doing what you're doing and have a great day🌸

Diavolo having a Crush

Thank you so much! Did you know my Blog before I deleted it back then? Otherwise I'd be a bit confused by how you'd be able to like it so much already haha-

Anyway, I hope this is what you were looking for!

Pairing: Diavolo x unnamed character/reader

Warnings: none!

A Crush on Another Demon

Diavolo having a crush on another demon always brings along with it the struggles of being not only a prince but the crown prince himself

If the demon Diavolo has a crush on is someone of higher standing - that means someone who can allow themself to possibly talk to him casually if he says it's alright, though it still wouldn't be on equal footing - then Diavolo may entertain the idea of actually having a future with them

If the demon is a regular citizen, then it really depends on how great the crush is because it will be a loooooot of work for Diavolo to be able to pursue them for something serious

I imagine, since he is a demon prince and their ideas of modesty are a bit different than those of humans, that he could have flings with pretty much any demon he wants. The problem is only when he actually has feelings for them and wants to "date" them (which could possibly proof to be a bit hard since as the heir, he will be pushed to marry, so instead of dating they'd probably be engaged for the demons to acknowledge their relationship)

Anyway!! How would he act in that situation?

Since it's a fellow demon, Diavolo would try to court them in a traditional way. He's a draconian type demon, so it's a good thing that he is so wealthy and powerful because...

He will try to show his crush how powerful he is! Power is attractive, after all. Be it carrying very and I mean very heavy things for/around them or even fighting in duels hoping they will watch, he'll do his best to showcase his abilities. The expectant, hopeful look in his eyes when he tries to see how they react is pretty adorable, actually

Bonus: if his crush is a demon who enjoys fighting, he will duel them himself to show them his strength

He will endavour to show them his wealth. With everything he has, he can give them so much, he can provide for them and promise them a live without worries - at least when it come to money and social standing. Expensive gifts, to the point of ridiculousness, will be offered to his crush. They talk about wanting some peace and quiet? Here, they can have this island if they want to, hell even build a mansion on it and hire servants so they can just lean back and relax whenever they want!

That being said, Diavolo will also make sure to adorn himself with his wealth. Rare gems and crystals and gold chains on his upper body, revealing more than they cover just so he can make sure they see his prowess, his muscles. Never forget, his sin is pride

In actual interaction with them, Diavolo tries to be subtle but elegant. Yet, his favoritism is obvious to everyone, even his crush if they're not very oblivious

A Crush on a Human

Now, I hope you read the first part up there because the problem is similar but just a tiny bit... different

You see, since his crush is a human, Diavolo won't really have to worry about social standing but he will have to worry about the fact that he has a crush on a being that most demons only describe as "delicious" at best and "undeserving of life" at worst

If we think of this happening during/after the exchange program and it's success, then he definitely has better chances at pursuing them without much backlash

Now, if it were up to him, he'd court his human crush just like a demon crush but that.. doesn't work too well

He knows that humans are different in many ways, so he tries to research the proper way to approach a relationship with one before he makes a move

Since witnessing a fight could scare his human, Diavolo will try to stick to more casual ways but because situations for that happen so seldomly, he will most likely come up with some random "game" in the name of strengthening unity and teamwork but actually he just wants his crush to look at him and marvel at his muscles

Showcasing his wealth will pretty much go the same, unless his generous gifts are too overwhelming for his crush, then he will try to dial it down and figure out what they need or like instead

His indecency won't change much, however. If it manages to fluster his crush, he would be delighted

Now, in personal interaction, Diavolo will be very gentle and offer them protection, even if they're a powerful sorcerer or witch. He wants them to be safe and honestly, he's a bit worried over them. If this annoys them and they show him just how powerful they are on their own, Diavolo will be astonished but it will only make him desire them more

In general

Diavolo would take his time in trying to show his crush what he can give them if they were to become his partner. Dates, gifts and displaying his might are mandatory before he asks them if they would consider being with him

However, he will state his intentions fairly soon, so there will be no confusion about his actions

Personally, he wants his confession to be during a date, where he can set up the perfect atmosphere and completely wow his crush, so that they wouldn't even think about saying no and yet

It is much more likely that he will end up confessing in the spur of a moment. At some point, it will just feel like the right time, even if they're just going over documents or walking down the streets of devildom on an errand or something

Being rejected would sadden him greatly, of course, yet he wouldn't show it much, in fear of pressuring his crush to say something they don't mean. He wants them to be able to be completely honest with him and tell him their opinion and at least that they rejected him means that they trust him enough to do so. He will need some time to get his bearings afterwards and since he now stopped his advances as well, Diavolo won't see them for quite a while. Throwing himself into work helps a bit and Barbatos has to even drag him away from the desk for once in his life. After he has grieved enough, Diavolo will act as polite and kind as ever towards the person he had a crush on, but he will be a bit more distant, just to keep his feelings safe

If his crush returns his feelings, Diavolo will be over the moon, hug them and spin them around if he's allowed and immediately begin preparing for a huge party/ball to celebrate - unless of course his partner does not feel comfortable with that, "but would at least a little one be ok?" After the start of their new relationship, Diavolo will keep showing his affections similarly to before, with gifts and dates, but he will also be much more free and deliberate with physical contact, at least as far as his love is comfortable with as well

[shadowthief78]

Part me talking about a minor anoyance, part Toji observation:

I'm always a little annoyed at this one really specific and trivial cultural inaccuracy (lol) but it really frustates me when in anime/manga fics, someone gets married to a Japanese citizen (or a character who would be a Japanese citizen in all logical interpretations of the world) and keeps their maiden/unmarried name.

In Japan it's mandatory, as in "literally written into the law and upheld by their Supreme Court," for married couples and their unwed children to have the same family name. Unless you literally did not get officially married, there is no way that one spouse is not changing their name. But, and here's where Toji comes in, like other places, it's not required for the wife to be the one who changes her name in het relationships. Though like other countries, it usually is.

The connotation for the husband taking the wife's names here (to the best of my knowledge) is generally kind of shameful because historically, this only happaned when the husband was of lower status marrying into the wife's aristocratic family or whatever. There's a word for this phenomenon and I think (?) it begins with a Y but I'm not certain.

So, in regards to Toji, this really shows how much he hated the Zenin clan that he would so willingly give up the wealth, power, status, and influence of the Zenins for his unknown and unnamed wife.

Anyway! Cool little detail to drive home how much Toji hated his family if you know the context and also a thing to keep in mind when writing for Japanese fandoms. Thank you for your time hahaha

[felixravinstills]

artemisia- 5, 14 & diana- 10, 23 for the OC ask game!

ask game

again, spoilers for my oc fics and also tw: mentions of physical abuse

Artemisia Click

How far is your OC willing to go to get what they want?

Hmmm, it depends? I think if her wants are the only thing that matters, then she'll go as far as necessary. If her wants conflict with someone's she cares about, then she'll compromise. For example, in Close Your Eyes, she breaks up with Felix, because she isn't convinced that he likes her romantically (she thinks he feels pressured to be with her which isn't 100% wrong). She knows that she wants to get married to escape her home life, but she is compromising with Felix's want (to not get married so young to someone he at this point isn't 100% sure at how he's feeling romantically without a reason). She'd probably prefer getting married to him (or Festus, not that she really clocks that at that point in the story) than anyone else, but she's not going to push him.

If Artemisia did, however, marry someone else and then later found out that Felix (and Festus) were romantically interested in her, well... Uh, cue the most scandalous affair that likely ends with the messiest divorce and then her hasty remarriage to Felix or Festus (probably Felix, it's the most strategic move). It's so scandalous, it's so sensational, the entire Capitol is agape. Everyone who knows them is like shocked at what happened but also somehow not surprised. If Artemisia's hypothetical husband isn't like Hilarius or someone that they grew up with and also isn't willing to divorce, that man's dead. Sorry hypothetical man in this barely fleshed out AU, you died.

tl;dr, she'll go all out if no one else (close friends or lovers) is holding her back to get what she wants

How does your OC want to be seen by other characters?

I think she'd want to be seen as loveable. She wants to be important to some people, to matter. I think having suffered abuse from her father and then having most of Capitol society just ignore that. It did do a number on her self-worth. She hates people for not doing something, but in the back of her mind, she has the mentality where some abuse victims blame themselves for the actions of their abuser? she has that in her subconscious.

She doesn't care if people see her as weak or strong. She doesn't care if they think she's an idiot or smart. She just wants people to care.

Diana Ravinstill

What's an AU that would be interesting to explore with your OC?

An AU where her parents aren't dead or irreversibly changed to be unable to fully parent properly would be great! How do I get there?

I just want to see Felix get to be an overprotective dad, and Festus to get to be a little less relaxed but also backup to Felix's shovel talk. I want whatever messy emotional conversations that can only happen between mothers and daughters to happen between Diana and Artemisia!

Also specifically, in an AU where the throuple somehow makes it to the 2nd Rebellion, and they get to meet Coin without being super not themselves anymore (Felix!). I think they'd have a(n awful) field day reacting to Diana's newest situationship.

Give Diana more time with her parents AUs would be great...

What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

Probably grief and sadness. Just the absolute mess of a childhood that she has in every universe ensures this.

I think grief gets so mixed with anger and resentment. She'd turn her sadness and grief into rage and lash out. That's what she does in most of the fics. Close Your Eyes! Diana hasn't put herself in a position to be able to lash out against the new government/the Mockingjay for Coin's death, so she sits and stews on her rage like Festus in the same fic. But! She does take her frustrations out on the Creeds ironically. She steals all their wealth. She's probably messing with them like I mess with Felix's extended family.

Diana bonds with Coin through rage filled grief. It's no surprise that Diana who in a better political position (like in It's Still You) tries to take her grief out on the rest of the country.

All That You Can Do! Diana's obviously a bit different from the others. Grief and sadness probably gets matched with a restless energy. She's not angry but she has to do something with her sadness. For her parents, she has to honor them (actually, at it's most extreme manifestation, this coincidentally manifests similarly to Felix's whole insecurity about not living up to the Ravinstill name)

...

Thanks for the asks! Again, a little distracted while answering so hopefully this makes sense!

[kuichihimei]

Rsat7d Characters as Flowers

(Long Post)

Floriography is the language of flowers. All flowers hold different meanings, often based on the type of flower, the colour of the flower, or both.

Snow White

Red Roses

♡ Roses symbolise different kinds of love depending on the colour. Red roses specifically symbolise love & romance, but I like to think that they represent love as whole instead.

♡ Snow is a very loving person, no questions asked. I have a feeling that she really likes roses, specifically the red ones since they remind her of her mother...

♡ Much like a rose who has thorns to protect itself, Snow can very much stand up for herself when someone's being a jerk to her or her friends. Every rose has it's thorns after all...

Merlin

Nemophilas & Blue Hyacinths

♢ From the greek word “Nemos” which means wooded pasture or small forest and “Phileos” meaning to love, also known as Baby Blue Eyes, they symbolise success & victory.

♢ Much like how Merlin ended up finding his happy ending with Snow, I'd say he wound up pretty victorious in the end. He broke his curse AND ended up marrying the love of his life

♢ Blue hyacinths symbolize sincerity & loyalty. Merlin loves Snow with such sincerity & he's undoubtedly loyal to his friends. He and the F7 are pretty frickin' tight with each other if you ask me.

Arthur

Orange Gladiolis, White, Blue & Purple Hydrangeas

☆ Gladiolis symbolise strength of character & we all know that Arthur's pretty heckin' strong.

☆ Fun fact: Gladiolis get their name from the gladiators of Ancient Rome. The expression 'death or gladioli' is derived from from the tournaments held by the Romans, as the winner gets praised with gladiolis at the end of the match.

☆ White Hydrangeas are sometimes associated with boastfulness as they bloom many flowers, but only produce a few seeds & Arthur can be... a little boastful sometimes...

☆ But hydrangeas can also mean apology & desire to deeply understand

☆ I can see Arthur as someone who'll try to right his wrongs once he sees the error of his ways & try to understand why he was wrong to avoid doing it again.

Hans

Cornflowers & Green Chrysanthemums

♧ Cornflowers symbolize reliability, rememberance & a bunch of other things. Hans is someone you can rely on when you're dealing with something that emotionally burdens you.

♧ He's the type of guy you would go to when you want to vent something; he'll even offer you some snacks while you're trying to explain to him what's bothering you...

♧ Chrysanthemums are used as a token of friendship during the Victorian Era. Out of all the seven + Snow, he's the second friend you've made out of everyone, he's really easy to befriend.

♧ Green Chrysanthemums symbolize good health & believe me when I say this; When you're with Hans, you LITERALLY cannot starve, because he can and he will coerce you into healthy eating habits.

Jack

Magnolias/Peonies

♤ Much like Jack, Magnolias symbolize nobility & wealth, & is celebrated all around the world for it's resilient blooms.

♤ It also symbolizes perseverance & endurance since it has tough flowers that have thick tepals to protect it from hungry beetles.

♤ This shows that despite coming off as narcissistic, he's still a strong fighter & WILL come through to help in times of need.

♤ This guy takes self-care very seriously so he can do his best in  whooping your butt.

♤ Peonies are another flower that symbolize wealth, since they come in clusters.

♤ Peonies are traditionally given on special occasions to signify goodwill & best wishes & Jack would give you little gifts if he likes you (albeit romantically or platonically).

♤ He'll even give you little trinkets from his quests like a magpie :D

❈ It's canon that the triplets are engineering geniuses, but I have this headcanon that they manifest it differently from eachother.

Pino

Blue/Purple Irises

✣ Irises are a symbol of hope, courage & wisdom. The flower is named after Iris, goddess of rainbows & messenger of Hera. She was the one who navigates the path from earth to heaven for the souls of the dead.

✣ Much like how Iris guides the souls of the dead towards heaven, Pino tries to guide his brothers towards the right paths in life.

✣ As the oldest of the triplets, he's more cautious when it comes to approaching new things. He's cautious because he doesn't want any of them to get hurt.

✣ He's had his fair share of negative experiences & uses them as an example of what his brothers shouldn't be.

✢ He's quite analytical whenever faced with a problem & often gives off advice that can come off as a bit harsh & can come off as a bit of a know-it-all sometimes...

✣ He's book smart & tends to look more on the facts & tries to think ahead so he can know what to do, when to do it & how to do it. He tends to find out what's wrong & immediately tries to fix it.

✣ His younger brothers look up to him whenever things go wrong, because if there's one thing they know for sure, it's that their older brother's got the answers to most of it 90% of the time. They do need to get a little nagged at though... (¯^¯٥)

Noki

Blue/Purple Clematis

✻ Clematis flowers symbolize ingenuity or the trait of artifice due to it's clever ability to climb around walls and other surfaces.

✻ Blue Clematis flowers symbolize loyalty & intellect, while Purple Clematis are favoured by clever & quick-witted people.

✻ If Pino is book smart, Noki is street smart. He knows how to deal with people & he definitely knows how to talk his way out of things.

✻I headcanon that he's the most social out of the group

✻ Clematis flowers also symbolize mischief, with a nickname like the devil's darning needle & being very difficult to kill, you can guess why. (It has occured to me that he kinda reminds me of Hermes actually—)

✻ When they're not inventing, the triplets go off and do their own hobbies away from each other. Pino likes to go on walks, Kio likes to collect scrap metal & Noki? Let's just say he likes to do a little bit of trolling sometimes >:)

✻ Noki is a menace during April Fools, just a heads up.  What? You've gotta use your smarts on other things anyways :)...

Kio

Red/Purple Asters

❋ Asters are another flower that symbolize wisdom/intellect. Their name is derived from the greek goddess Astraea.

❋ The greek word “Astír” means star.

❋ Red Asters symbolize undying love and devotion. He may not be as analytical as Pino, or street smart like Noki, but what he lacks in those he makes for with his emotional intelligence.

❋ Kio is more emotionally in tune than he let's on, don't let his shy demeanor fool you. He's constantly observing everyone around him if they're ok or not.

❋ He doesn't know ALL the solutions to your problems & he's not good with his words, but he'd definitely sit with you & listen to you rant about your problems.

❋ Kio is quite wise when it comes to emotions...

❋ There's something about him knowing what's wrong with you without saying anything or how he knows how to put into words what you're thinking of or how he knows when to speak & when to listen at the right times.

❋ The fact that he just knows, is quite comforting & a bit unsettling at times... (゜゜)

[patrocles]

*guy who knows fuck all about twilight voice* i cannot even begin to describe how interested i am in your extremely specific thoughts on twilight. especially in regard to its takes on classism

I appreciate you so much for saying that especially since everything following this will be so deeply incoherent.

This is mainly in regards to the films since I've seen them recently and I haven't read the books since I was like 14.

The thing about Twilight is that the two defining discourses that dominated this series were "Is Bella a bad Feminist" and "Team Edward vs Team Jacob".

The idea that Bella (aged 17), upon meeting Edward (aged 109) and begins dating him, is ready to give up everything in her life to marry him, die, and become a vampire and devoting her entire life to him; does this set back womanhood decades or is this simply Bella exercising her free will. And the other being which guy is better for Bella, the mega wealthy Edward who can provide everything for her or working class poor Jacob who's the childhood friend.

Twilight didnt define the tropes of love triangles or even the concept of the girl plucked from obscurity and given the fairytale life by someone so insanely rich who could have chosen anyone but still chooses her. It's not even an objectively bad fantasy to explore. But I think what's kinda unique to Twilight and I think what a lot of bad booktok romance novels can trace their tropes back to in Twilight, is this idea that wealth can excuse any wrong-doing.

Edward is deeply controlling of Bella, he's condescending and belittles her, he grooms her, he leaves her deeply traumatized when he randomly abandons her in the second book/novel to the point of near catatonic depression. But ultimately at the end of the day it's fine because what Edward can provide for Bella makes it all worth it! He can take her places and buy her things, of course she'll be humble but that's why she's so #real. Hell it doesn't even matter that we don't even know what they even like about each other beyond mutual obsession and possession in the general sense. And this is something that's so pervasive in the romance genre, it's what spawned 50 Shades specifically. Abuse, physical or emotional, is excused by obscene wealth because what's temporary discomfort and domineering misogyny to private jets and mansions.

If we're being honest, the question of whether or not Bella is a good or bad feminist character is sort of moot when what we're actually seeing is just a sad story of an emotionally isolated girl have her entire existence wrapped up in Edward and know that she's never going to have a come-to-Jesus moment and value her own self worth over Edward. There's a scene in Eclipse when she tells Jacob that immediately after graduation, she's going to marry Edward and become a vampire like him. Jacob is angry about this but it's not even a "pick him over me" moment, but as a friend who doesn't want to see his best friend give up her entire existence to this guy. Even says, "he's got his hooks in you so deep". There's another scene when her father, (the MVP), just wants her to see her other friends outside of Edward and have some sort of life outside of Edward and it's almost like a metatextual awareness that SOMEONE in this story recognizes that Bella is being groomed and that this is all really REALLY toxic. It's a horror story! But of course it immediately pivots back to star crossed lovers bullshit because LOOK, Edward took her to a private island and they can travel the world. But more than anything it feels like they’re trying to establish a sort or attempt at a balance but what’s scary is knowing that Jacob and Charlie’s concerns and reservations are essentially pointless and empty compared to Edward’s financial and physical capabilities and the depth of his grooming in Bella. It’s actually charming that Charlie thinks he can realistically stand a chance against Edward if he really wanted to establish true parental control over his child. Like it’s genuinely sad to watch, actually.

And sure, so much of that we can write off as just being dated at worst. But definitely not end of the world stuff especially considering where that kind of trope has grown into way more severe cases of straight of kidnap/rape fantasy in mafia romance erotica we see today. Which is kind of MAD when you think about what teen girls were reading in the 00s versus what the teens of today are reading. I guess thanks Steph for being Mormon and keeping it PG???

But for ME, PERSONALLY, what's been kinda itching my brain in relation to this is how this pertains to Jacob. It is hard to view Twilight as mere late 00s nostalgia campy mess when I think about how absolutely awful Jacob is treated by the narrative for the sole crime of not being Edward, and by extension, wealthy. This isn't even about which guy was better for Bella, but how the story decides it was necessary for the reader to know that Jacob was NOT the correct option. He goes from earnest good guy who genuinely cares for Bella's physical and emotional well being as just a friend to her when Edward abandoned her, to basically a fucking incel who can't respect boundaries, and then Edward and Bella's lapdog in their happily ever after for no other reason than the narrative demanding it happen for Bella and Edward to be together. And for you the reader to want that to happen.

I've never been able to divorce the racial and classist undertones to this narrative choice to this. In a lot of media that came after that deals with love triangles, the "Jacob archetype" eventually became the often times not white, best friend, good guy type who was never really The One, but just another option for our Main Girl to explore until she gets back to the The One.

But thing is, Jacob was never just random guy option 2. He was working class poor and indigenous. A lot of his character is defined by this and his culture. And this HONESTLY made the Cullens animosity towards Jacob and the Pack kind of actually ridiculous and racist. Like I get Steph was just using the trope of Vampires and Werewolves: eternal enemies, but that isn't really applicable here when the shapeshifting isn't an trait that can be passed on to anyone like vampirism, but something unique to these specific people whose land they're infringing upon. So the little side digs and remarks and the absolute audacity that the Quileutes are just being so unreasonable when the Cullens have the money and means to live anywhere, but choose this boundary of a poor people who're merely trying to keep what's theirs, and we're still supposed to root for the Cullens because they're the Good Ones is like........... girl okay.

And this is all completely secondary to the way Steph appropriated the Quileute tribe, fucked around with their cultural traditions to invent her own lore, never financially compensated the tribe despite her and the producers of the films making MILLIONS, and two of the actors featured in the first film were recast for New Moon because they wouldn't cut their hair. BUT I DIGRESS.

I watched the New Moon special features where Chaske Spencer (who plays Sam) talks about how Jacob's house was extremely authentic to places he lived on his reservation. I'm not indigenous, but I did grow up working class poor and I personally always loved that this was a factor to Jacob and the pack. It didn't define them as people, but provided a sort of grounding depth and relatability that makes you want to explore them more. It isn't a lot but it's something. And hell, even Bella comes from a working class background which I genuinely liked especially as a youth when I'm trying to find some way to connect to this perfectly pretty white character.

But what's kinda frustrating in so many ways is how despite the alleged importance of Jacob and the Pack to the overall story, they are shelved so much. So we really don't get to see them, explore them as characters, their dynamics, and the tribe much as much as they could have been except for the very few times it's relevant to Bella and Edward. And given that Breaking Dawn specifically was TWO FILMS, there was no excuse for it. And it feels insulting to have the concept of the Pack, but we have to save our precious screen time for Bella and Edward playing chess.

I don’t even think people really understand just how almost non existent it is to see authentic depictions of lower/working class people in these kinds of stories. If you’ve never grown up poor it’s probably not something you even notice, just how default upper middle class almost everything (especially in YA) actually is. I think it’s something people don’t want to have to tackle so it just gets avoided? Unless we specifically need the 1 side character who is The Poor Friend, we need to have characters be in financially comfortable positions so the Plot can happen without having to worry about pesky things like bills. And so again, in that sort of authenticity it’s a double edged sword because while that is great to have included in a series like this, the classist undertones are so pervasive in how so much of Edward’s allure to Bella is rooted in wealth. A sort of inherent superiority to her own simple, non important life because of the trappings of his dress, his car, his mansion. There’s an unearned moral goodness that’s applied to Edward because of how we as a society view wealthy people as being inherently good and well meaning despite their actions consistently contradicting this. And it isn’t hard to see the ways in which this grooms Bella and that we the viewer must applaud this, cheer this, and would be aghast and disgusted if Bella was put off by the grandeur and wealth and wanted nothing to do with it because why would you possibly give that up? Again she can have the allusion of financial independence with a cute little job, but we know it isn’t necessary. We arent really meant to support the Quileute’s animosity towards the Cullens because they’re being irrational despite having bigger stakes that are considered frivolous and irrelevant to the Cullens (like retaining land autonomy). The best that Jacob could ever achieve in this story is to be at service to the Cullens and that’s meant to be a happy ending for him. Whatever his hopes and dreams were are inherently inferior to how important being the guard dog to a half vampire miracle child.

So yeah. I get the whole Twilight Renaissance, I get why people go back to it especially as it pertains to girlhood nostalgia. The soundtracks remain in constant rotation. I get why people want to reclaim the thing that made them happy in their youth when society shamed them for it as being just Cringe Girl Stuff. But for ME, it is hard for me to watch these and not be icked with how a lot of things were portrayed especially when it could have been a better story.

[frances-kafka]

also apropos of this post [1], I think that MPDGs are not actually a new thing. The specific aesthetic is found in older tropes of the gamine/the ingenue, although older works about this as well as some foreign works in particular French (Amelie, When The Cat’s Away) are more frequently from the female character’s perspective and it’s just the “lonely girl living in the big city” trope. We lost the female perspective in this because the ingenue/gamine is an aspirational partner to young guys but becoming her was not an aspirational goal to as many young women. And largely only relatable to neurodivergent women (although I see contemporary MPDG as a wealth trope more than an ND one.) what shifted is the social class of that lonely girl, due to gentrification; in post-2000s American works, she’s a trust fund baby or an art student. And to some degree, in American works, it often gets crossed with uwu/twee takes on mental health tropes. (Recent MPDGs are sometimes seen as autism or ADHD coded and part of that is the genre MPDGs tend to present in, but a more serious or darker work in a darker genre, loses the MPDG aspects and it becomes more bipolar or BPD coded.)

But what is standing out to me is that MPDGs seem like a *recent* thing (as in, past 20 years) but it may be because the 80s/90s were a blip that was remarkably freer of what has been a really long standing female portrayal trope going back to Holly Golightly and back to the original “Sweet November” and probably older than that.

a lot of the MPDG writing would’ve been put on the back burner in the 80s and 90s because of values dissonance not just with the feminism of the period, but with - ding ding ding! - the ANTI-CODEPENDENCY movement, which was a gigantic hidden part of the zeitgeist of the 80s and 90s and something that younger Boomers, Gen Jones, and Gen X were kind of swimming in. X gets the worst of it. The thing is, MPDG writing is textbook codependency!

also note that in a lot of MPDG writing, the guy can’t actually marry her. She’s not presentable for that. She is actually the last fling he had in Paris or with the art student in San Francisco before he married the boss’s daughter. The plot has to dispose of her conveniently. In older works, the MPDG figure is even someone he may not be socially allowed to marry, like a sex worker, and the plot often has some kind of contrivance to both keep a permanent relationship from happening, and to render her a good girl, and it’s often “redemption equals death.”

If anything, MPDG tropes have gotten less weird and toxic, there aren’t the heavy sexual repression elements or the “sluts must die” elements of older works. We go into a modern MPDG story just accepting that both characters are sexual beings and that it’s normal.