#oh and if course you can colour traditionally

[abbeyofcyn]

DTIYS BUT IT'S COLOUR IN YOUR STYLE

Because I can't

IF you wanna win:

Tag with #abbeyofctiys

Deadline 28 February 2024

Winner gets chosen by T̵̺͍̖͇̬͚͚̙͕̻̳̹͈̹́͗͜h̶̨͕͍̲̀ę̵̛̘̲̥̝̳̥̑̈͊̎͆̓̃̎̾͋͆̕ͅ ̷͕̺̤͕̲̩̬̱͕͕̉̏̓̃͐̎͠͝ͅw̷̝̻͙͓̫̓̒͛̏̑̽͛͘̕ͅh̶̨̆ẽ̸͚̆͐͒̌e̷̲̼̺͚̹̼̿̀͒̃̀̍̔̍̀́̓͝͝ĺ̷̮͑̿ (also known as random)

Winner gets a lineart drawing with flat colours. Character of choice!

Don't care about winning? Just tag :3c

Ps: feel free to @ me in your finished product!

Transparent bg:

Ibis records everything, apparently. How Donnie of it!

[rubyin-wonderland]

Cupcake

opla!Sanji x gn!reader

Summary: During some late night baking, your flirty crewmate decides to keep you company.

WC: 1.9k

Warnings/tags: traditionally feminine adjectives (pretty, gorgeous, beautiful) but no gender is explicitly stated, fluff, self deprecation, lots of compliments, self indulgent

Note: first attempt at a Sanji fic because branching out is important

Night has overtaken the ship. It's calm, and stars blink in the sky, twinkling for the world to see. The soft rocking of the water has lulled nearly everyone aboard into a sweet, lovely sleep.

You were the only one awake, settled in the kitchen, a pile of various ingredients surrounding you as you prepared to bake. There was no reason behind your choice of late night activity. No anniversary or debt in need of repaying or any special event that required baked goods. It was just a calm enough night, and you couldn't sleep, so it seemed like a proper course of action.

As you began to measure out the ingredients, separating them into bowls for organisation, you heard a creak, followed by footsteps. Somebody else was awake, and was coming closer.

You watched as the door opened, revealing Sanji, yawning, before noticing you, and stopping dead in his tracks, surprised at the sight of you, hard at work this late at night.

"Well, good morning." He gave you a quick smile before stretching a little bit. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Kind of." You watch as he approaches you, inspecting the counter and your little process. "What are you doing?"

"Making cupcakes." You answered simply, dropping the flour into the bowl, a cloud of white rising as the flour settled.

"So late at night?" "Maybe I'm really early. How about you?"

He smiled. "I was going to get a glass of water." You gestured behind you. "Go on, I won't stop you."

He passed by you to grab a glass. "So, baking all alone?"

"Yeah. I find it relaxes me." He nodded, then took a careful step towards the door. "Well, if I'm bothering you-"

"You're not."

The words came out quick, and you had hoped you hadn't sounded desperate. You doubted the chef could ever be a bother to you, and you truly hoped he would stay to accompany you while you worked.

"Oh. Well then, could I stay? And watch you bake?" He moved back to the side of the island, standing opposite you, looking hopeful that you would say yes to his request. "Only if you promise to stay out of the way." You said, trying to push back a little after your small outburst earlier.

He nodded and pulled up a chair, sitting down to watch you work. You moved swiftly, pouring the ingredients into their proper bowls, making sure the measurements were just right.

"So," he broke the silence between you. "Do you bake often?"

"I used to. It was quite the hobby back at home, but I haven't had the chance to do it here yet." Sanji nodded. "What do you like to make?"

You smiled, thinking back to the copious recipes you had backed up in your brain. "Where do I start? Cookies, breads, pastries, pies, anything really. And cakes." You gestured at your handiwork. "Cakes, of course."

"Are they your favourite to make?" Sanji asked. "Oh yeah. Used to spend all day decorating them with my mom. Icing them with my favourite colours and absolutely drenching them with sprinkles." You smiled at the memory. "Sounds nice." Sanji smiled back. "She'd like you." You said suddenly.

"She would?" He asked, a little taken aback.

The look on his face told you that you might have messed up again, possibly treading a little too close to the knowledge that you liked him. But it was too late to backpedal.

"Yeah. She'd probably call you a sweetie, invite you to dinner, and insist that you leave the house with a pair of newly knit socks."

"Your mother sounds lovely." You nodded. "She is. I hope she's not lonely without me to keep her company." "I'm sure the people of your village take good care of her." Sanji comforted.

"I'm sure too. Maybe I'll write her a letter sometime. Maybe she'll even write back. One can hope."

"I'm sure she'd be happy to see you sharing your talents with your crew."

You nodded your head in thanks. "Oh, you flatter me."

"You are quite worth it." He smiled at you, something you had taken a liking to. He reminded you a little of what you imagined princes looked like in fairy tales. Handsome, charming.

The conversation went cold as you continued working, focused on the process ahead of you.

You stirred the batter, carefully adding the dry ingredients to the mixture, combining the two.

You were focused, making sure not to spill anything as you worked carefully.

"You're really pretty when you're focused."

The words slipped out without warning. Even Sanji seemed a little surprised at his comment. He'd flirted with you before, but it had always been so worked up. An act. Over dramatic and at least to you, unserious.

You had never taken his compliments seriously. At best, you thought he was trying to make you feel better about yourself. You figured it was just an act he put on to humour you, and you enjoyed it, even if it didn't boost your confidence all that much.

Admittedly, you liked Sanji. Far more than any of your other crewmates. If he were to feel the same, you would be delighted, but you were almost entirely sure he wasn't. He also flirted with Nami, and so many others who would likely be much better matches for him.

You could stand having his pity flirts to tide you over while he found someone he truly liked.

However, this was no typical flirt. There was no quick wink or smirk on his face. Just honesty. And that was so unexpected you nearly dropped your bowl.

You managed to set the bowl of dry ingredients down without spillage, trying to calm down the incessant fluttering in your chest.

"I mean, you, uh, I was going to say, I only meant that..." he was unable to say anything coherent. A man with a thousand lines backed up in his brain, suddenly rendered speechless.

You backed away from the counter, trying to ignore the warmth spreading across your face. Your jaw went slack as you watched him try to come up with something, anything, to save himself.

"I'm sorry, I should just go." Sanji was as red as a tomato, taking his glass and shuffling towards the door.

"Wait." Your voice commanded him, and he turned around to face you again, looking rather ashamed of himself.

"Did you mean that?" "It just slipped out, don't be uncomfortable, I just-" "You really think I'm pretty?" You didn't believe it, but maybe you could humour him for once.

He almost laughed in disbelief. "Of course I do! Who wouldn't?"

"Plenty of people. Lots of men. And I mean lots." Sanji scoffed. "Forget them. They're nothing but trouble. You're gorgeous."

You could sense it returning. The typical flirting. His overdramatic way of trying to comfort you.

"Oh please, like you haven't been playing with me all this time too." You swatted your hand at him. "You and your over the top flirting, I know what you think of me."

Sanji frowned, confused. "And what do I think of you?"

"Not much. You notice me and don't want to hurt my feelings by ignoring me so you flirt anyways. I know you don't truly think I'm pretty-" he practically gasped at your statement. "-but I promise I don't hold it against you. It's nice that you try to get me to think I'm pretty, but I know I'm not. That's okay. I have other skills."

"How could you possibly think that?" Sanji looked more than horrified. "I have never flirted with anyone I have found less than stunning."

You laughed, getting back to your baking, mixing the dry ingredients with the wet. "There's a first time for everything."

Sanji looked absolutely distraught. "You don't seriously think I say everything I do to you as a joke? As consolation?"

You shrugged. "I mean, yeah? You just always put so much effort into your flirting, I thought it was a joke. I never knew if you meant it or not. I figured you didn't."

He walked forward, looking you in the eye from across the island, trying to convey how truthful he was being.

"I promise you, you are beautiful. Any old fool could see that. You are pretty when you're focused and I have never been more enchanted by someone in my life. And I mean that."

You laughed awkwardly, face still blazing hot. "Okay, you don't have to prove it. You can stop it, Sanji."

He circled the room until he was stood right next to you. The last of the dry ingredients fell into your batter and you set the bowl down, not mixing it yet.

"If you do not believe it tonight, I will tell you tomorrow, and the day after it, and the day after that, for however long it takes for you to believe it."

You chuckled softly. "Okay. I gotta finish these cupcakes." Sanji gently reached out a hand, resting it on your shoulder so that you would look at him.

"You are pretty, whether you believe it or not." You gently shrugged him off, though treasuring the feeling of his hand touching you. "Okay, whatever you say."

The two of you did not speak after that. He returned to his spot on the other side of the island, and the two of you spent the rest of the baking process in silence, until the last batch of cupcakes were removed from the oven.

"I'm gonna get a bit of sleep before the sun rises." You said quietly, waking up your companion, who had been napping on the countertop.

"Of course, cupcake." He said, clearly tired and a little delirious. The mix-up was clear, and yet, it had sounded like a pet name. And you giggled. The second the noise left your mouth, you turned red, and ran from the room, scurrying back to your bedroom to get a few blinks of sleep before the next day's adventures.

When you awoke, you did not feel well rested at all, but at the very least, you could sneak a tasty cupcake in at breakfast, as long as Luffy hadn't found and finished them all as soon as he saw them.

The kitchen was lively with early morning chatter, and you noticed a plate of neatly decorated cupcakes on the counter. Iced with your favourite colour, drizzled in sprinkles. Each one prettier than the last.

You looked over at the chef, who was caught between two pans of scrambled eggs and bacon, trying to see if it was him who had decorated them.

He looked up from his work briefly and smiled at you.

"Good morning cupcake." Your face burned under his eyes. Of course he had heard your giggle, and of course he was holding it against you.

"Did you do this?" You asked, pointing at the cupcakes. "Yes, I'm sorry but I figured you'd like them nice and iced. Like you said earlier. I left most of the rest for you to decorate, if you want."

"I didn't know you knew my favourite colour." You said, picking up a cupcake, admiring it.

"Of course I do. Someone so pretty deserves to have things remembered." You rolled your eyes at his not-so-sneaky attempt at flattering you. "Nice try, Sanji, but I'm not a fool." You took a bite from your cupcake.

He sighed. "I'll have to try harder next time."

"You don't have to do this. I'm fine, I promise you."

"I'm not doing this because I have to, cupcake." He grinned at the flustered look on your face. "I'm doing this because you deserve it."

[hinamie]

hiii hina <333 ok so now i must know, what are some of your favourite character designs? like, the elements are so compelling and go so well together to form a design that is cohesive and visually appealing. and is there a particular piece of media that just has consistently banging character designs?

OOH OKKOKOK listen. i am no expert i have not been classically trained in fact i have not taken a single char design course but to me, good character design boils down to 2 main elements: a. recognizability and b. visual storytelling and the concept of show, don’t tell. recognizability is where more technical elements like shape language and silhouette come into play. u want an audience to be able to instantly know a character with minimal confusion, and that is made much easier if u have good working knowledge of shapes, colours, and proportions. That’s what /makes/ a good design, but what /SELLS/ that design is the underlying meaning. WHy do characters look the way they do. what can you learn from the way they look. there is undoubtedly a time and a place for designs that are just cute to be cute but if u want to make a lasting impression beyond “oh this character is hot/cute/attractive” u gotta dig deeper.

i am going to yap now smile

i wld b remiss and a liar and a fraud if i did not talk about arcane in regards to character design. fr me arcane is THE media that does not miss with a single one of their designs. this show is fucking stunning points at every character . every single one of them . hand in marriage. u learn SO much about everyone and their roles/personalities/fighting styles just by looking at them not to mention they’re all fucking 10s this show is a bisexual’s nightmARE anyway personal favourites vi and jinx but ths just me being predictable 

vi /looks/ like a fighter the minute u see her. her build her gait everything about her screams this woman will snap me like a twig (pLpslslplpslpslpspl). u see tht she’s rough and brash but one thing i rly find interesting is her hair colour. like fr one its brightness distinguishes her as a main character, but also pink being typically associated with femininity/love/nurture/compassion is SO interesting paired with vi. not only is it kind of subversive bc vi is not traditionally “feminine”, but she does embody all of those traits in that her reason for fighting comes from a place of wanting to nurture and protect. i could talk for hours about vi anyway. hand in marriage,,./.?? hand in marriage pls/?????????

jinx i LOVE I LOVE I LOVE . she’s wiry she’s chaotic she’s asymmetrical and that MEANS something it /shows/ her mental state n the way she fluctuates between her identities of jinx and powder. I love the hints of pink/purple not only as visual nods to vi but also as alluding to shimmer and the dangerous undercurrent it gives her. not 2 mention her design works so well alongside her sister like. besides the obvious pink/blue juxtaposition everything about them from their body types their colour schemes the way they carry themselves the way they dress… it’s peak . nothing tops arcane in character design for me

a few other noteworthy mentions: 

illumi hxh - listen idk what the fuck he’s wearing but it’s a 90s shounen i’ll forgive him. illumi’s design is brilliant imo. he’s not in your face like hisoka who u see and know immediately that this guy is insane, he’s beautiful but sleek in a way that makes him almost reptilian. it’s a subtle kind of off-putting and u want to recoil when u see him but it’s just understated enough that u don’t know Why until it’s too late. the wide, catlike dead eyes the jet black hair… his design lends SO well to what he represents for killua, he’s this ever-present shadow he’s an oppressive force we see phantoms of illumi’s eyes Boring into killua we see his hair forming a sort of cage god the visuals the visuals im so . im unwell about the zoldyks actually. 

kaneki tg - this one is a bit tricky bc at first glance kaneki /is/ just ur standard dark hair protag but!! the way his design and specifically his hair r used as a visual representation of his mental state and character arc is so good i lovelovelove the progression and storytelling u see through his design alone.

- early kaneki w his shorter plain black hair makes him look innocent and unassuming bc he /is/. he was no one special, what happened to him was just pure bad luck. - ghoul kaneki w white hair showing the mental break after he’s tortured, stripped of his innocence/sanity/humanity - HAISE MY LOVE the two-toned hair showcasing how he has literally become a blank slate after his amnesia and the events of tg and the resulting limbo between identities ((also idk if it’s just tht ishida’s style had changed by :re but haise’s hair in particular is so FLUFFY it makes him look very non-threatening which might be a coincedence but might also be intentional in showing how he’s taken on more of a gentle mentor role by this point)) - reaper kaneki and we r once again back to black but whereas before it made him look plain and unassuming with the new context it makes him look /lethal/. ((also directly contrasts arima's design, having a near identical silhouette with the only difference being his black to arima's white)) - endgame kaneki finally settling back on white as a way to show tht after everything he’s been through he’s come back permanently changed: he is a ghoul, he’ll never b able to go back to the way things were or reclaim his humanity, but he’s gotten to a place where he's at peace with it now tl;dr cataloguing a character’s journey and mental state through their appearance >>>>>>>

LAST THING IK IVE YAPPED SO MUCH GOMEN ,, i did want to tack on my feelings about, wouldn’t u know it, genshin fucking impact, bc i did say i think there is a place for character designs that r just pretty to be pretty and i think a lot of genshin designs r good examples of this. i’ve seen some people getting upset about genshin being lazy with character design and making their characters unnecessarily Busy, but as someone who doesn’t play and doesn’t know anything about the game let me just say tht if the goal is to get players to spend money fuckin congratulations . i too would whale for some of these designs. bc i don’t play i don’t know for sure whether or not characters' appearances have any relevance to their lore or if it’s mostly just bells and whistles purely for aesthetic, all i know is am not immune to alhaitham. 

[bosskie]

Practicing Molluck

Last night, I had an urge to draw Molluck with traditional art supplies since I have felt like drawing some traditional art for some days. This is basically a sketch practice thing again. I felt like drawing him from an 'unusual' perspective for practice reasons.

Last time I drew a pencil portrait of Molluck like this was about 2½ years ago:

I'm kinda just getting tired of drawing with a computer mouse and I feel like I enjoy doing traditional art the most, even I have done it rarely during the recent years. The main reason why I haven't done more traditional art is my self-hatred since I have felt like I'm just gonna waste those art supplies for drawing/painting some trash.

Man, I got so many art supplies to try out and it would be nice to have a challenge where I draw the same thing with different art supplies; I did such a thing in high school with five different supplies for the art course. Oh, and I really wanna do a Molluck statue to myself, like a lil golden bust, like the one on his blimp!

This is just such a nice little detail we can barely even see. I mean, I would love to take a much closer look at that bust!

But yeah, my point was that after all, I feel like I don't enjoy doing digital art so much. I used to like drawing with the mouse and that's the main reason why I have kept drawing with it but over the time I have just seen better and better how it restricts me and that's why I feel like I do draw better traditionally than digitally even I have drawn mainly digital stuff for a decade. Maybe one day I try out some proper digital art supplies but I don't know if it's truly my thing. I just feel like I can also draw more precisely when I do traditional stuff.

But yes, both medias have their own pros and cons but I do enjoy doing traditional art more. Man, sometimes I think about painting a huge portrait about Molluck... I bet that Molluck would love it too! I just kinda love it that Gluks love their own faces so much. And I also just would find it fun to paint a portrait and frame it like it was something that Molluck would have hanging on his wall. I just agree with him that he is such a beautiful Gluk and I just cannot get enough of him...

I have started yet another digital practice thing but not sure if I finish it, or I more like might redo it. It's quite a WIP to me but I can show an edited one:

I guess that you can get it why I chose those colours (It's the logo!). I know that some spots don't look right but it feels like it would be easier to draw this traditionally, so this is what I mean with redoing this. I also haven't used reference to this one like to the those pencil sketches since I kinda wanted to practice building 'a mental 3D model' of Molluck. Yeah, practicing drawing Molluck over and over again feels like precising my mental image of him. Drawing him both without and with a reference is a part of that.

Oh, and I remember loving drawing on a black paper with colour pencils, so I would like to draw something like this traditionally. I'm still not stopping digital stuff and I got some digital WIPs to finish but I would just like to focus more on traditional art. Just screw this self-hatred; I'm gonna use those art supplies!

I do hope that this 'art year' is gonna be better than the previous one. I really need to draw more to improve and get these ideas out of my head... Yeah, even I have been drawing mainly Molluck for 2½ years, I feel like I still have a lot to learn about drawing him.

[ambiguouspuzuma]

The Colour of Fire

"This must be tough on your lot, huh?"

"What do you mean," Palira asked, already knowing where this conversation was headed. Her tail coiled instinctively beneath the desk.

"Oh, come on, you know what I mean." The customer was human, as they so often were. He counted out his coins on the counter, as if she wouldn't have to tally them herself. "I don't know what the right word is nowadays. Is dragon still allowed? We're not supposed to say wyrms, right? Or is that wyverns?"

"Dragon is fine." She didn't bother outlining the difference. If he cared, he wouldn't already know. "But I understood the your lot, as you so diplomatically put it. I meant the other part. What must be tough?"

"Look, you know, getting rid of coins and that. The paper money. You people like piling it up, right? Hoarding? What are you going to do - make a stack? Build a mattress out of wads of notes?"

"That's a stereotype." Palira let the you people slide. Some days she was just grateful for people. "The idea that we sleep atop of a mound of gold. It really doesn't work that way."

Her ancestors would have swallowed him whole, but evolution had seen them go the way of the giants, adapted for life in the crowded cities. She'd kept her tail, her wings, her penchant for pyrotechnics, but wore clothes and worked behind a counter; the same number of scales, just scaled down. No less a dragon, but more of what his sort would recognise as a person.

She began the process of counting his coins away, keeping a tally as she went. This change to paper money was welcome, but it involved an awful lot of hassle: all of the old coins would need to be taken out of circulation, with notes issued in exchange. Vast exchanges had been set up to manage the transition, with dozens of trusted workers like Palira having to manually convert between the two. It wasn't too bad, when they let her concentrate.

"Right, that's what I'm asking." The human really wasn't getting the hint. "How does it work, then? You just pile it up to look at it? You don't eat it, do you?"

Palira sighed, a wisp of frustrated smoke escaping from her nose. "Traditionally - and I don't speak for all dragons here, because we're all individuals - we've just been drawn to gold for the way that it gleams. In our culture, it's the colour of fire, which is obviously also sacred to us. It's that lustre we revere above all else. Not how much is can be traded for at the greengrocers."

They'd always loved gold for its appearance - just as his ancestors had, before they'd gone and made it weird. Humanity had declared this simple metal to be the unit of all worth, the symbol of trade, and then also used it as the marker of their greed. A love for gold was seen as toxic, the root of all their sins, whilst loving other things was still allowed. Dragons were painted as the embodiment of miserly evil, when they were aesthetes: they'd only ever cared about the beauty of the gold itself.

Of course, the human translation of gold-as-money had also made it incredibly hard to get hold of the stuff. Even those who didn't care for the colour needed it to eat every day, to invest in new clothes, to save to put a roof over their heads. They started hoarding it, hiding it, packing it away in bank vaults where nobody could admire it at all. For Palira and her lot, the transition to paper money couldn't have come sooner.

No wonder so many had applied to work at exchanges like this: handing out the new notes, and taking the redundant old coins in exchange. Finally, they could show the world how little they cared for money: they would make an arrangement of that gold, yes, now that it was no longer legal tender. They would remove it from circulation all right. It had been freed up to be worshipped, just like in the olden days. Legally worthless, but still worth everything to them.

"Fire's red," the man told her. "Everyone knows that."

"You have a good day," Palira said, handing over his wads for safekeeping. She could easily find out where he lived, if she thought he needed more of a lesson, channelling the fury of her ancestors for the modern age. That was the other good thing about paper money, she thought: it was much more flammable.

[nian-7]

Hellooo! I hope you are having a good day :D I would like to request a romantic matchup for Hypmic, Paralive and Pjsk (if that's too much then hypmic and Pjsk please!)

My zodiac is Taurus and my MBTI is INFP, my love language is quality time! (Receiving) usually I'm not shy but it's more like I don't know how to talk to people? I feel like it's mostly awkward since I don't go out of my comfort zone quite often. I also overthink quite a lot, so if I were to talk to someone, I usually practice what I'm going to say in my head to make it sound natural and not too formal because I really don't want to sound weird and nervous talking to them.

I really really like drawing and painting! Both traditionally and digitally. For drawing i mostly draw people but weirdly when I paint, I mostly draw landscapes and scenes, I think that might be because I enjoy painting backgrounds more rather than drawing them. I also like fantasy stories/movies a lot more than other genres and my second favourite is thriller! Not too big on horror though I get scared easily...speaking of getting scared, I have a fear of darkness and frogs (no clue if that's important) I love playing indie games! Plus points if they have pixel art. I don't know what about them makes me like it so much, maybe it's the colours or atmosphere? But games that are like that and I liked are: omori (Favourite!), Yume Nikki, mad father, Ib, Angels of death (2nd favourite!) but I also like puzzle games or turn based games! I like games where you have to think it through or strategize your way through it, it makes it more fun.

For music, I mostly listen to Vocaloid producers or utaite's like Eve (favourite!), soraru, Teniwoha, Surii, PinocchioP, etc. But other than Vocaloid, I mostly listen to hypmic or enstars or paralive songs...

I'm more of a follower rather than a leader although if something goes out of hand or no one takes care of it then I will take the initiative.

I don't do well with new surroundings either, for example moving schools. I will have a harder time making new groups of friends and I also have a hard time getting used to everything 😞. But when I do find a friend group, I will stick with them for a long time (unless they turned into bad people)

I would consider myself as a loyal person, I would not leave someone dear to me ever unless there's a good reason for it. I also value honesty a lot, in my opinion a comfortable friendship or relationship can start with people being comfortable and saying what they want to say. Of course that way of thinking doesn't apply to everyone but that's how I view it.

I know I said I value honesty, but sometimes I can be a little too honest. At some point I can get too blunt with my opinions and accidentally hurt someone. I also struggle with opening up to people. It's not like I don't want them to know, it's more like I'm scared of what they'll think of me after. I don't want their view of me change just because I voiced my struggles 😞.

Oh I also want to slip this in, I absolutely ADORE lolita fashion! Anything with ribbons and laces and big dresses I'd love it, I also like vintage aesthetics, royal and steampunk.

That's it from me, I hope that's enough? Or if that's too much then I'm very sorry for rambling so much 😭

hi!! i absolutely love your interests.. like.. angels of death?! i love that game sm... anyways!! hope you enjoy your matchup, anon!

I match you with...

Ichiro Yamada!

-Okay, Ichiro would push you out of your comfort zone no matter how awkward you are but he does know his limits of when you're uncomfortable. He wants you to step outside of your comfort zone occasionally but respects your limits.

-Although I don't think his love language is quality time and it's more of a mix of words of affirmation and acts of service, he'd still cherish any quality time. Just a very respectful boyfriend of your limits that you set.

-I think I ended up picking people who'd support you a lot through your hobbies... (unintentionally). Either way, he'd support you through thick and thin no matter what.

-Movie dates with Ichiro....

-Loyalty and honesty are going to be a big theme between these three guys. Ichiro values both deeply and wants a loyal and honest partner above all else. He tries his best to be honest with you because he's already so loyal that well... you don't have to worry about it at all.

I match you with...

Satsuki Ito!

-Probably beats Ichiro in terms of loyalty and honesty. Just by a bit... Satsuki can't even lie to you no matter what it is. He's just so obvious that you don't have to worry about him lying to you whatsoever.

-He's far too embarrassed to do a lot of physical affection or words of affirmation so quality time is a big one he enjoys a lot. Just being around you makes him so giddy that he can't help but love being in the moment.

-He's such a big softie and he loves you so much that he feels offended that you think he'd treat you differently because of your struggles. Everyone has them, even him!

-Poor guy.. he really hopes you get along with his brothers and wants you to be comfortable with them like you are with him! He knows you have a hard time with new people and communicating so he just hopes that it goes well.

I match you with...

Toya Aoyagi!

-I know the other two on this list are very extroverted or at least extroverted compared to Toya of all people but! I picked Toya because I feel like he's trying to be a little more extroverted but wouldn't push you out of your comfort zone in social situations.

-He's a very supportive boyfriend like the other two and always enjoys it when you show your art to him and cherishes any pieces you might gift to him if anything.

-His love language is also quality time so that's a big reason I matched you up with him as well. He loves quality time above all else and he's a very low maintenance boyfriend overall. No need for fancy dates. As long as he can spend time with you, he's happy.

-Unlike the other two, Toya is also more of a follower but can be a leader in a way if needed for you. He doesn't mind taking the lead as long as he's confident in it or if you reassure him.

-As a very loyal person himself, I think he'd love it if you got along with his friends as well and always puts you on a pedestal in his heart. He'd never dare to betray you and is a little hesitant when he has to lie about something like a surprise birthday gift.

-He's a very honest person too and would never dare to think differently of you just because you have your own struggles. Everyone does so why should he treat you differently because of them?

[yallemagne]

mx ollie take my money 4 art

But I dunno how... :{

Let's give the rundown, honestly. The way I do commissions is by the hour, right? Because older artists who did commissions recommended that, and I've stuck to it because it seems fair. I worked a long time on a piece then it should be more expensive than a piece I worked on for a shorter amount of time. But you can't exactly offer a product with an inconsistent price on Kofi (which I know most people here use to manage commissions). You have to have a set price and then I guess someone could tip you if they so chose to.

Most commissions I've done have been for people I already know and have a means of efficiently communicating with (all the basic "yo what the fuck colours" and "is this pose good?"). So, the way I traditionally take commissions, I feel, may be too intimate for opening commissions to the wider public.

And, of course, there is pricing. I don't know how to put a price on a piece without factoring in just how much time was spent on it. A piece that could take me a few days if I were feeling batshit could take me several weeks if I have a lot else to do, especially other peoples' commissions all in a short span of time.

This isn't to say I'm never gonna open commissions, but it's just troubling. It seems so simple when other people do it. And I'm like "hey, am I selfish to ask to be paid by the hour when there are other people on this site who are like "it's 25 for a whole-ass finished illustration".

And then, I look at so many artist's price sheets and I can only say: "But... my art doesn't look like this. It is nothing like this."

Oh, and don't even get me started on picking out examples. Just shoot me now.

[garden-0f-ed3n]

Hello Sunshine! I appreciate hearing how you permit shorter or longer replies. What you perceive me as matters a lot to me, dearest, and you will come to learn this as soon as we meet face to face. As for rings, I love pearls, my aunt used to collect them by the coast of their country they immigrated to. Maybe I can see if she has any left to ship over. I am fifteen years old, my favourite colour is most definitely a darker colour. And as for how I would describe myself? I'd describe myself as perfect if you asked me on a good day and filth on a bad one, it changes like seasons truly. However, one word that has always sat with me to describe myself is intelligent. I am very intelligent, I believe. Now; to reverse the question. How would you describe yourself? Make sure not to waste all your sick days replying to anons, get some rest for me, my doe. - Inkwell.

before i completely reply .. my doe 💛 oh i love it! you are just perfect, aren’t you??

no matter how you look or how you act and feel, i will always appreciate you. i want you to know that <33 you don’t have to act a certain way around me!! of course i love your beautiful writing, but you can loosen up whenever you’d like <333 it won’t change the way i feel about you hehe. and wow, what a coincidence! i absolutely love pearls, so its crazy that you have a close connection to them. that’s beautiful.. and absolutely amazing hehe!!

i can understand that. i don’t think i would EVER describe myself as perfect, but sometimes i think im above average and other times i think im the worst thing to ever exist .. like mosquitoes, or flies that bother horses and like .. sit on their eyeballs … (can you tell i hate bugs?) i would agree .. i think you’re very intelligent hehe ^^ and i may be a little biased , but i definitely think you’re great!!

how would I describe myself..? oh gosh. sigh you might get a lil mad cuz im “putting myself down” .. probably loud, annoying, emotional, lazy.. ugly.. i guess for good characteristics id say im selfless.. i like to think im kind. i uhm… like to gift give..? idk, i honestly think my only good traits are my kindness, and sometimes i feel like i dont even have that.

and shuuuush, i like replying to everyone!! but.. i do know what you mean. trust me, ive been in bed resting all day!! nothing to worry about <333 hehe, im so happy about your response tho !!

some questions .. do you wear makeup? if so, what’s your favorite brand? do you like to write traditionally (pen and paper)??

thank you so much nonnie :3

[luxnebula]

Today I'm listening to Ghost Mile from 2017. I'm very excited for this because it's one of the best albums from Voyager. I'm going to gush about this album so hard under the cut LOL!

The opening song, Ascension, immediately sets an immaculate vibe with the dream-like guitars and switches the mood soon after with the rougher guitars. The song has so many good vibes and sounds, you can't help but just hang on for dear life and let it wash you away. Daniel's vocals during the chorus are so good too, I can't understate how much this song slaps. With how the song has so many tempos and mood shifts, it's pretty hard to believe that it's about not wanting to get out of bed in the morning!

This actually brings me to the topic that I've teased talking about many many times in previous posts: the concept and mood of melancholy. I've noted many times that early Voyager used to have a lot more traditionally melancholic and slow songs. Listening to Modern Voyager(TM), you might think that melancholy is absent from their sound now, but it's actually just... hidden? Disguised? Dressed up with faster tempos? I'm not sure how to describe what they're doing, but it's insanely good. You can hear it immediately in the first two songs of Ghost Mile: Ascension and Misery is Only Company could be counted as "melancholic" or "slow" in a way, but they have a really energetic take on it. To the Riverside of course is a traditionally slow song, but it's incredibly atmospheric and it seamlessly transitions to the faster title track, Ghost Mile. And that transition, as a side note? It slaps so much, oh my god, I cannot understate how much it slaps! The tension starts to build at the end of To the Riverside and before you can process it, the guitars slam in and you're in Ghost Mile. It's so good. This Gentle Earth is also somewhat slow, but it has a very uplifting mood and it builds up speed as it goes.

Daniel's vocals just keep getting better and better. Misery is Only Company and Lifeline are songs that I can't listen to without singing along because the vocals are just so captivating and Daniel makes it sound so easy (again!). The note on the word "shine" in Lifeline's chorus is an especially good example of this. Daniel lets the note flutter down gently like a leaf in the wind, but when I try to sing along, I run out of breath LOL!

Ghost Mile has so many strong, attention-grabbing and captivating openings to songs. Ascension, Lifeline and This Gentle Earth especially open incredibly well, but Misery is Only Company and The Fragile Serene also deserve an honourable mention.

Ghost Mile isn't as synth-heavy as, say, Colours in the Sun or even V before it, but it still has something unique in its sound. I think that it's this album where Voyager has grown their beard and found their niche and unique sound. I think it says something about how much I like this album when there are only two songs that I haven't added to my Voyager faves playlist.

Speaking of synths, the song that does have them, What a Wonderful Day, uses them in a fascinating, dark way. It kind of reminds me of Lost from I Am the Revolution or The Meaning of I. It sounds very different from the light and bright way synths are used in Colours in the Sun and Fearless in Love.

As a side note, there is a song titled Disconnected. Remember that for my Colours in the Sun review.

The last two songs, This Gentle Earth and As the City Takes the Night, are one of the most perfect album-ending songs I've heard. This Gentle Earth is an emotional, uplifting, piano-heavy song that especially strikes a chord with me with the repeated line "I've never felt so alien". As the City Takes the Night also opens with atmospheric piano, but it quickly pulls a hard left and slaps you with rough guitars. It really puts the "prog" in "prog metal" when it takes you through a lot of different sound textures that flow into each other while still sounding cohesive and natural together. When the song settles to its end, you feel like you're out of breath, deservedly so, and in a good way. It feels like you're settling down from a long flight on a hoverboard after a chase scene through the gritty streets of a cyberpunk dystopia. Also the way the last line of lyric is the same as the first lyric in Ascension? Poetic cinema. Pure brilliance.

This is such a good album. The songs flow with each other really well and the internal flow of each song is also well crafted and natural. Ghost Mile has some of my top favourite Voyager songs (Ascension, Misery is Only Company and Lifeline). I would also argue that it's a god gateway album for someone who wants to get into heavy metal, but feels intimidated by "heavier" heavy metal bands (although my recommended order would be Colours in the Sun -> Fearless in Love -> Ghost Mile, in order of increasing heaviness, but I digress).

Tomorrow it's Colours in the Sun's turn, which is my favourite Voyager album. I can't wait!

[baekhvuns]

NO BCZ LOOK!!! AHHH- 😭😭

I don't think she's understanding 😭 ykw I've totally given up ATP whatever happens happens. This adult life is hard bro 😭 i can't believe I'm gonna turn 19 someday 20 DOESN'T SEEM FAR AWAY IM- 😭

I'm scared to work honestly, first of all its gonna take a lot of time to actually find one and when I do find one how TF am I gnna socialize, what if I mess up and stuff YK i overthink beyond my own good 😭 but I've still got it together.

Oh damn those are some good ass certificate options but I was thinking of something related to creative things, like..graphic designing or maybe makeup skills. Girl,everyone has been telling me to do that bcz they say "you have great makeup skills" bcz one time I put on amazing eyeliner 😭 it literally took me like 15 min to do both eyes but I think I might try tht too, imma do everything i cn. EVERYTHING!!! NO FCUK MY RELATIVES DISRESPECTFULLY 🙄 my dad is always cool with whtv descision I take but then mum is always like "maybe u shouldn't.." MOM!! 😭

OMG YES I WEAR MY MOM'S JEWELLERY TOO!! 😭 YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME!! I rmr, i wore my mum's choodha gurl it was so beautiful them red bangles Ohhhh 😭

See my grandmother was like the it girl of our family I'm not even kidding, her style choice, was elite and she gv me those b&w movie actresses vibes, and she was literally the queen. I was her favourite. Ahem, and yeah, so she was also a little petite and skinny so many of my relatives say tht I look like her which is like the biggest compliment ever bcz imo she's the most gorgeous person ever.

And so my mom made me wear her saree and...😭 God, I felt amazing!!

OMG YES PLS DO SEND ME EM I AM HAVING THE URGE TO SEND YOU SO MANY PICTURES OF MY PINTEREST BOARD IVE SPECIFICALLY DEDICATED TO CLOTHES 😭

Yes I think I might be turning into a woman 😭 (OBV I AM!) if you look into my closet I only hv dresses and hoodies and tops and pants, you won't believe i wore a fucking dress to my cousin's engagement 😭 and i was the only one wearing a dress. Which i honestly don't resent but, sometimes I do wish, that I dressed up beautifully and traditionally.

Bro seonghwa is 6 yrs older thn me which is fine for me 😭 considering, my parents hv the same age gap [I'm just stating this I promise I'm not a delulu, (or am i?]

hello 😭😭😭 as i was answering this i saw the one u just sent dvabdh

DO NOT. EVEN. BEGIN.

LMFAOOOO no cause yeah whatever happens happens, what can we even do 😭😭STOP bc when u hit 20, i shed actual tears bc in a few years i gotta marry someone found leave MY ROOM?????? The whole “aged 20 years, but my parents aged too” hit me also, pls be prepared for it <3

I'm scared to work honestly, first of all its gonna take a lot of time to actually find one and when I do find one how TF am I gnna socialize, what if I mess up and stuff YK i overthink beyond my own good 😭 but I've still got it together.

GIRL use the brown parents connections? your dads friends office job? ur moms neighbours store, anywhere literally somehow someone knows someone?? nepotism, give kjo a fight,,,wait no those are also good courses to do! omg u could be a make up artist and teach me 🥰,, SEE IF UR GOOD AT WHY NOT??? the market is huge, weddings happen every day, u can absolutely do and get the $$$ the graphic design one omg pls also do that, u can start ur own lil Etsy shop and sell ur designs?

“OMG YES I WEAR MY MOM'S JEWELLERY TOO!! 😭 YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME!! I rmr, i wore my mum's choodha gurl it was so beautiful them red bangles Ohhhh 😭”

STOPPP THEY GOT THOSE VINTAGE GOLD AND PEARL CHOKERS AND EARRINGS AND THOSE HUGE NECKLACES FAAAMM THIS IS THE BEST THING TO EXPERIENCE!!! omg???? those must the so pretty 😭😭😭 did ur mo wear a pink, red or a rusty orange wedding outfit?? i always see those colours and its always moms who wore those colours who were baddies,,, WHY DO ALL GRANDMAS HAVE THE BEST SAREES????? those banarasi ones >>>>>>>> ur grandma it girl rightfully so, got ur grandpa wrapped around her finger,, u need to tell me ur style icon omg any actress

girl u better mf gatekeep these acc OKAY PLS FBDNBV heres a rly good suits store, super pretty lehenga’s from here (i have the first one and it’s GODLY) some jewelry stores,, (they’re all based in india so it should be easy to ship unlike me who hotta spend 100$ for shippings 😭) LET ME SEE UR PINTEREST BOARD PHOTOS I WILL EXPOSE MINE NFGBDBFQJ it is a process, ur growing, this is so fun jvjvjvk

6?

[thesundaycoffeeclub]

On Lisbon

Portugal Lover? Let these books upgrade your next trip.

To me, it feels like Lisbon is the place to be right now. I have lost count of the friends and colleagues who either worked, lived, studied or repeatedly spent their summers in Portugals capital.

Why people love it there? Simple: The bright warm colours and the cobblestone streets, the not-so-overwhelming density and the diversity, the vibrant cultural life and the many young people that feel gravitated to the candour and melting-pot-vibe, Portuguese food and wine, the little parks that are sprinkled throughout the city and the special history and atmosphere of a place that has often rebuilt itself. And last but not least the very beauty of a place by the sea that is surrounded by lush nature and endless beaches.

Oh, and of course: Pastéis de Nata.

So in order to enhance your first stay in Lisbon or your 23rd The Sunday Coffee Club has something for you: Portuguese novelist Djaimilia Pereira de Almeidahas reviewed books to help readers get to know Portugal’s vibrant capital, and spots to read them if you go.

Her guide is broken up into the following sections:

What should I read before I pack my bags?

What books can give me a sense of life under the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar?

What books can give me a sense of the city’s colonial past? and finally

What’s a good place to curl up with a book on a day off? Any bookstores I should visit?

You can find the full guide here.

P.S.: Sharing this reader comment because it truly hits the spot:

“Portugal has a peculiar personality that now is being appreciated after decades being considered the backdoor of Europe. Local culture is an interesting combination of traditionalism and avant-garde. Portuguese culture has pleasure in the details, things are done with "zelo" or "capricho", words that mean done with love. Rare thing these days...”

[thirtyknives]

GOOD MORNING FRIEND. Australia pretty much tracked with British fashion during the Edwardian and interwar years. It'd often take a little bit of time for styles to filter through, but we were an aggressively proud British colony for a long time. We'd wear fucking stupid clothes for the weather, because that's what people 'back home' in Albion were wearing. Case in point, these ladies in front of a cane harvest.

I mean look at this. I'm breaking a sweat just looking at it.

This is from the State Library of Queensland's photo archive. Queensland is a northern state, and cane grows in the warmer parts. Cane is harvested in the summers. I, long time resident of Queensland, spend my summers in oh, as little as possible. People who've been here for like 40 thousand years or more traditionally wore even less because it's hot as hell most of the year and humid enough that the walls spring mold as a matter of course. It's pure colonial insanity to insist on European garb in tropical and sub tropical conditions. But insist they did!

This very well dressed young lady is Clara Webster Swan, aged 18. It was taken in 1909. Just look at her. What an amazing outfit. This photo is part of a family collection, you can click through here to the State Library of Queensland photo archive and take a look at a lot of the family's collection over that period the asker is researching.

Here's another frankly spectacular example of Edwardian dress from the colonies:

This is a staff picnic of some sort from about 1910. I mean look at those dresses. It's not confirmed that they were white but how can they be anything but? We really did not even bother trying to develop our own sense of asthetics until after WW2. It's a huge part of our national colonial mythology that we were the little child of Britannia until after that, when we had 'proved' ourselves as a nation and could then be taken on our own merits. I mean it's colonial horseshit. But you can't talk about Australian fashion in the period without talking about how obscenely proud the settler colony was of being a settler colony. Aggressively adapting European fashion despite how stupid it was is part of that. You see a lot of the same in other colonies, but it was especially noticeable in Australia, especially the north and central regions. You'd have white settlers in full corsets, two petticoats and a riding coat or men in full suit and tie while it was 40 degrees Celcius outside, hot enough to have the eucalyptus exploding and still they had to Keep Up Appearances. Madness. Even in the interwar years there was still wholesale adopting of British fashion. Again, it took a bit of time for news of trends to physically make it down here, but once it did away we go. This is a debutante dress from the late 20s early 30s (the photo is undated and the family unsure):

This elegant young miss is Charmian Bernays posing for her debutante photograph. You can see the 20s in that neat bob and the 30s in the dress. It's lovely and I wish we had an idea of what colour it was. I should note for those not aware that the 'Toowoomba' listed on the photographer watermark in the corner there is a regional center. It's not a big city today, but clearly even in the 20s and 30s they kept up with what was going on in Europe.

As far as resources go you can take a gander yourself through various State and National Library archives. State Library of Queensland is the one I'm most familiar with. It has a lot of just ordinary family photos, which of course contain people just wearing ordinary family clothes.

State Library of Victoria has some great material.

State Library of New South Wales is also worth a gander.

Do you know (or does/do one/some of your history/fabric mutuals know) if Australian fashion followed English fashion from the 1850s-1950s? I’ve done some poking around on the internet and looked into interlibrary loan, but I like to see if other people have resources or a rant locked and loaded. Thanks!

I would imagine so? But I don't really know.

Australian dress history mutuals, assemble!

[quandaryqueen]

Camellia Pink

Young Justice Edward Nygma X Reader

The Riddler finds a peculiar gift sitting by his desk.

Sooo, this is just a small parting gift before I take a break from this blog 💝✨

... pink flower?

From a mile away, he spots the pink flower sitting on his desk. And based on its colour and intact petals, it must not have been that long when someone placed the gift on his desk. He was almost afraid to touch it, fearing it's just a cruel joke played on him by his fellow rogues. He's not exactly new to their mean-spirited fun.

Gently, he plucks the flower by the stem. He never really minded flowers, but he certainly can appreciate their beauty and their contribution to the ecosystem. Poison Ivy can get a touch bitchy if one would bring up the topic of traditionally gifting flowers and she's ranted enough to the point he'd hear her voice whenever he'd pass by florists selling flowers on the street. Every flower is lovely to Eddie, but it's just that someone would go out of their way to give him changed something... Unless this is a prank.

Upon closer inspection, he was able to identify the flower. A pink camellia... They're not a fragrant flower, but they certainly are lovely.

Pink camellia... Wait, flower language is a thing.

He fishes for his phone in his pocket and began to type away.

Pink... Camellia... Meaning...

Suddenly, his face was as pink as the heavens between his fingertips.

Longing... The flower symbolises longing.

Edward looks around to try and spot the mystery person that placed the symbol of longing on his desk. Not one crossed his mind, as he thinks that everyone there hated him, mighty annoyed with him.

Maybe it was just a prank...

"Hi."

He didn't realised someone had stood beside him, almost making him jump. He had been staring a hole in his phone, with the flower in his shaking, clammy grip.

"Did you liked the flower?"

... I'm sorry, is this a prank?

There was no way. You gave the flowe to him?

There was an anxious anticipation in your eyes that compelled him to answer without think properly.

"YES!"

... it came out embarassingly loud, some of the others, perhaps everyone glanced over. Oh god, you looked so damn humiliated, are you going to take the flower back because of that?

Once again, he tried to remedy the situation with more of his thoughtless statement.

"I-I like it, I've never been given flowers before! I mean, I certainly love the colour... Pink is such a nice colour, it's a little sad that some people denounce the colour for so many reasons-- reasons that are, may I add, ridiculous-- well just because it's pink.... Um..." Rambling... He's rambling again, isn't he?

God fucking damnit, Edward. This is why people hate you, just get straight to the point.

"Yes, I love them." He swallows thickly.

"Oh, thank god..." There was relief in your voice. "Are you familiar with flower language?"

"No exactly, but Poison Ivy told me a lot about them! Mostly basic flowers, such as roses, daisies--"

"How about camellias? Specifically, pink ones."

"Oh! Of course!" You lying dimwit, you just found out through Google. "I long for you. T-the meaning, it's the meaning of pink... Camellia. I-I don't long for you, no that'd be weird..."

The way your face flushed in a certain hurt made him recoil.

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fix this, you moron!

"I-I mean--! That's not weird at all! It wouldn't be weird if I long for you--"

You ruined this. Good job, Eddie.

He stops himself from spewing spastically anymore. His grip tightens around the stem, his knuckles paling. Thankfully, you didn't gave him rose, otherwise his palm would've bled by now.

"Hey um... Don't beat yourself over it, it's whatever." You put a hand on his shoulder. "I was just... Anyways, I should've gotten straight to the point. Would you like to go out with me?"

... are you for real?

His face screamed confusion, causing you to giggle and affirm to him, "Yes, I'm sure. I mean... I gave you a flower that symbolises longing. It's okay if you don't feel the same, you can--"

"YES!"

His hand flew to his mouth.

Again, Edward?

"Yes. I'd love to go out with you. Very much. Please."

Calm yourself, you dumbass.

You clasped your hands together, pleased with his answer.

"Great! Coffee shop by Green Street later? About... Six thirty?

Not trusting his voice, he nods vigorously.

"Okay. I'll see you there."

Edward looked away, lifting the flower to his line of sight, his finger softly playing with the petals when he thought you already left. But then...

"Oh, almost forgot."

If he turned a little more, your lips would've met his lips. The pink in his face was replaced with red, spreading across his face and neck. Then, you were gone for real. His fingers hovers over the corner of his lips, still feeling the faint warmth your kiss radiated, how he can almost taste its sweetness. Then, a smile erupts from his lips that he tries to supress by biting it.

... Pink camellias... How long have you been longing for him?

[strwberri-milk]

Passing Hands: Chapter 6 - Rose Coloured Locks

Bridgerton!AU || Diluc x Fem!Reader || Drama, Falling in Love, Slow Burn || 3 125 words

Immediately, your throat runs dry. You stare up at the person you bumped into, not knowing if the knot in his brow is from annoyance or confusion. Regardless of which it is, you know that you’re the reason for it. You back away from him, recognising that those red eyes are most definitely the ones you met in the club. Quickly, you remember your manners and put yourself in a curtsy for what might be too long. 

“Your Grace! I’m so sorry I didn’t realise you were behind me. If I’d known I would have-” 

“Don’t worry,” he says kindly, glaring at Lord Alberich. “If you were with Kaeya then I know full well what happened.” 

His Grace sighs loudly, crossing his arms as Kaeya grins at the look on his face. 

“Please, allow me to apologise on behalf of my brother. Apparently, he’s not the only one who needs constant supervision here. Should I ask Adelinde to hire a wetnurse for you? It certainly seems as though you’ve yet to be weaned off Mother’s tit.” 

Lord Alberich makes a sound of indignation, about to respond when you cut them both off. 

“You’re brothers?!” you say suddenly, clapping your hand in front of your mouth.

The outburst gets both of their attention as you thought it would, feeling very ready to spontaneously combust as they both look at you. How you could have known they were related is far beyond your understanding. After all, they don’t even share the same name or look the same in any sense. 

They’re as different as they can be, pale skin and dark red locks contrasting a tanned complexion paired with navy instead. Even in the low light you could see the light sprinklings of His Grace’s freckles on his cheeks, a trait you heard was common amongst redheads and you resist the urge to touch them, realising just how close you had to be to him in order to see such spots. 

“I’m so sorry, again, I promise I didn’t mean anything by it.” 

God you wish the ground would just open and swallow you up, ready to die from embarrassment. This was the first time you were meeting the man in person and there was a great chance that His Grace would have no idea who you are. Making this sort of impression on him the first time you’ve met him in person is awful and you hope that his impression of you doesn’t change. 

“No, no, really. I assure you that the issue is not with you. It’s with Kaeya,” he reiterates, glaring the other man down. 

“I was simply trying to make a new friend,” Lord Alberich rolls his eye, trying to avoid His Grace’s words. 

“Perhaps you should reacquaint yourself with old friends?” His Grace suggests, nodding his head towards a man standing behind him. The other man clears his throat and stares at Lord Alberich menacingly. 

“My Lady has requested you join her for a dance. Of course that is not the way things would happen traditionally but considering what I just witnessed I assume that you will do your best to ensure she does not remain upset?” he threatens, scary enough to make you shrink back once again. 

“Oh come now she knows I was just messing around right?” the Lord chuckles, taking another innocuous sip of his wine. 

Both men stare at him blankly, and you see his body language shift. He stiffens a little and turns to you with a smile that seems a touch more genuine. 

“It seems I have a mess to clean. Very well. Diluc, [Name], please, enjoy your nights. Don’t let this ball I planned go to waste. Take care.”

He leans over and whispers something into His Grace’s ear before tapping his shoulder and disappearing into the crowd. You look at His Grace as the other man follows after Lord Alberich, unsure what to say now. 

“I hear you’ve received my letters,” he says in a way you can only describe as stiffly. You nod silently. 

“I also received the newest one. When I was coming in.” 

His Grace’s expression changes briefly. You think he looks confused before he clears his throat and resumes his conversation. Scarlet eyes look over to the dance floor which has been vacated as the band takes a break. He seems to regain his confidence and turns to you, gesturing to the refreshments behind you. 

“I hope you weren’t in the middle of getting something to eat before I so rudely interrupted you. Please, feel free to help yourself,” His Grace says kindly, eyes roaming around the spread.  

“Thank you for the offer but I’m not very hungry. Corsets make it difficult to find room to eat after all,” you say, his nodding a sign that you haven’t yet totally messed up your first meeting with him. 

“I saw you dancing with Kaeya earlier. Did you have fun? As annoying as he is, he is an amazing dancer.” 

Despite how much the other man got on your nerves you knew that if you insulted His Grace’s brother too much it would probably end badly. 

“I practised dancing before I arrived but dancing with him made me realise just how much further I have to go. Are you as good at dancing Your Grace?” 

The question is innocent and he takes it as such, thankfully not looking offended at all. 

“I don’t have two left feet at the very least,” he chuckles, taking something off a plate and popping it into his mouth. 

“I could show you. Would you like to dance? The next set should be starting in a bit. I have to go greet a few other guests and continue mingling before I return to you but surely you can hold out for me?” 

Your heart flutters at the way he asks and you almost forget to respond. He cocks his head, waiting and once you nod he returns the gesture before slipping away. You’re finally left alone again and take the moment to catch your breath, eating something to settle your stomach. 

Your eyes go back to focus on the band wandering around, watching as they stretch and converse amongst themselves during this break. Once they begin warming up and preparing their next number is when you’ll be in His Grace’s arms, dancing with him the way you let yourself begin to imagine these past couple of weeks. The warmup with Lord Alberich has you much more prepared than you would have been without but you can only hope His Grace is as kind about your potential missteps. 

You also take note of the men around you, some smiling politely when you accidentally make eye contact. It seems having both Duke Ragnvindr and Lord Alberich speaking to you earlier made them become more interested, some of the dancers from when you were with the latter proving this to you as he seems to begin making his way to you. You smooth out your dress, placing a kind smile on your face as the two of you converse. 

This seems to create some sort of ripple effect, more men stepping forward. It seems that while under normal circumstances they would all hold off from introducing themselves until your chaperone introduces you to them but because you came without one, they took it upon themselves to break typical etiquette norms and introduce themselves to you. You laugh a bit at the awkward way each man goes about it but take it all in stride, feeling each of them slowly fluffing up your ego. Despite knowing the man you wanted to court, having several backups would be much better and also increase your desirability in the Duke’s eyes. Both of these outcomes are incredibly important in this desperate scrabble for a good man before the end of the season. 

Thanks to all of them introducing themselves you manage to collect a lot of information on who’s who, which ones are the best ones for you to go after should your courtship with the Duke fail. Of course you did not want to bet on those chances, but you knew it was always better to be over prepared rather than under prepared. Hopefully, you would now have more than just grandfathers calling on you as suitors. 

Now that you’re having a much better time, you almost miss the light tap on your shoulder. You turn around, expecting to have to introduce yourself to another new possible beaux when you realise it’s the Duke. You curtsy at his presence and he returns the greeting, offering up his arm. 

“I secured us a spot near Kaeya so I hope you don’t mind temporarily swapping over to join him. If he says anything offensive to you again let me know and I’ll be sure to quickly rectify it,” he says in response.  

“Do not worry about that,” you reassure him. 

“I’ve dealt with many belligerent and annoying men before. I’m sure that even with money, they aren’t too different up here. I’m much less delicate than I look.” 

“Good. After all, regardless of who you are it’s important to be able to stand on your own strength. If you cannot rely on yourself, then who else can you rely on?” he says solidly. 

The words are full of resolve. You are taken aback by how out of place they seem during such festivities around you. Even though they are weighed heavily with some unknown pain you can barely decipher, the easy disposition he presents distracts you from it as you let him take you to the dance floor, finding yourself standing near to Lady Kholer again. She gives you a smile and falls into step as soon as the music begins. 

Again you find yourself swept up in the couples around you, this time not with the gentle suggestions of Lord Alberich’s corrections but with the sturdy lead of Duke Ragnvindr’s. It’s another difference you see between the two men, painting a picture of their contrasts being as stark as night and day. But, the warmth of his body and methodical way he navigates each step makes you want to lose yourself in him, the mere seconds you spend separated feeling like an eternity that was worth every second of missing him when you return back to his arms. 

You find yourself so entranced at the fact that the subject of your idealistic affections that you forget this dance had you temporarily swap partners, starting when you look up to see not eyes of fire, but a cool ice that freezes your core. 

“Well, how are you enjoying your dance with the esteemed Duke?” Lord Alberich asks, silver tongue chilling your bones. 

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out,” you bite back, making him laugh loudly as he twirls you around. 

“Still haven’t warmed up to me it seems?” he manages between breaths of air, practically radiating joy at the harsh reaction you give him. 

“Don’t you think it’d be good to get along better with me? For your future, of course. Despite how mean His Grace may be I’m still his absolutely adorable younger brother. I’m sure if I tried hard enough I could dissuade him from further pursuing you no matter what it is that he told you in those letters.” 

The time to switch back can’t come soon enough and you find yourself more thankful than you could have imagined you’d be. You barely manage to stifle the urge to burrow into the Duke’s chest, silently praising the angels in Heaven for giving you the chance to now remain with your initial dance partner. 

“Kaeya’s always like that,” he tells you upon noticing the slight downward tilt of your lips. 

“Do not pay him any mind. It does you better to either play along or ignore. I choose the latter.” 

“Does it not get frustrating?” you query, already at your wits end with him. “This is why I prefer you.”

He stiffens slightly, the misstep he took in response to your words unable to be noticed by anyone other than himself and Kaeya. The other man’s interest becomes much more prominent as his body moves through the steps as though on autopilot, losing the typical flair he’d give it as he watches his brother and tries to guess at his next moves. 

“While I know some people are prone to being incredibly blunt, I did not realise that you were one of those. Judging from how you were keeping to yourself earlier I thought that you’d be much more subtle about your interest,” the Duke responds. 

The weight of what you just said to him finally settles on your chest and you almost trip over his feet. He quickly rectifies the two of you to avoid either of you from embarrassing yourselves in front of the watching crowd. 

“That is not a bad thing. I’m glad for it. After all, it gives me straightforward answers and the ability to know exactly what needs to be done and what steps I shall have to take to get to the result I want.”

Conveniently for him, he seems to have left out what he intends to do with this information. 

“Then is there something you would like to do?” you ask him. 

Leaning into his perception of you is probably not the worst thing that you could do. 

“Of course there is. I always have several plans of actions considering what my end goal is.”

His words are definitive, clearly unwilling to tell you what he plans to do. You frown at the realisation. It does make sense. If he told you then he’d lose any sort of edge he has over you, therefore putting the power in your hands rather than his. That would spell danger for him considering how much is at stake. Being the Duke put many things on his plate for his consideration and already you could tell he was the kind to look under the plate and table to make sure he doesn’t miss anything. 

“Moving from that,” you start to steer away from the previous topic of conversation. “I wanted to thank you personally for the letters. I brought them here with me just in case you needed them to further prove my identity. I’m glad to see that you know who I am despite never having met me properly.” 

“As far as I know I haven’t met you before, have I?” 

The way he says the statement jabs harshly at you and you can’t place why. Somewhere deep down you knew that there was a chance your chance encounter did not have such a profound impact on him as it did you, but you held out hope that it meant something to him. That somehow, the tiny little gestures he did to assuage your being somehow managed to hold onto a spot in his brain and he’d be able to recognise you now that you were here in his arms.

Instead, the look on his face shows he truly has no idea what you’re talking about. He keeps dancing with you, realising that he’s slipped up somehow and trying to fix it. Ever the gentleman. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve managed to offend you. I just truly have no idea what you’re talking about if we have met before. Considering how busy I am these days, everything blurs together,” he tries to explain away.  

“No, it’s fine. Of course you wouldn’t remember. Why would you? I’m sure that you’ve met many women much prettier and more impressive than myself. It would stand to reason that I am just a small spark in the expanse of vastly more interesting things you deal with.” 

You realise that you sound a bit like a petulant child and you wish you could take it back. But this was a matter of your ego. Of course you were insulted, but again, you knew that it made no sense. Before he can respond you cut him off, sighing a little. 

“Apologies. I think I got myself lost in my head there for a second. I meant no harm to you, Your Grace. I simply played the events over and over in my head when you happened to save my night. It was nothing really - just telling off a drunk man so I could continue with my performance but to me it meant the world in that moment.” 

The Duke nods slowly, not really remembering the event but aware that it had a very profound affect on you. He genuinely feels a little bad about not being able to place this event you’re speaking of, wishing that he could properly take credit for the right course of action. Even if he wasn’t very interested in pursuing a courtship he wanted to express that he did what any gentleman would do. 

“I don’t mind. I understand that what I did seems to have made you quite happy and for that I am glad. Just know that even though I have no recollection of the event you are calling to mind, I would do it again for you in a heartbeat.” 

The rest of the dance passes relatively uneventfully but the conversation is pleasant. You hear a little more about what his hobbies are, the things he finds himself responsible for as Duke Ragnvindr. When you’re passed over to Lord Alberich he does his best to push your buttons, returning you as an incredibly agitated dance partner. However, no matter how much he winds you up, the Duke is there to bring you back down to Earth with kind words and a hostile glare at his brother. 

When it finishes he personally escorts you off the floor again, not unaware of the stares the two of you were receiving. 

“Hopefully you do not struggle too much with the additional popularity of both the Queen’s personal sponsorship and now apparently the new intrigue of the Ragnvindr family. I expect that your eligibility will have shot through the roof and you’ll find it much easier to find a man who wants to court you properly,” he bows, words holding a sense of finality.  

Your heart sinks a little, thudding loudly against the parchment pressed upon your corset. Was he not wanting to be on the list? His letters made him sound much more interested than he was presenting himself as. Maybe this was just the product of his shyness. He had no idea how to actually respond to you now that you were here and was resorting to a friendly demeanour he presents to any guest at his manor. 

Yes. That was all it was. 

[oh-hush-its-perfect]

do you think there is any significance that alex's colour scheme is green and pink? or do you think rr went "u know what this character needs? to look like a watermelon"

((Prefacing this by saying that I'm giving RR way too much credit here, but you shouldn't take anything an author does for granted— even a serial author who often makes blunders and mistakes.))

A while ago I saw a (pretty unfair) assumption that RR made it green and pink because blue and pink would be too obvious, but that his intention was obviously to reinforce the gender binary by using two distinctly gendered colors for a character with two distinct genders. Of course, they did not phrase it so delicately. No offense to whoever made that post, but I disagree.

Although that may have had to do with it, there's other things to consider. One of them is color symbolism. And oh. OH. I ADORE symbolism— especially flower/plant symbolism (Language of the Flowers and all that jazz), seasonal symbolism (there's a reason that evermore is my second favorite Taylor Swift album), and color symbolism.

GREEN

Let's talk about green first. Green can symbolize a lot of different things, and there are a few that can be applied to Alex's character. The most obvious thing that green often represents is jealousy— hence the expression "green with envy." But envy is not really one of Alex's character traits. Feel free to argue with me if you think that Alex is significantly envious. Just because I couldn't think of substantial textual evidence for it does not mean that there isn't any.

One of the traits that Alex does have is wealth. Green is the color of American currency, and since both RR and Alex are American, it's safe to take an American lens while looking at this color. Alex's socioeconomic background effects her in a big way. I mentioned in a previous post that I think that Alex's fatal flaw is her sense of entitlement. That kind of entitlement is a quality not exclusive to but common among the upper class. However, her distance from her wealthy background enhances the sense of irony in the story, which is a VERY big thing that we NEVER talk about within the fandom.

This is kind of a little thing, but it's worth noting that when it comes to Valhalla and everything, Alex is "green"— as in new and inexperienced.

The color green also emphasizes Alex's connection with nature. This is one of the parts of Alex's character that the fandom consistently underplays, which is an absolute shame. I don't think I have to explain why the color green is associated with all things natural. Alex's association with nature provides a few key things to her character:

It makes her a more well-rounded character. Another criticism of Alex I believe is totally unfounded is that "being genderfluid is her only personality trait because it influences her philosophy on pottery, which is her only hobby." I'm probably going to make another post in, like, a few minutes about why I find that argument a little silly, but the primary problem is that pottery is not Alex's only hobby. She also loves camping, hiking, and ice wall climbing (I bet y'all forgot about that last one!)

It gives her a connection with Magnus. I mentioned in a previous post that Magnus and Alex are foils, but I neglected to bring up why that also makes for very good chemistry between them. Of course, yes, they have different goals and philosophy, which is what makes them foils in the first place. But foil relationships function best when the characters also share some traits. As it turns out, Alex and Magnus share several hobbies, and one of them is a mutual love for nature. This is a very unexplored thing in fics. Start doing it more plz.

Finally, and this one's kind of minor, but the Alex's green gives her a connection to Natalie. I know, whenever Alex and Natalie are compared, either in canon or in fandom, everybody kind goes "eww. Oedipus complex." Which is very fair and true. But they really do have a lot of similarites. The green of Alex's hair and clothes connects her to the green of Natalie's eyes. It's worth saying, too, that Alex has one amber eye— and amber is pretty close to dirty blonde, like Natalie's hair.

If I had more faith in RR, I might bring up the concept of intextuality and how Alex wearing green is an allusion to The Great Gatsby and how Alex is elusive to Magnus, just like Daisy is to Gatsby. But I don't.

PINK

To give credit to the person who wrote the post I mentioned at the beginning of this spiel, I do believe that part of the reason pink was used was to support femininity. Please keep in mind that Alex dresses in an androgynous way— not that there is an actually "gendered" way to dress, since gender as we perceive it is mostly made up. But Alex's existence as a transfemme person (which I will maintain until my dying day) means that pink has a certain significance to her. A lot of AMAB people embrace traditionally feminine things because if they don't, they will not be accepted as genuine women or genuine nonbinary folks, since masculine dress is unisex and kind of the default. So Alex wearing pink probably had something to do with her gender, yes. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, and it's certainly not an unrealistic thing.

Speaking of Alex's gender in relation to the color pink, let's talk about pink's use as a queer rights symbol. Alex was RR's first character to be introduced as a queer character from the start. This was not an insignificant thing, especially in the year of our Lord 2016 (which, despite popular belief, seriously had an entirely different landscape of queer rep. Though it's commonplace now to include genderqueer characters, it was exceptional at the time— especially by such an accomplished and mainstream children's author.).

Let's go back in time to Nazi Germany. Some of you might know this, but for those of you don't this transition must seem jarring. I swear there's a point. In addition to Jews, Romani individuals, people with disabilities, and Poles (among others), gay men were victimized by the Nazis. If you're wondering why lesbians weren't persecuted, it's because the Nazis didn't see them as a serious political threat, or as a threat to the perpetuation of the Aryan race since they assumed gay women could be forcefully impregnated if need be. Yeah, ew. Anyway, much like the Star of David being used to mark Jewish people, gay men were forced into concentration camps and forced to wear a pink triangle. Years later, after the gay population somewhat recovered, the pink triangle was reclaimed and used as a symbol for gay men. Some people who were not gay men used it, too, but that's somewhat controversial since it wasn't their symbol to reclaim. When the first pride flag was created, it had a pink stripe at the top to signify sex (this was later dropped so flags could be more easily produced). The pink triangle (inverted) was used during the AIDs epidemic with the caption "Silence=Death."

My point is that this is a very important color to queer folks. Having one of the first genderfluid characters in kid's lit wear pink...... I mean, it makes sense.

The last and final thing that pink represents, in this context and in general, is innocence. Granted, this kind of connects to feminitity since women (especially white women) are often infantalized and seen as innocent— which is another issue. In any case, the use of pink to represent innocence in Alex's dress is ironic. Alex has been robbed of her childhood innocence, first by her abusive parents, then by her life on the streets, and then by her eventual death at age sixteen. But then she actually regains her innocence. At the beginning of the—

Hold on. I just had a revelation. I'll make a post about it soon.

At the beginning of SotD, Alex is acting a little childish. The most obvious example is him jumping on Randolph's bed to "make noise." Alex's life is stable and relatively healthy for the first time in the years, and she experiences something that a lot of queer folks experience: a re-emergence of childhood at a late stage.

I imagine you didn't expect a post this long. I either make essay responses to asks or I add on one sentence and post it. Oops. Anyway, I believe the mcga fandom can be more creative than calling Alex a watermelon. Here are some other (kinda romantic) pink-and-green alternatives:

Roses

Dragonfruit

Grapefruit

Cherry blossom trees

[princess-of-inarizaki]

So, as I promised, Inarizaki New Year request. Inarizaki boys and manager make party at her place, they prepare dinner, decorate the Christmas tree and her home (twins hang the mistletoe everywhere, but manager-chan is clueless so she doesn't know about kissing tradition), exchange gifts, have sleepover etc. Next day they all go together to the shrine and all boys ask to marry her. And they are EMBARRASSED when manager asks them what they ask.

Ahhh Tilli my love! I'll finally use this as a Christmas and New year one combined (eventho they've both passed a long time ago :) and this will be the final addition to the Inarizaki December series!

Once again, thank you so much for supporting me through it all, and showering love on every day's imagine. I didn't expect to get 100-200 notes on some days, but I did!! And I'm really ever so grateful. I hope you'll stay tuned :D

-

Inarizaki's manager-chan day 25!!

Late merry Christmas!! 💖 (And happy new year)

☃️

It was finally the seventh day of Christmas.

The day everyone looked forward to, filled with so much cheer and joy. The boys couldn't wait to spend it at your house. (They couldn't spend the actual day of Christmas with you, due to clashes in the schedule), but that's okay. They were here now.

It was unorthodox, to decorate the tree and give gifts days after the 25th, but it didn't matter to you, and if it didn't matter to you, it didn't matter to the boys either.

The house was warm, and you were busy baking cookies. The smell of gingerbread and peppermint floated in the air. Suna snuck up behind you and took a dab of the cookie mixture. “I rate this a 10/10”

Kita glared at him. “Suna that wasn't very hygienic” which only caused you to laugh.

Christmas carols were playing from the small Bluetooth speaker near the tree, and you suddenly felt like dancing. After wiping your hands dry and shutting the oven so the cookies could bake, you pulled Kita to you and placed your hands on his shoulder.

“Dance with me, Kita-san”

His eyes sparkled as his cheeks heated up.

“Of course, my lady.”

And the rest of the members watched enviously as you spun around with Kita in tow. You looked gorgeous, and so undeniably happy.

“My turn!” said Atsumu indignantly as he replaced Kita. He pulled your waist closer to him as he picked you up and twirled you around. Your squeals made his heart beat faster as he gently let you go.

“That's enough dancing for one day, now go decorate the tree or something. These cookies will be done soon and me and y/n need to decorate them.” said the gray haired twin.

The boys nodded as they made their way to the big tree in the living room, whilst you were left alone in the kitchen with Osamu.

Osamu swiped a bit of frosting on your cheek and laughed, as he put on the oven mitts, readying himself to take the cookies out of the oven.

You laughed and licked the frosting off.

Damn. Osamu's brain almost short-circuited, but he pushed such thoughts out of his mind and instead focused on the cookies.

“How shall we ice them?”

You mixed food colouring into the frosting bowls and explained you wanted to ice them according to each of the members.

“We'll use white for Kita! Since he's so dedicated and wonderful, white suits him best. And green for Tsumu, because he makes me feel happy and fresh inside.”

Osamu nodded with a small smile. “And what about me?”

“Purple for you, because I feel comfortable with you, you're basically my home. And red for Rin, because red is a sleepy colour, and I just love napping on his lap.”

“Oh and blue for Aran! He makes me feel safe inside. Orange for Akagi, he's such a cheerful person, he's like my very own sunshine.”

Osamu blushed and stroked your cheek gently. “You're my little home too, ya know that? I'm icing yours pink.”

Pink for the way you make me blush, my love.

You beamed at him and began icing the cookies, delicately and carefully, whilst Osamu iced the other half.

-

The rest of the boys finished decorating the tree as they took a step back to admire their work.

Suna gently adjusted the baubles, before taking a few pictures. He wanted to capture this moment forever.

Suddenly, you and Osamu came to the room with a mixture of cookies and a few mugs of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Akagi smiled as he placed a kiss on your cheek before snagging a cookie. “Aww you guys are the best, thank you!”

The snow slowly fell outside, as the tree sparkled proudly in the center of the living room.

“Hey we still need to put the angel on top!”

Atsumu jokingly picked you up in his arms “we have one right here, shall I put her on top of the tree?”

The boys laughed as they passed you the tiny angel figurine. “we can't reach it anyways, why don't you put it instead?" Said Aran with a small smile.

Atsumu lifted you up gently as you placed the angel on the top of the tree, completing the decoration process.

“Thanks, you guys are amazing. I'm so lucky to have you.”

Your words were met with a chorus of "I love you's" and "me too's"

And you laughed, as Atsumu pulled you closer to him.

“Tsumu, you can put her down now” said a disgruntled Osamu.

-

[ 2 hours earlier ]

Osamu: have you placed the mistletoe in random spots?

Atsumu: yes, what about you?

Osamu: yeah, but I've kept one in my pocket. I'll just put it up whenever we're alone and it show to her.

Atsumu: damn that's so smart, why didn't I think of that? :(

Osamu: cuz yer' stupid.

Atsumu: >:(

-

[present time]

You and the boys play tons of games in the living room, and stash their gifts underneath the tree too.

“Let's open then tomorrow morning! We'll sleep in here too, and it will be fun to open them as soon as we wake up.” you say happily.

Suna leans on your shoulder throughout the evening, and soon his head makes its way to your lap, as usual.

You laugh and ruffle his hair, as he looks up at you breathlessly. You're so beautiful to him. So undeniably gorgeous. Atsumu wasn't lying when he called you an angel.

Suna's pupils dilated as he stared into your eyes. “I love you, y/n”

Not hearing the sincerity and hidden meaning behind his words, you replied with a quick “I love you too, Rin-rin”

And frankly, even if you didn't know how much he truly meant it, it didn't matter. He'd make sure you did, someday.

-

The plate of cookies were left with only crumbs and the mugs were all empty.

The next part of the night was dinner, and since Kita was the only one who could drive, he'd take you out to pick it up.

“Let's go Y/n-san” said Kita, as a tired Suna whined when he had to lose your lap-pillow.

You nodded and followed him, fastening the seatbelt in the passengers seat as you winked at the boys. “Be good while we're gone, okay?”

Kita turned up the radio. It was a song he didn't particularly like, but you seemed to love. However, you switched the radio off.

“Y/n-san, don't you like this song? Why did you change it?”

“Because you don't like it, Kita-san, and I want to talk to you. Your voice is better than any song.” was your simple reply.

No beating around the bush, you were ever so straightforward, and yet it made Kita's heart beat faster.

“so what would you like to talk about?”

And it started from there. A car-ride filled with the voices of the both of you.

At the traffic light, Kita gave you a sideways glance as he saw your excited expression talking about the cookies you baked.

But frankly he wasn't listening anymore. he was admiring the way your eyes shone in delight, and your cheeks as they were pink from the cold. He smiled at the way your face seemed to light up, and at the beautiful smile etched into it.

And Kita found that beautiful.

“It was delicious, right? And the frosting was beautiful too?” you finished excitedly, by asking him.

“she really is beautiful” said Kita in a trance, as the light turned red and he snapped out of it.

“I mean, yes, the frosting was beautiful!”

-

After picking up a bucket of KFC, as it's traditionally eaten to celebrate Christmas, the boys greeted you at the door.

“Mom and dad are home” joked Akagi.

“Oh my, so that means y/n's our mommy?” said Atsumu seductively, which earned him a sharp kick from Osamu. “Hey Tsumu, shut the hell up.”

The table was set and filled with cheer and banter from all sides, as Akagi sat next to you, and plated everything out.

You sighed happily. Truthfully, you weren't aware of traditions in Japan, since you were new to the country, but the boys taught you every day. It was Osamu who informed you that people in Japan ate their Christmas dinners at KFC.

“It's kinda like a tradition here” he said, with a small shrug. And you were determined to stick to those traditions.

“Are there any other traditions you practice, here? During Christmas?” you asked, in between bites.

Atsumu smirked at you and held up a small plant. “This is called mistletoe, but I won't tell you what the tradition related to it is”

You were confused, because all the other boys had suddenly turned red, and no matter how much you asked them, they refused to tell you what the significance of mistletoe was.

“Hmm, weird” you said softly, as you finished dinner, and brought your plate to the kitchen to be washed.

As you walked out, you noticed a small sprig of mistletoe above you, and a tall presence looming over you...

-

[ hello!! This is route time!! There are six members which I have written mistletoe routes for, and the corresponding colours will be for each member, so read whichever you want to!!]

(pink is the general route. no matter which route you choose, the new year's day story will continue with the general route, so please keep that in mind.)

-

Kita

Osamu

Aran

Atsumu

Akagi

Suna

-

You looked up and saw Akagi, and he had a bunch of other dishes in his hands. “I've lost a bet, so they've made me wash their dishes”

Atsumu's gleeful voice could be heard as he egged his senpai on. “make sure they're spotless, Akagi!”

You took half of the plates from Akagi kindly and assured him you'd help him.

“my hands are wet anyways. It'd be a bother to dry them after washing only one plate”

“T-thanks” he stuttered softly.

-

As you and Akagi washed the plates side by side, he felt a slight tug in his chest. It felt so domestic, to come home to you, hug you in his arms, and do the most mundane of tasks with you, like washing the dishes like this.

He wouldn't mind anything, honestly. As long as he was with you, the most grueling of chores would become fun.

And as he saw your brows furrowed in concentration, he sighed. You looked ever so adorable like that.

“Y/n-chan, I don't know if I've told you this yet, but you look very beautiful today.”

It took a lot of courage. Everyone saw him as a jokester, a perpetually happy person, but with you he wanted to be different.

He wanted you to know that when he complimented you like that, he wasn't joking. Not the least bit.

A soft tint could be seen on your cheeks as you continued washing the plates. “why thank you, Akagi. You look really nice too ”

And somehow, with that one compliment, you made Akagi happier than he had ever been.

The kitchen was filled with comfortable silence, and you appreciated the presence of the tall raven-haired libero who stood next to you, as he swore this scene would repeat itself in the future, someday, but with you as his girl.

-

The late dinner left everyone in a lazy mood, and although the Bluetooth speakers played more music, it became softer, more calm, and everyone felt ready to sleep.

The sleeping bags were arranged in the living room, in a small semicircle as you laid yours next to Atsumu.

“I didn't want to be alone in my room, knowing you guys were just outside, so I hope you don't mind if I slept here too” you said with a small blush.

The boys were overjoyed and eagerly made more space for you.

“I hope it won't be uncomfortable for you, y/n-san.”

You shook your head and settled into the sleeping back. “thank you for the concern, Kita-san, but you guys are here! how could I possibly be uncomfortable at all?”

You laid down in your sleeping bag as Aran leaned over to switch the lights off.

“Big day tomorrow. Let's all get some rest.”

A silent exchange of "goodnight's" was all you could hear, before complete silence, signalling their exhaustion.

But Atsumu, who was laying down next you was far from asleep.

He turned to the side to face you, his eyes reflecting the moonlight beautifully.

“I'm cold” you whispered, as you shifted in your sleeping bag uncomfortably. Atsumu's heart started beating uncontrollably as he made space in his own sleeping bag for you.

“Let's cuddle. Body heat is still heat, right beautiful?”

You smiled gratefully as you slipped in next to him, and his arms wrapped around you protectively.

His mind began to wander, and like Akagi, he wondered if he could get used to this. To coming home after a hard day and slipping into bed with you.

To keeping you warm on cold nights, and holding you if you had a nightmare.

As his fingers gently stroked through your hair, you sighed softly and cuddled closer to his chest in a dream-like state.

You had fallen asleep in his arms, just like he had dreamt for so often, and he couldn't wait till he'd be able to have you with him every single night.

Every single night for the rest of forever. Atsumu wanted to spend every single one of them with you.

He smiled softly as he observed your sleeping features before pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“You'll truly be the death of me, y/n”

-

You awoke many times in the middle of the night, but with Atsumu's firm grip on you, and his comforting body heat, you had no trouble falling back asleep again.

Soon, sunlight began to stream through the windows and the small beams of light slowly caused you to wake up.

The boys were all still asleep, so you gently pried yourself off Atsumu, gave him a gentle kiss to his cheek, and tip-toed to the kitchen, to make breakfast.

Aran, who had incredibly sensitive ears, heard the shift of the fridge door, and woke up. In a groggy-like state, he walked over to you and hugged you from behind.

“good morning” he whispered softly. “can I help you with breakfast?”

Although he wasn't naturally a cook, your patient instructions and kindness proved to be all he needed, and the two of you made a pile of pancakes, drizzled in maple syrup.

By now, the rest of the boys were also awake, they were better than greyhounds when it came to sniffing out food you've made.

But as Aran helped you around the kitchen, he couldn't focus on the others. He couldn't focus on anyone but you.

You, with your messy hair and half lidded eyes. With your low morning voice and small smile. You were so comfortable being yourself, and he really was glad.

Morning-y/n, the y/n only they got to see this morning, was pretty darn adorable. And he wanted her to know that.

“you're so cute when you're still half asleep, ya know?”

Although his voice has a teasing edge, a ring of laughter behind it, Aran wanted you to know that.

“aww thanks Aran, I like your morning voice too” you said with a dopey smile, as your flipped another pancake.

Suna stole one from off the plate and nibbled on it “I rate this a 10/10 too”

“Oh no Kita's glaring at me. I never tasted it in the first place”

-

After breakfast, presents, tons of hugs, and an outfit change later, the Shrine came into view. It was the first day of the new year, and as per the tradition of praying at the shrines for good luck, you and the team were heading there to welcome the new year with hopes and dreams.

“So, you have to clap twice, and wish for whatever it is your head desires for this year” said Akagi with a smile.

The rest of the boys had their eyes screwed shut, as they prayed for their deepest desire; to marry you someday.

Your wish was not so different either. “I wish to be able to be by their sides forever. For their good health, happiness, and safety. I love them.”

As you laid your eyes on their figures, hunched over the shrine, you swore you would do anything to make your wish a reality.

“I love you guys. Happy new year.!!”

-

taglist : @raychii @dai-tsukki-desu @k-sakusa-old @pocket-of-anxiety @sunasthing @thatthangwasthangin @daydreamingtetsu @ignorantsock @ohrintarou @tilli-san

The professor's note: 😭broooo so I'm like finally done?? This was so long I hope you guys enjoy it <3 (it took like 3 days to perfect it, so likes and reblogs are very much appreciated uwu)