#romance arrow

[cupidsarows]

Cupid's Arrows

Hotel California

The old belief is that Cupid will strike you with an arrow to make you fall in love. These days due to scientific research, we know that love is actually caused by a complex chemical reaction in the brain… maybe.

Chapter One

Maybe they were looking for each other, maybe someone set them up, maybe they met purely by chance. They met on the subway, or in the office or just on the street or in a coffee shop, Wherever two people fall in love it is there that we meet Romance incarnate, their doe eyes sit above freckles scattered sparingly across their limestone colored face like stars in the light polluted sky. Multi-shaded brown hair cascades wildly about their head, coming to rest just above their shoulders.

Romance is carrying their half drunk iced coffee in one hand, the name on it says Rowan. As they walk into the coffee shops restroom they cross to the sink. After examining a spot above their cupids bow lips in the mirror they begin rubbing their eyes. At first, a few specks of pink eyeshadow fall into the sink but after a few seconds the particles of pink begin to fizz and spark as they fall, swirling around Rowan until all that’s left is the empty coffee cup that they had set on the counter.

Chapter Two

Rowan appears, not in the sky but in a plane that looks a lot like it. Vast, white marble floors extend as far as the eye can see interrupted by the occasional pillared temple opening onto the endless baby blue sky. They wear a polyester turtleneck with a heart-cutout below the neckline.

“Rowan! You’re back!”

Exclaims a young girl in a blue bow and frilly blue and white dress.

“Come on, Mr. C’s waiting for you!”

As she grabs Rowans hand and pulls them forward her other hand brushes the dirty blond hair out of her cerulean eyes and even though Rowan has had a long day, the girls energy is infectious and soon they are running together and giggling. Suddenly she stops, panting, and points Rowan to one of the temples. She walks away as they step forward.

In the temple, on a fold up chair, sits a devilishly handsome figure with sleek white hair pulled back into a stylish man bun. He is wearing Ray-bans and gold jewelry on top of his white tuxedo jacket and matching shirt. His feet are propped up on the long folding table so that you can see his heavy black leather boots and he is leaning so far back in his chair that Rowan is astonished he hasn’t tipped over.

“Well, you certainly took your sweet time,”

Mr. C surveys Rowan over the top of his sunglasses with piercing gold eyes,

“So did you make anyone fall in love?”

Rowan stands a little taller, trying to impress Cupid.

”Yes sir, twenty seven different couples, all European based but I’m planning on hitting the eastern countries tomorrow.”

“Ok? Will they stay together or what?”

“Well-”

“And you know, I’ve been thinking R, you pride yourself on your little matchmaking abilities but I don’t think it’s worth it, you’re severely behind your quota, if you ask me I think you should just start pairing anyone together.”

“But-”

“Also,”

As Cupid continues to berate Rowan a voice growls “I’d have expected you to be happier on your ‘special day’ Cupid.”

“A pleasure to see you too darling '' Mr. C retorts as he rolls his eyes and resumes his chair leaning.

“We’re all ready for your speech, so why don’t you give it instead of picking them apart.” Blaze growls again as he gestures towards Rowan.

One by one the temple fills with dazzling people who take their seats at the table: a small child wearing yellow overalls, a woman with an hourglass body in a tight purple dress, a man wearing a green and dark green checkered suit and finally the girl in blue comes bounding back in cheerfully and begins talking to the overalled boy.

“Everyone be quiet and sit down, ”Commands Mr. C in a loud, strong voice. Blaze mutters something under his breath as he leans against a pillar, picking at his black ripped jeans.

“Ah, you always were a rather pointy arrow weren’t you? Well, you may stay standing.

Moving on, as you all know today is my ‘special day’, Valentines Day. We celebrate every year and every year I am just so disappointed in all of you. Valentine's Day is about love, so why am I not feeling more love in the world? As my arrows you are a direct representation of my power. You should all be taking your jobs much more seriously than this. R is already behind his quota, Objective you’re not doing much better, Familial, there are families out there that hate each other. What are you doing all day?! Platonic, you’re slacking off too. Hate, Shallow, you two are fine but that’s not necessarily great for everyone else, keep doing whatever you’re doing. So…”

Chapter Three

It is about an hour and a half later that Rowan is sitting on his soft bed in his room picking over a piece of ripe melon that he hears a ‘rap-tap-tap’. As he opens his door he is surprised to see Cupid standing there.

“Hey R, can we talk?” Not waiting for an answer, he brushes past Rowan onto the bedside and moves the melon to a spot on the carpet.

“I know you’re technically done for the day but I had a thought and I was hoping you would hear me out?”

Cupid takes off his jacket and glasses, his appearance now contrasting his earlier confidence.

“I thought it might help you to have a larger quota, so that you can’t put too much effort into one couple. It might make you faster.”

Rowan sits on the bed next to him.

“Cupid- Mr. C, it’s not something that can be rushed, I am romance, it’s not something that just happens. It takes time and effort and I’m still matching a large amount of people everyday, about as much as the others.”

Cupid scoffs and says “You can handle it R, besides, it doesn’t actually matter wether the people like each other in the first place, you can just make them like each other.

“No, I really can’t.”

Distressed, Rowan stands up and turns to fully face Cupid,

“Everyone has a subconscious bias in who they love. All I do is bring it to the surface. While theoretically I could force two people in love, the two would be miserable.”

Cupids posture suddenly shifts, leaning forward slightly, looking up at Rowan with his beautiful aureate eyes “Would you do it for me though?”

Cupid stands up, only a few inches shorter than Rowan, he lets his hand brush theirs,

““We used to be so good together,”

Rowan breaths a deep sigh, unable to keep his checks from blushing. There had been a time when they had let their crush get the better of them and anything Cupid wanted was carried out. But as Rowan didn’t feel that way anymore. How could he ever love someone who wanted to control others the way Cupid did.

“I’m sorry Cupid- Mr. C, try asking Pheobe or Owen.” Cupid suddenly gets up and walks to the doorway.

“I’m sorry you feel that way R. Goodnight.”

Cupid snaps the door shut coldly and Rowan lays back in his bed feeling strangely numb. He must’ve dozed off because when he wakes up, it’s morning and the woman in the purple dress from the night before is standing in his doorway.

Chapter Four

“Rowan? What happened between you and Cupid? I saw him walking to the doorway and he wouldn’t say anything to me. I think he’s angry, you were the last person to see him…”

Rowan jolts upright. “Sylvia what do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said, Cupid’s leaving, he’s going somewhere.”

As soon as the words leave Sylvia’s mouth Rowan is running out the door to scan the nearby area for Cupid. Because of his white jacket, Cupid blends in perfectly with the endless white floor. Rowan runs to where he knows there is an entrance to earth and there he sees Cupid preparing to step through the golden doorway.

“Mr.C! Wait!”

“Hmm? What’s all the fuss about R?”

Rowan uses his body to block Cupid from the door, trying in a desperate attempt to make himself heard.

“I’m sorry about last night, that’s what you want to hear right? I can’t help my nature, you made me this way but maybe I can work on it?”

Cupid sneers, his voice suddenly becoming malicious and cutting. “Oh, Romance, I should have done this a long time ago, but what a fool I was.”

Cupid turns his head up as if he can’t even look at Rowan and with a careless flick of his wrist, Rowan feels a force like a charging bull slamming into him, knocking him through the doorway and onto earth.

[yingtan]

YU SHI as Batay in TO THE WONDER (2024) dir. Teng Cong Cong

[beedokwrites]

Trans romance novella promo.

Our protagonist's parents found out 'his' type, so hired a tall and muscular personal trainer to 'make a man out of him'.

Available on Amazon:

And Itch:

[wellthisissomething]

AI-Less Whumptober Day 7 - Field Medicine

Doctor Romantic 3 - Ep. 10

Romance of a Twin Flower - Ep. 4

Game of Outlaws - Ep. 10

The Gu Family Book (Kang Chi the Beginning) - Ep. 21

แม่นากพระโขนง (Mae Nam Phra Khanong) - Ep. 7

Tawan Deard (Boiling Sun) - Ep. 9

Previous 7/31 Next

[frnkiebby]

pls no~🎃

[samfangalore]

There’s so much depth built into the camps in RDR2 and it’s constant every time you’re at camp something is happening between two characters and depending on which camp you’re at the interactions amongst the crew really sets the tone for where you are horseshoe overlook really feels like a new beginning it really feels like a breathe of fresh air from the cold snow a new start vs shady belle there is a constant tension and fear in the air as everyone waits for the final shoe to drop another one of the things I love is when you’re doing chores the more you do them the more conversations you overhear and the more you see who actually does what around camp I feel like if you don’t spend time at camp you miss a whole layer of story and character development and just general quirks and kookiness amongst your fellow criminals

[anetherealpoetess]

Celebrían was the Lady of Rivendell, the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, and the wife of Elrond. She was the mother of Arwen and the twins Elrohir and Elladan.

[to-the-stars8]

Reviving Love

Jason Todd x Reader Chapters AO3

Chapter 4

Jason almost didn’t show up, spending the next two days after your initial meeting thinking about how this meeting wasn’t a good idea until he had spoken to his best friend about it. Roy had initially shown up at Jason’s apartment under the guise of wanting to visit him and get away from his city for a little while. In reality, he wanted to hear about the girl he had suddenly become hung up on. 

Sitting on the couch while Jason tinkered away with whatever it was, Roy wasn’t paying attention to exactly what his friend was doing as he secretly scrolled through your Instagram page. In passing he had heard your name, but that was nothing more than a mere word amongst thousands. Recently, and slowly, Roy picked up more information from his friend, asking about Jason’s relationship with you from before. He had to be careful so as not to irritate Jay, who would clam up at the mere mention of anything in his Robin days. 

“Let me ask you this, Jay,” Roy said, turning off his phone and throwing it on the other end of the couch. “What are you hoping to get out of this date?”

Jason was silent, but Roy could see his jaw clench ever so slightly. “Don’t call it that. I don’t know if it’s a date. All she said was she wanted to get to know me better.”

The redhead relented, still treading the waters carefully. “Alright, then, what are you expecting to get from this?” 

“What do you mean?” Jason’s tone was flat, unamused. Roy knew that was a sign he was onto something. 

“Do you want this to be a date, or are you looking to reconnect with an old friend?”

Whatever the hell Jason was doing was abandoned with a loud ‘thunk’ as it hit the table. He didn’t turn back to face Roy right away, thinking for a moment before slowly turning around. “I…I don’t know.”

Roy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Figure out what you want, but just keep in mind that it’s been…what, six years now? That’s plenty of time for a change in someone.”

“I know,” Jason said quietly. 

Roy got up and clapped him on the shoulder, reassuring him that it would be okay. He just needed to have fun. It was just a meet-up with someone he knew, and who didn’t know that she knew him, too. Jason tried to find some solace in his friend’s words, attempting to work out his feelings while trying to not text you some excuse to cancel.

Fortunately for you, Jason couldn’t find an excuse to cancel, and now he was awkwardly sitting at a cafe table constantly checking his phone while the butterflies in his stomach threatened to make him sick. It was an odd feeling, Jason had never, not once, been so nervous. Not in the past six years, in any case.

With every ding of the cafe bell, Jason looked up, waiting for you to walk in. Now and then he would check his watch to see the time. It was nearly ten minutes past your initial meeting time, and he had started to suspect that maybe you just didn’t want to see him. Somehow, that was worse than the butterflies. Just as he was about to text you, you came rushing in. 

With a huff, you sat down in the chair across from him. “Shit, I am so sorry I’m late. I thought I had time, but then something happened on Broadway, so I had to take…I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

Jason smiled a bit and suddenly felt lighter. Almost comfortable. “No. No, you’re fine. I’m just glad I didn’t get stood up.”

Realizing what he said and started to backtrack, but you only giggled. “Sorry. I should have texted.”

“You’re okay,” Jason said. “Can I get you a coffee?”

“No, no, let me get it. To make up for being late. What would you like?” 

Jason didn’t know what to say, so he simply told you to surprise him. You smiled with a shrug before walking off to order. Jason sat staring at your bag on the chair and he remembered the pins you used to stick to yours. This tote bag didn’t have any of those personal, adolescent decorations, it was just as you bought it. He didn’t ponder on it much longer when you returned. 

Setting down a white paper coffee cup you plopped down opposite of him. “I pegged you for a normal vanilla latte guy.”

Taking a small sip to not burn his tongue, he took in the taste. It wasn’t too bad. “Thank you.” 

“There’s nothing I like to do more than buy coffee for handsome men,” You smiled jokingly at him, leaning forward as you rested your chin in your hand. 

Jason could feel his cheeks get pink and he had to look away from you as he tried to play it off that he was more amused than flustered. You giggled, leaning back in your seat as you watched him carefully. 

Finally, Jason turned back to you, “You use that line a lot?”

“Only with handsome men.” You winked at him. “So, those cigarettes…”

Jason found himself smiling. “So, my cigs...” When he wouldn’t give you what you wanted, you finally asked about them. It might have been Bruce’s training or maybe you were just that fucking obvious, but Jason knew you didn’t give two fucks about what he was smoking. Your voice sounded a bit bored when the question left your lips like you slowly trying to pull something else from him. Just for you, he relented a bit. “They’re just something that got stuck on my tongue. They’re almost…minty.”

“You’d have to give me a taste sometime,” You said, and it sounded more like a personal thought than anything else, and you only confirmed it when you buried your head in your hands, embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I forgot that we just met. I swear I’m joking.”

“Joking,” Jason said, leaning back in his seat. “That’s a shame.” 

You seemed caught off guard by the implication and Jason found himself surprised by his brazenness. He wouldn’t be able to kiss you right away, or much more for that matter due to his insecurities. 

You laughed out loud suddenly. When you calmed, you bashfully looked down a bit before meeting his eyes. “Now you gotta tell me, why haven’t we met sooner?”

[aroacewxs]

vincent charbonneau is also aromantic: a personal interpretation and analysis from one aromantic

i'm scared of this not reaching the right people, but i just finished dead plate + got all the endings, and vince as an aromantic allegory is so relevant that it's driving me up the wall! keep in mind as you read that this is just my interpretation :)

the use of cannibalism as a metaphor in dead plate is interesting, as it usually illustrates a very obsessive love that someone has for another person or object, to the point where they let it consume them whole. however, i think you can also interpret the cannibalism as an obsession for trying to give the love that is expected of you.

"I've been told I don't cook with love -- which is a sentimental and meaningless review in the culinary world. I'm a professional chef, not a parent making a meal for their kid."

he can't cook "with love." i assume that he cooks by following precise formulas and measurements that guarantee flavour. flavour he can't taste. flavour he has read about, somewhat understands in theory, but can never experience for himself.

however, this doesn't mean his cooking is bad. he is critically acclaimed for his culinary skill. he opened la guele de saturne in his early 20's. it's no doubt that he's respected and feared in the world of food, but even with several awards to his name, he's told he's missing something. something supposedly crucial. something he doesn't give a damn about, but bothers him nonetheless.

"I can't stand eating. No matter the ingredient, no matter the recipe, everything tastes the exact same. It tastes like nothing, it makes me sick. But with… With you… maybe…"

there are several different interpretations of this scene, but i personally read it as vince living a delusion where if he keeps at it, keeps trying, forces himself to understand, he will eventually find what he's been searching for.

but he won't. it just doesn't work like that. not for him.

"If everything so far has tasted nothing to you, what makes you think I'll be any different? If you're really doing all this just so you can taste again, when it turns out I'm just like any other, what will you do? You would have killed her. You would have killed me for no reason. Are you really ready to deal with that? If this is your idea of trying to make yourself happy, I don't think you'll ever be full."

and rody was right. it wouldn't have mattered which part of him he tore off, it would have all just tasted the same. the same nothing. the same wave of disappointment and frustration would wash over him again and he'd be left a hollow shell with the knowledge that he had killed a person, he had eaten a person, he went through the whole ordeal, and it got him nothing. any hope that maybe this will be different, this won't be like the previous, would be crushed under his own heel.

to me, vince's obsessive search for his sense of taste is an unending search for this something you will never get. in the same way he will never taste, i will never experience love or romance in the way everybody expects me to. this isn't to exclude aros who do experience romantic attraction or do have healthy romantic relationships, and it's not to illustrate being aromantic as something unfulfilling or negative. but you can't deny that this acceptance carries a LOT of weight, and sometimes, denial is sweeter than making peace with it.

vincent charbonneau is my personal aromantic allegory, and whether or not it was intentional, i honestly felt very seen in his character, and i think that is so so important :) hopefully this all made sense,, if there is anything strangely worded i will make it clearer!

[wbmwrites]

[ratanslily]

i love you

[doriansbutt]

@infamous-if is addicting and I’ve made way too many ocs for it (no I didn’t shhh this one doesn’t count it’s me #cringe /j)

[yingtan]

THE DOUBLE 墨雨云间 │2024, Ep. 40

[hazellvsq]

hazel & thanatos : nico & cupid scene comparison

both of these scenes are about identity and truth at odds with innate self-preservation. both gods reference each other and acknowledge their similarities. cupid references hazel, and thanatos even references nico (didn't include that scene but hazel asks thanatos if he knows where nico is). jason and frank both also face obstacles through these gods, but the true tests are for nico and hazel. the point of both scenes is to demand that both characters face their greatest fears, and force hazel and nico to be honest about why they have come so far on their respective journeys, and admit what is is that they truly want. also, thanatos is fairly passive and hazel experiences more visceral attraction to him than she does to her series love interests, whereas nico's confession is very blunt and unromantic, and cupid is very violent, causing physical and emotional agony and further blurring the domains of the two gods.

[quickdeaths]

@more-than-a-princess

What a complicated week it had been. By all accounts, it should have been as any other week - better, perhaps, for the outing planned with Sonia to see the Ji-yeon's concert at Waseda University. It shouldn't have been - and wasn't, truly - any great surprise that some of her suitors would be lined up, intent on some sort of post-White Day date, and while Shinobu wasn't especially interested, she'd acquiesced to at least a handful of the offers. The dates were, naturally, boring at best, and disastrous at worth, but they'd never truly expected anything different.

All the while, though, it was hard not to let her thoughts drift to Sonia, and to what had happened on the holiday itself. Of course, Shinobu had desired no credit for herself. There was no reason to make themselves the center of attention, or act in such a way that would lead to misunderstandings. Her goal was, and had always been, to simply do something kind for Sonia - something that acknowledged her interests and hobbies, and perhaps made her feel seen in a way that she might otherwise not be.

And yet to see that Reserve Course student, Hasegawa, take the credit and use it as a springboard to ask Sonia out, so shamelessly taking credit for Shinobu's gesture... Those violent urges that flickered like flames beneath the layers upon layers of ice had refused to be ignored. It was entirely possible that she'd broken Hasegawa's nose, and while she'd been glad for any restraint, there was some part of Shinobu Yaguchi that wished she could have removed her own leash long enough to kick out a few of his teeth, or blackened his eyes until they were swollen shut.

How violent. How brutal. They were a wretched, loathsome, monstrous thing that could barely be called human. A dozen ways they could have handled the situation, and yet they'd chosen violence, and not even had the decency to regret it. Those thoughts, self-loathing, were only tempered by a question that had yet to resolve itself - why did it so upset her? Yes, Hasegawa's lie was pitifully self-serving, and no, Shinobu didn't want Sonia to be misled by any boy, let alone the type who would speak about her as some sort of status symbol or accessory, as Hasegawa had. But, Sonia was brilliant and thoughtful - not at all the sort of person to fail to see through such transparent motives. Petty, personal revenge, then? Simply seeing Hasegawa's actions as imposing upon Shinobu's own life, and desiring to punish him for it? Even that seemed to fit less than she'd like.

She'd need to put aside that answerless question, for the time being, and focus instead on the night ahead. They'd texted Sonia ahead of time, letting her know when they would be arriving to pick her up, and had set about running their errands. A text to Ji-yeon went unanswered, with Shinobu assuming that she was busy preparing, but she hoped that the emotions somehow reached her regardless. It was rare, of course, that Shinobu Yaguchi spent a night out without romantic context, so she was determined to ensure that things went smoothly. Transit plans had already been decided upon, in being driven to the venue by some of Sonia's attendants. A bit much for the archer, perhaps, who would prefer the subway, but for a variety of reasons, it was important to consider Sonia's situation with far more weight.

The dormitories at Hope's Peak Academy weren't difficult to navigate, being in how often they spent time with Anzu, there. Furthermore, Sonia's suite was rather hard to miss. With gentle hands, they knocked upon her door, their typically stern expression softening as they saw her. "Miss Nevermind, hello. Are you ready to leave, or do you need more time? I don't mind waiting, and I imagine we'll be early, regardless." She looked so gorgeous that again, Shinobu felt that feeling of having the breath stolen from her lips. Again, her heart seemed unable to pick a side - beating loud and fast to the degree that she could feel it inside her head, or stopping altogether. That sort of thing seemed to be happening with increasing frequency. Perhaps she was ill.

For her part, Shinobu thought she looked alright, as well, wearing a navy three-piece suit in a women's cut with the jacket left open and the sleeves gently pushed up, and uncharacteristically lacking a tie. Having recently dyed her hair again, the red was deeper and richer than usual, reflecting the color of her eyes, which were themselves surrounded by a small splash of red makeup, as well as Shinobu's typically sharp eyeliner. In place of her usual earrings were a pair of neat diamond studs, borrowed from Anzu, and a silver ear cuff that was, perhaps, slightly more formal than the austere black rings she typically wore near the tip of her left ear. Even their nails were painted, with a blue finish that paired well with their suit.

While not carrying a bag, her hand was occupied with a small bundled bouquet of yellow roses, fresh and slightly fragrant. "You look lovely, by the way." As she always did, but to let the moment pass without compliment seemed faintly incorrect. "And, I'm both glad and appreciative that you were able to make tonight's event work alongside your schedule." Hasegawa could have his ill-gotten date, built upon a stolen gift and a liar's words. It was only something like their friendship, hers and Sonia's, that could be important enough to rearrange such a schedule. "I hope it wasn't too troublesome. I'm aware your time doesn't always come easily, so I hope you know how greatly I value your company, and your companionship, Miss Nevermind."

[frnkiebby]

he’s prettyyyyy

it doesn’t matter if there’s a frimage in a group that i’ve never seen and could be the best one ever, if that fucking bow and arrow one is present i am immediately losing my mind bc that has got to be the most fucking idiotic way to be holding a bow fucking ever.

i mean ik there are stupider ways to hold a bow but like bbyboy. he is just ASKING to skin his fucking forearm and i am fucking screaming~🎃