#theme: misfortunes misunderstandings & mistakes

[tavernfest]

Round 13 Masterlist

Apologies, a little bit of late housekeeping! Round #13 is now officially CLOSED and we will announce a new round in the future; however, if you find yourself inspired to create something for this or any of our previous rounds, we will be accepting submissions indefinitely! For more info on how to take part, check out our FAQ or send us an ask 🙂 In the meantime, you can find a list of Round #12 submissions below! ——— Title: The Cure All Creator: chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Length: 6,603 Pairing(s):  Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None Summary: Merlin accidentally enchants the wrong “sword”—and it’s irreversible. To make matters worse, a curse falls on Arthur—and there’s only one way to save him. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55667023 ——— If you have a moment, please remember to stop by and leave the creators some love! ❤︎

[cinema-hallucinations]

Prompt: Generate a movie concept set in a world where the four humors are Absurdity, Sarcasm, Common Sense and Irony.

Title: Humorology

Tagline: Four humors. Endless chaos.

Logline: In a world governed by the delicate balance of four humors - Absurdity, Sarcasm, Common Sense, and Irony - a bumbling alchemist accidentally disrupts the equilibrium, throwing the world into a hilarious and chaotic mess. It's up to a cynical Sarcastic and a wide-eyed Absurdist to restore order before the very fabric of reality unravels.

Characters:

Victor Vex (Sarcastic): A jaded alchemist, tired of the world's predictability. He finds humor in misfortune and uses his sarcasm to cope with the absurdity around him.

Pip Pennyworth (Absurdist): A bubbly and eccentric young woman who sees humor in the unexpected and the nonsensical. She embodies the optimism and playful nature of Absurdity.

Quibble (Sensical): A sentient book that embodies Common Sense, constantly reminding everyone of the practical and logical approach. (Voiced only)

Baron Irony: A flamboyant and manipulative noble who thrives on the world's ironic twists and turns. He secretly desires to upset the balance for his own amusement.

Plot Summary:

In the whimsical land of Humorology, the four humors – Absurdity, Sarcasm, Sarcasm, and Irony – maintain the balance of life. Victor Vex, a cynical alchemist known for his biting wit, longs for more excitement in his predictable life. He concocts a potion meant to enhance humor, hoping to inject some chaos into the monotonous world.

However, his experiment backfires spectacularly. The potion disrupts the humoral balance. Absurdity runs rampant, manifesting in talking animals, illogical weather patterns, and spontaneous musical numbers. Sarcasm becomes a contagious disease, leaving people incapable of speaking anything but sardonic remarks. Common Sense takes the form of an overly literal cloud, raining down pamphlets on proper behavior. Irony becomes omnipresent, leading to a series of hilariously unfortunate events.

Victor, realizing his mistake, seeks help from Pip Pennyworth, a young woman who embraces the joy of the absurd. Together, they must overcome their differences and work with the remaining humors – the increasingly exasperated Quibble and the suspiciously helpful Baron Irony.

Their journey takes them through fantastical landscapes – the Land of Literal Jokes, the Marsh of Misunderstandings, and the Forest of Unintended Consequences. Along the way, they encounter the consequences of the disrupted humors – a talking plant that only tells bad puns, a businessman trapped in an endless loop of meetings, and a lovestruck cloud raining tears of disappointment.

The climax involves a showdown with Baron Irony. It turns out he orchestrated the whole mess, hoping to tip the scales towards a world ruled by irony. Victor and Pip, using their contrasting approaches, navigate a series of absurdist challenges and sarcastic riddles. They eventually discover the secret formula to restore balance.

Themes:

The importance of balance in life – between logic and creativity, practicality and playfulness.

Finding humor in the unexpected and the absurd.

Working together despite differences to achieve a common goal.

Humor:

The film's humor is derived from the clash between the four humors. Imagine people literally taking jokes seriously, conversations devolving into sarcastic barbs, and weather patterns based on puns. Victor's deadpan delivery complements Pip's enthusiastic embrace of the absurd.

Visual Style:

The film is a vibrant blend of live-action and animation. The real world becomes increasingly fantastical as the humors lose balance, with talking animals, illogical weather phenomena, and exaggerated physical comedy. The Absurdity humor is visually represented through bright colors, wacky costumes, and bizarre scenarios.

Ending:

Victor and Pip successfully restore the balance, and the world returns to its (somewhat) predictable state. Victor regains his appreciation for everyday humor, while Pip still finds joy in the occasional absurdity. Together, they vow to maintain the equilibrium – a testament to the importance of all four humors in making life truly humorous. The film ends with a final, ironic twist, hinting at future adventures in the whimsical world of Humorology.

[uwua3]

Hello! I'm a new follower and I just love your writing so far!! You're really good at depicting The Whole Scene™ so you made me love my favs even more 😳 It's like my heart melts when I get to the extra soft parts 💖 If it's alright, may I request some fluffy hcs of Banri and/or Juza with a soft/baby-ish s/o who likes cute things? Or in general an s/o who's kind of opposite to either of them 👉🏻👈🏻 Thank you! 💞

hi!!! welcome to my writing blog~ :D i’m so happy you said that 🥺 (i appreciate the trademark no Suing in this household) i’m so glad when it gets soft it makes your heart go 💕💞💓💗💖💘💝 always feel like that!!! i’d be more than honored to baby the two tough boys of autumn~ they are secretly Baby no i do not take criticism but you’re welcome!!!

summary: this is the one time major misunderstandings work out for the best

warnings: swearing

author’s note: hello, everyone~ it’s been 4 days since i last posted a fic TT i’m so sorry!!! i hope this makes up for the absence~ it’s a bit long! please love banri and juza with all your heart ♡ fair warning, i design both readers to have dresses on but everything else is gender–neutral :D

word count: 6,482 (total) — 3,532 (banri), 2,950 (juza)

music: liar liar – oh my girl (banri), just right – got7 (juza)

sugar, spice, and everything nice!

🍁🥇 settsu banri

banri was thrifting and saw the most god–awful, terrible piece of clothing he had ever had the misfortune of seeing in his life

it was a bublegum pink sailor uniform esque shirt, embellished with the most pastel ribbons and lacy accessories ever, and was decorated to put harajuku to shame

“who the hell would want to buy this shit?” banri muttered to himself, holding it up to grimance at the girly details that hang from the ugliest shirt he had ever came across. before he could put it back to hide amongst the clothing rack, a gentle, barely noticeable tap on his shoulder made banri turn his head with a glare

“what—” banri’s eyes widened, his jaw slightly dropping. oh my god, if there was a human embodiment of the fucking shirt he was holding, you would literally be it

you were nervously smiling at him, clad in a pastel pink lolita–styled dress, with even more bows at the corset bodice and ruffles at your poofy skirt. you had the largest singular lace bonnet in your curled hair and adorned the biggest, widest circular glasses (they had to be fake). you clasped your hands together with a high–pitched laugh, banri wanted to disappear and never come back to the store again

how could people like you just exist? you walked around like a doll everyday and for what? banri looked down at his clothing for a second, all black again. maybe, he shouldn’t be talking if he was like death everyday...

“sorry~ but are you interested in that shirt?” you asked cutely, batting your eyelashes as you looked up at banri. he blinked, not realizing he was still holding the fashion industry’s worst abonimation as he quickly tossed it towards you, not bothering to check if you even caught it

“no, bye.” banri forced out, moving from the aisle to leave the godforsaken pastels and bright colors. it was all giving him a headache, there was no way this color spectrum ever existed to someone and they liked it. everybody move over because banri was gonna puke

banri flipped through more clothes, pushing through the racks with ease, trying to push the mental image of pink out of his mind until something landed on his head

quickly pulling it off with a scowl, banri deadpanned at the shirt. pink, sailor uniform, ugly ribbons and bows, check. it was that shirt again... what the—

you stood next to him, with the most angelic smile possible despite the passive aggressive look in your eyes. banri noticed your hair was slightly messed up, that he must’ve done something. he never thought he’d fight a pastel lolita in the middle of one of his favorite thrift stores, but here he was, glaring down at you like it was a big deal

“what do you want?!” banri cursed, about to throw the shirt back to you before you forced it in his hands, surprising him with the amount of force your short self managed to produce. you smiled even bigger, and banri suddenly knew he couldn’t cause a scene because no one believe him if you started a fight

“let me pick your clothes!” you offered, yet there was no room for disagreement. oh god, this was revenge for screwing up your look, wasn’t it? banri blanked again, about to tell you to fuck off before he called security (yeah, security on the most non–threatening person here), before you shoved another outfit into his arms

“go change! i want to see you in it!” you insisted, banri’s eye twitched as he took in the colors. all various shades of pink... you did know there were other colors right?

maybe it was because he knew you would start a scene if he didn’t try, but banri mumbled something about annoying people and their loud fashion sense before slipping into a dressing room. you clapped when banri begrudgingly agreed to it, pissing him off even more

(you didn’t know why you were forcing this stranger to be pastel for once. one look at his all–black attire and you felt a part of your soul die for a second)

when you heard the most dragged–out, emphasized swear behind the door, you knew you had to see it

“are you okay in there~?” you asked, waiting patiently outside with a devious smile. revenge was sweet, you almost forgot about how that shirt had messed up your hairstyle for the day

(banri suddenly regretted ever messing with you, you were the devil in pink)

“i know we just met, but fuck you.” banri deadpanned, stepping out from behind the curtain with the resignation of a quitter. you threw your hands over your mouth, stifling your snickers as you observed him top to bottom, wondering how you even fathomed such a creation

banri stood before you in the same sailor shirt, ribbons and bows alike, that somehow fit him. you had given him basic pink shorts that clased with his giant black boots (he made a stomping sound whenever he walked)

“i hate this, i am never wearing this again.” banri admitted without difficulty, expecting you to go away so he could shop in peace but you giggled, nodding in satisfaction at your mistake. he couldn’t believe it, he was embarrassing himself and sacrificing his dignity just because some moral conscious was aware he probably ruined part of your fit

“i’ll buy it for you!” you said and banri pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing with so much exhaustion even though it was the afternoon. is this how sakyo felt dealing with three kids all day? banri was this close to calling him up just to apologize for all the batshit crazy things he’s done

“no.” banri stated, not offering an explanation before turning around, about to head back into the dressing room before you stopped him, pouting your lips with a stubborn look

“come on! why not? i’ll do anything!” you pleaded, giving him your biggest puppy dog eyes as you kept repeating “please~” loudly. banri was about to tell you off before he noticed the store customers glancing at the odd duo, groaning before he rubbed his face

“anything?” banri asked, realizing his mischevious smirk was back on his face as you narrowed your eyes at him, wondering what the hell he was planning

when you hesitantly nodded, banri wolfishly grinned as he leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms and looking down at you (you would’ve burst into laughter at how banri tried to look intimidating in pink if you weren’t too plagued by your surprise at his sudden attitude change)

“okay, let me pick your next outfit.” banri said and you winced at the memory of his previous outfit, considering your options before shaking his hand, knowing whatever was about to happen would be one for your social media

it only took about two hours before you actually agreed to try anything on banri picked. it was all animal print, mismatched neon colors, and flannel. you refused every single time he held anything up, bruising banri’s ego even further

“jesus, you have no taste.” banri complained, just wanting to see the most pastel person he’s seen wear something normal for once. you two bickered easily, fighting like there was no tomorrow and warranting nervous glances from the store employees (who nearly alerted security when they saw you almost knock over a whole display chasing after banri)

finally, banri chose something you wouldn’t be caught dead in. it was close to what he had before, a black turtleneck with a silver–zip bomber jacket. he was nice enough to choose a black pleated skirt for you to wear with black oxford that had 3d white daisies

you actually liked it, believe it or not

in return, you adjusted your pick for him (much to banri’s relief when he muttered “thank god” as you put the pink sailor shirt back). you adjusted the theme to be a mixture of black & pink, picking a pink sweater with a black stitched heart surrounded by lace that read “i’ll kill you” and a pink button down underneath. you let him wear basic black pants (just so he wouldn’t have actually killed you) and found the cutest pink sneakers with black shoelaces!

by the time both of you finished, banri didn’t seem as mad and actually nodded at your choices

“not bad, punk.” banri joked as you swatted at his arm, ignoring the way he rolled his eyes at your antics. you two made your way into opposite changing rooms and went out at the same time, staring at each other wide–eyed for about three seconds before banri pushed his finger in the center of your forehead with a smirk

“see! you don’t look as bad now.” banri winked as you nearly kicked him, rubbing your forehead with a frown. you two fought all the way to the cash register, paying for each other’s new outfits as you wore them out the door, holding your originals in a bag

“happy now? gotta go or else my friends are gonna kill me.” banri rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pant pockets as he was about to go the opposite way. you grabbed his sleeve, impatiently shoving your phone in his face as he adjusted to seeing his own pissed off expression stare back at him

“you have to take a picture with me!” you insisted, your bubbly demeanor really not fitting your “goth” approach (courtesy of banri, of course)

banri glared, knowing this wasn’t apart of the deal before you feigned sadness, wrapping your arms around yourself as you looked around like it was really unfortunate

“oh... are you not photogenic? that’s too bad...” you mocked him, pretending to not notice banri’s fists clench as he furrowed his eyebrows. of course he was good at taking photos! he’d show you, alright

“give me your phone.” banri demanded, taking it without a warning and holding it at a distance with an effortlessly cool pose, doing his usual smirk with a casual peace sign

“say ‘worst day ever’.” banri snapped the picture when you got into frame, putting your chin on his shoulder due to your height difference as you smiled cutely, contrasting his entire vibe

when you actually went through the selfies, they were perfect. damn it! of course he was good at everything, including somehow making black look good on you and be the ultimate photographer

“let me tag you, these are actually...” you were about to say something else until you noticed he was walking away, not bothering to say goodbye as you called his name

“yo, banri! what’s your instagram handle?” you yelled, holding your phone up. banri didn’t even look behind him, just throwing up a single middle finger towards you as he turned the corner. what a typical teenage boy

it was so like him, you didn’t even bother chasing after banri as you posted the set of photos you took with him with the caption “worst day ever with this emo punk, someone find him for me”

when banri made it the dorms, he took out his phone for the first time in forever and felt the vibrations. he never got this many notifications, itaru was probably telling him to get online or he’d beat his ass—oh

oh, you didn’t

kazunari (of course it was him) had tagged him in a familiar picture, with too many emoticons and exclamation points to begin with. banri scrolled through the comments, all complimenting his cool face despite being in pink (banri already knew that) and... wait... shipping you two?!

you two were completely different! if you two stood next to each other, you’d be two opposite ends of any spectrum possible. yet, banri couldn’t help but read all the comments on your post, saying how you two looked good together

banri zoomed in on the photo and moved to your face and huh... maybe they were onto something...

banri clicked on your profile and as expected, it was all soft like sanrio personally made it. you were an angel in each of your pictures, posing with stuffed animals, pastel café sweets, and anything that looked like it came out of a kid’s show. banri was scrolling mindlessly, screenshotting some as he slouched on the sofa, exhaling sharply through his nose at some childish pun you had in your captions

when banri was near the beginning of your feed, it had happened. he accidentally tapped too fast (blame it on his gamer hands), liking your picture from years ago

banri paused. after a minute, banri slowly unliked your picture, shut the app, and threw his phone across the room. it landed on the other couch with a thump as banri slid down the seat with the loudest groan ever, covering his face as he refrained from screaming

that’s what he got for stalking your entire fashion page despite hating your style

the damage had been done. you followed him and instantly dm–ed him with the full, unedited selfies of you two

(banri didn’t follow back until like, a month later for no reason other than he was petty)

banri became your immediate go–to fashion guru, believe it or not. moving past his horrific sense of animal print, he actually wasn’t that bad at picking clothes (banri said it was something about growing up with an older sister)

whenever you needed advice on an outfit, you sent him a text and got a response within minutes (the more he hated it, the more you wore it). any time you went to another up and coming clothing store, he was by your side (unwillingly holding your bags with multiple threats). banri even took your pics for your page, pretending like it was a huge nuisance whenever you asked anyone to take a photo (they always came out awful and he claimed he was tired of hearing you whine 24/7)

you and banri’s interest in fashion was the foundation of a competitive and sarcastic friendship that formed between you two. you exaggerated your pink clothes by making sure to be as pastel as possible whenever you hung out with him, and banri made a point to be all–black and dark down to his silver earrings despite the weather

you posted him more and more on your socials despite his style clashing with your feed. your followers seemed to love him, hyping up his coolness even if you two bullied each other in the comments like an old married couple. it was becoming expected to see banri’s account tagged every time you gave him credit for the post (he always used it against you just to make you mad)

over time, when banri went to see you, he didn’t insult your style anymore even if he tried to (his insults were even half–assed). he took your bags on his own accord and acted like they didn’t weigh a thing. he started taking more photos of you on his own phone, like it wasn’t a big deal he had shocks of pastel throughout his rather dark camera roll

banri didn’t know when it happened, but the moment he looked at the pink sweater you bought him the first time he met you and didn’t react, he knew

oh shit, he didn’t hate pink (or you) anymore. he might have even... liked it

(he might have even liked you)

it was nearly closing time, the employee about to close up shop before banri was seen sprinting towards them, barely out of breath as he skidded to a stop near the concerned worker (understandably so, since it was dark and a whole teenager nearly trampled them)

“oh? banri? what are you doing so late?” the employee recognized the regular customer and banri almost threw up at what he was about to request. he took a moment to compose himself before banri sighed, gesturing towards inside the store

“you remember that really ugly pink sailor shirt that is probably a fashion crime?” banri asked and it didn’t take long before the worker nodded, even grimancing at the memory of such a loud shirt

“yes, no one is really willing to buy it—” the employee was interrupted by a wad of money from inside banri’s wallet as he went through it, wincing at his own purchase that he clearly didn’t want

“i’ll take it. keep the change.” banri went home that day with the same pink shirt he swore he would never wear again

the next day, banri was dressed and the whole dorm went silent. no one dared breathe a word, and banri rolled his eyes, crossing his arms

“what’s wrong? never seen a man wear pink before?” banri raised his eyebrows, casually getting ready to go see you with his backpack strapped. once again, everyone was staring at him (when he left the dorms, the room burst into hysterical laughter)

when you saw banri in that shirt, you suddenly knew. it was as if his behavior made sense, this is way of telling you he didn’t hate you as much as he acted to

as he came up to you pretending like he was still cool in the most pastel pink shirt ever, you couldn’t help but grab him by the sailor collar and give him something long overdue

(the whole mankai company spammed your page with fairy cyberbully comments and likes when you posted a picture of banri in the sailor shirt with the caption: “best boyfriend ever”)

(you ended up keeping the sailor shirt, banri claimed it suited you a lot more than it did for him) (damn, not even one insult about how ugly it was when you expressed how much you loved it)

ever since, your feed became more of punk pastel than anything. anything you wore, banri most likely had in black. you two even shared jewelery and banri often mixed up your earrings with his own (you loved his piercings and often bought the most intricate ear cuffs just to see them on him)

despite your opposite styles, you guys actually shared many of your items together like clothes, accessories like bucket hats and backpacks, even make up! (it took quite some time before banri accepted you painting his nails though, at first it was black, now he allows the occassional pink middle finger if you ask)

(banri liked it the most when you two had matching nails, it was just satisfying to see when holding hands)

you guys were also that gamer couple. you know what i’m talking about, if you guys had a gaming room together, half the room would be pastel pink and his set up was a basic all black

(you two had matching cat headphone sets, yours obviously the pink ones and banri pretended to hate his own pair of ears)

(they really weren’t that bad, he even began wearing it around his boys despite the jokes)

(“shut up, bastard! my partner likes them!”)

as expected, you two got stares every time you went out in public. while you were bright and happy from the anime sparkles around you to your adorable, enthusiatic energy, banri was always by you looming over everyone with a sharp glare and even more aggressive tongue

but this was unexpected: you had banri whipped. wrapped around your finger, even if he would never admit it

(he could go one moment cursing someone out, threatening a fight before he talked to you with a quieter, more relaxed tone. of course he could start shit with you, but for some reason, his voice and demeanor automatically became nicer when he saw you)

(this meant he could never stay mad at you for too long)

an example of banri being absolutely soft for you would be the time you were about to dye your hair and he wanted in

while he was helping you equally do the style and making sure it fit your liking, you giggled at the sight of your boyfriend in the mirror, focusing intently on your hair and the two seperate dyes

“ri, have you ever thought of black hair?” you asked nonchalantly as banri brushed the dye on your hair, giving him a moment to think as he shrugged

“eh, i already dye my hair. never thought about that color.” banri responded, already too busy making sure your hair was completely covered (he was a good hair stylist even if he had never done it before)

“what do you think about matching hairstyles?”

it felt like deja vu. when banri walked into the dorms again, everyone was staring at him. except this time, it wasn’t his sweater (he was back to all–black this time), but his head

oh my god, his hair. his vibrant, half–pink and half–black hair now

“you like that person so much! you dyed your hair that shade of pink?!” practically everyone in mankai was aware banri was whipped for his one and only angel, even if it looked like he came out of hell himself just to be with you

whenever banri saw pink now, he didn’t hate it anymore, and he especially didn’t hate you

🍁🍰 hyodo juza

when juza saw you, he felt like he was on a sugar rush from how cute you were

it was another day helping the director with her grocery shopping and an extra amount of time allowed the two to visit the new bakery that opened downtown

while izumi was making small talk with the server, juza awkwardly hung behind her as he tried to not make it obvious he just wanted to eat every single dessert in the family business

as he was counting the tiles on the floor (how did they design them to look like it was made out of candy?!), a swish of a puffy skirt moved past his line of sight as juza glanced up, feeling like he had downed a whole box of those valentine’s candy hearts at once

you were a waitress, happily bringing customer orders to their tables with the cutest smile ever. you wore a mint green & brown uniform with a big bow at your dress shirt collar, floating around like a fairy with a trey at your hand and gracefully taking requests in the other. if “you are what you eat” was true, you would’ve only ate sweet foods because you were that adorable

then, juza noticed you had some really nice hair clips and thought they were super cute

when you looked up from writing something on your notepad (he noticed it was really elegant cursive), you caught his eye and it was like love at first sight for juza

for you, not so much

you had made eye contact with the most intimidating, tallest boy in the entire bakery. you nervously smiled, waving before hurrying into the kitchen, feeling his stare on your back as you hid in the break room with a sigh of relief

just your luck! you had met some guy who probably didn’t even like sweets, he looked like he wanted to fight you or something! why was he staring at you like that? you anxiously peeked your head from the door frame and went back immediately when you noticed he was looking for you

oh no, was some thug trying to fight you? in a bakery?

when izumi finished up her conversation and bought a speciality cake to go, juza obediently followed her outside as he glanced back behind the counter, trying to spot your unique hair accessories again

as the bell above his head rung, he knew he had to come back to see you and find out where you bought those dessert–themed clips

at first, it began with casual visits, pretending to survey the area after explaining his association with mankai in the most bare minimum way possible. you didn’t struggle convincing someone else to cover your shift quickly when you noticed the scary tall guy up front. then, it became ordering random things to go and hoping he’d at least see you to ask a simple question. you did everything to hide behind tables, hoping you wouldn’t have to confront the gangster

(“he’s back again?! how many more desserts can he order?” you whined, poking your eyes over the front desk to see his frame entering past the window)

for some reason, juza couldn’t stop thinking of your hair clips. they were sweets, for goodness sake! nothing had made him happier, they were so tiny and adorable, they brought him instant serotonin even if he had some tough image

(maybe you were also super cute too, and he just needed an excuse to see you)

after weeks or so of failed attempts to catch you working, juza began sitting down and eating in the bakery, much to your misfortune

“how can i avoid him now if he spends a hour here every afternoon?!” you panicked even though juza’s back was turned to you. he happily ate his food, getting distracted by the quality of the sweets to notice you were basically staring at him

“are you sure he wants something from you? he comes here every day, he seems like a nice boy.” the owner vouched in his favor after talking to the offstandish teen at the register. sure, he was a bit rough around the edges, but he was much more respectful than any of the rotten kids who came in the shop!

ugh! the baker didn’t get it, there was no way someone like that didn’t want to start something with you!

out in the dining area, it took all the sugar in his body to actually make juza ask for a very specific server in detail. when someone had brought him his strawberry milk, juza cleared his throat with an awkward attempt at a smile (it looked more like a grimance than anything)

“uh... do you know if, a server with candy hair pins is here?” juza murmured, looking down at the table with an embarrassed blush as the waiter didn’t think anything of it, calling your name without another warning. you squeaked, dropping behind the counter as juza tilted his head in confusion

(why were you hiding? was there something wrong? what happened? juza thought, unaware he was actually the problem)

when you heard a series of footsteps stop near you, you hesitantly looked up from your crouching position and saw juza staring down at you with a concerned expression. his eyebrows were furrowed and he had his hand out

you took his hand and closed your eyes, fearing for your life. was he gonna yank you to your feet? push you over? trip you so you’d fall for real? you weren’t ready for a fight!

yet, none of that happened. juza gently lifted you up and made sure you were fine by observing your outfit to see if anything was wrinkled, muttering something about being careful and staying safe

you blinked, trying to process how incredibly wrong you were. juza was perhaps the nicest customer you had met in your entire career as a server, even taking the time to actually confirm you were okay with no ill intentions whatsoever

(suddenly, you remembered all the times you actively avoided juza and felt the guilt as he nodded at you, unintentionally lowering his height so he’d seem more approachable)

“sorry to bother you, but uh...” juza trailed off, trying to figure out how to phrase his next sentence. before you could respond, his hand landed on your hair and a beat of silence passed between you two

“cute.” juza forced out, and wanted to slap himself. cute?! no, say cute hair clips, ask where you got them! juza was internally panicking and you were doing the same as you looked up at him with wide eyes

it was so awkward and humiliating, juza couldn’t pull his hand away because his whole body was on shutdown. oh god, what could he do now? this was possibly the worst first impression in human history

“i’m cute?” you warily asked, staring at him with a slightly amused expression as juza blanked. you felt his hand subtly shake as it was your turn to be concerned over how red his face was

“no—i mean, yes, but, not like that! i mean...” juza finally lifted his fingers to poke at your hair decorations and you let out a sound of understanding, pointing at your own clips

“oh? you mean these?” you asked and juza nodded, like he was extremely thankful you understood him. he pushed his hands behind his back, nervously leaning back and forth on his feet as he looked away like the cupcake display was the most interesting thing in the world (it probably was)

“where did you, uh, get them?” juza quietly questioned and you giggled, patting them proudly as you stood a little bit taller from the unintentional praise

“i made them! thank you for asking!” you smiled, about to move away before juza accidentally held onto your arm, releasing his hold when he saw your shock. he definitely needed to learn how to be more socially acceptable one of these days or else he was gonna get in big trouble

“can i commission you?” juza muttered and there began your friendship with the big tough delinquent juza who really adored small, cute things (like yourself!)

any time juza was particularly fascinated with a dessert on display, you would show him a sketch sample of accessories you could make based on his favorites. surprisingly, juza was very comfortable with expressing his love for sugar because you felt the same way!

every day when juza came to visit the bakery, he’d always have something new to say about your homemade accessories and seemed fascinated by your adorable fashion sense

(he had been particularly obsessed with these dangly earrings you made that looked like little dango sticks. it was like a child had been playing with your ears the entire time)

it was about a month later when you made the final designs of the hair clips juza ordered and you knew they were your best work yet

you had multiple favorite desserts and fruits of his molded in clay or shaped in resin on a various sizes of clips and pins. you decorated them with the sole goal in mind to see how pretty they would look against juza’s dark purple hair

this would be the first time you two met out of the bakery, so when juza came and saw you didn’t look any different (hair accessories and all), he thought you were so sweet

juza’s entire face practically lit up when you presented him the clips. foods like ice creams, lollipops, and popsicles were all accessible for him as he struggled to find the words to show his appreciation for your work

you two sat on a bench in the park as juza gently took the clips, turning them carefully (you looked down and almost laughed at how tiny they looked in his hands)

when you asked for a model picture for your business page, juza’s shaky hands were clearly untrained in the art of hair clips as he put one in an awkward position and tried to look up to see what it looked like

“uh... i’m not very good at this.” juza admitted, embarrassed as he stared at his feet. it didn’t take you long to take over, moving closer to giddily pin juza’s hair back

(it was soft, you were almost jealous of how everything about him was the embodiment of “gentle giant”)

“it’s okay! here, let me.” you insisted and juza gratefully passed you your work, staring at everything but you as his cheeks became even redder. you were so close and leaning over him, trying to put them in cute positions as your fingers ran through his hair

(juza felt like the first time he saw you; like he was on a sugar rush as he noticed how nimble your fingers were on him)

when you were done and leaned back with admiration, juza looked at you with a small smile as he reached up to touch the designs you put in his hair, feeling the handmade pins against his calloused fingers

“cute~” you lifted your phone up, about to take a picture. juza didn’t know why, but he covered the camera with his palm as he lowered it, looking at you with the same focus he had everytime he saw you

“you’re cute.” juza froze. oh gosh, did he actually just confess that?! you were surprised, feeling his hand over yours. yet, you didn’t want to pull away. in fact, you wish your phone was out of the way so you could completely hold his hand

“you’re cute, too.” you responded, using your other hand to brush the loose strands of hair back from his face as you smiled

when juza came back to the dorms with the cutest, most pastel, childish hair clips, no one had time to say a word as he ran to his room and threw himself onto his bed. juza rolled onto his back, placing both his hands on his hair and putting them in front of his face as if he couldn’t believe it

he just held your hand! he was your boyfriend now! you liked him even if he was the complete opposite of you! juza silently shoved his pillow over his face, kicking the air uselessly

as your boyfriend, you and juza had much more in common than you thought. juza loved your cute sense of style, always trying his best to compliment your aesthetic by wearing more of your hair accessories and modeling for your page (apparently, he had the perfect hair color for it)

(he even let you put his hair down for certain posts, his usually slicked–back hair laying flat against his forehead as he didn’t look at you, his head turned as he blushed. “it’s not that bad, right?” he’d ask and you always complimented him no matter what)

although juza kept his rather grunge neutral look, he admired the way you were so bright and liked calling you dessert–related endearments just because you were the embodiment of sweets. he 100% thought you were the most adorable thing in his life and had to be made of pure sugar

in order to support your style, juza liked coordinating his clips with yours. he’d text you the night prior just to gain insight on what type of look you were going for and come to your bakery with something similar (even if your coworkers liked poking fun at his serious, stoic face that only changed around you)

he also came in with a new phonecase and you nearly fainted from how cute he was. he had a case that had those little squishes on them, he admitted he liked feeling them whenever he got a little anxious (it was such a cute habit, you had bought him a whole stock and it was like a little kid on christmas morning)

(you also made earrings out of a pair, he would not stop touching them)

whenever he noticed kids staring, juza never failed to advertise your business like his life depended on it. yes, your customer base actually did grow, somehow thanks to your most unlikely model yet

however, juza wasn’t the only one who had adjusted his style, you did too!

you two actually had had matching letterman jackets, yours in pink & white with a “j” in large letters and his black & grey with your first name initial as well. sometimes, you guys even switched just for the fun of it

you even got to wear his usual “10” purple jacket every now and then, even though he never said anything about liking you in his clothes. he’d just casually leave it around your place, acting like you wouldn’t notice the dark outerlayer in your mass of pastels

as you two were dating, juza wanted to be the best boyfriend possible for you as he wondered what to get you for your anniversary coming up. as juza subconsciously rubbed his clips with a thoughtful look, he suddenly had a lightbulb moment

that’s it! he should make you something in return

when you began seeing juza less and less around the bakery, you were nervous as what he was up to. juza barely hid anything from you since he was such a poor liar, so it was clear when he avoided talking about what he did after school now

in reality, juza was becoming frustrated with how big his hands were. every time he tried to make something, he was too forceful and caused the line to snap. the amount of beads he had lost at this point was laughable as juza tried to not knock over the bracelet–making kit on the table

(it took yuki coming by and taking pity on his crouched over form for him to go somewhere, muttering to himself about how he needed this to be perfect or else he’d die)

(juza always had a strong respect for jewelery makers, but it increased much more once he realized how clumsy and small his attenton span was)

just when you thought juza had forgotten your anniversary coming up, he randomly texted you out of no where asking if you were free. you looked at your shift and agreed, knowing you needed a break and not questioning a thing

when you walked out of the bakery, juza was already there with a small bag, his foot tapping against the sidewalk. before you could even ask how he’d been, he shoved it into your hand with an embarrassed blush (he was so nervous, he swore his heart skipped a beat)

“happy anniversary.” juza mumbled when you opened the small mesh, drawstring bag with a gasp. you slowly pulled out the beaded bracelet with a shocked look, seeing multiple silver dessert–themed pieces hang. there were mainly purple and black beads with four white blocks spelling out “juza”

juza showed you his wrist and he was wearing a beaded bracelet in a similar style, except his was your aesthetic with various pastel shades and your name on his string ending with a cute heart

you teared up and juza winced, rubbing the back of his neck as awkwardly looked away

“that bad, huh?” before juza could die of embarrassment, you shook your head and pulled him into a hug, surprising him when you stood on your tippy–toes to give him a kiss on the cheek

“i love it, this is the sweetest gift ever.”

“only for you.”

when juza slipped the bracelet onto your wrist, you knew you were never gonna take it off

who knew the scary, intimidating boy from the bakery was the sweetest person alive?

[vsirin]

Why's pnin your favourite book? 🙃

well hello I'm glad you asked!!! I will say- I doubt I can really do it justice, I'm not sufficiently eloquent, but I will try to convey why! (Also a warning, I work in a library and am obsessed with breaking books down into their ~appeal elements~ and studying who likes what and why soooo to be asked why my favorite book is my favorite book is the most indulgent thing, thank you very much :) !!!)

(no spoilers included, because I want everyone to read the book themselves!)

Let’s start with the praise from Graham Greene on the cover of the edition I own: “Funny, and of a sadness”. Funny and of a sadness!!!! Shouldn’t every book be that way, I think so. I love lighthearted reading- on the surface- I love smiling but with furrowed eyebrows and sad eyes. (I apparently love to torture myself- is this self sabotage?) 

For one thing, the book is very very character based and I love that (Timofey Pnin is the main character). I’m one of those character readers and don’t even need plot. Let me follow a character’s lifespan, heck maybe 3 generations of characters, I don’t need an intriguing plot to be interested. I might be slightly exaggerating but character study books are always my favorite, and Pnin himself is such a lovable character and exhibits all my ~favorite qualities~: middle age, struggling to adapt, good hearted, lonely and sad. (Why these are my favorite characters I really don’t know, but they always always are <3) He is well read, a cultured person, regularly “referring” to music or books- I also interject here to say there is some interesting narration going on so while Pnin is the main character and we know his thoughts and very much about him, he is not actually the narrator- it’s a very curious style (please read it!)

The introduction (note: always skip the introductions of classics they never fail to spoil every element of the story) which I indeed read after finishing the book summarized the story well. I’m paraphrasing but basically it said that both the story’s humor and its sadness are in the fact that Pnin does not understand America where he now lives, he constantly compares things to Russia, constantly remembers Russia- the book is scenario after scenario of Pnin confused, making mistakes, etc. usually because of some fundamental misunderstanding of the country or language. (This isn’t overly, obnoxiously spelled out in the book like I may be making it out to be, but it is at its core.) Pnin is typically able to laugh at the situation, sometimes misses the fact that people are laughing at him, and remains good natured throughout- mostly. 

Now there’s something utterly endearing when a character trying his best is laughed at for his misfortune and doesn’t even realize it, or doesn’t react harshly, or laughs along- and it isn’t pity it’s just care, and this I think could sum up why I love the book; because I care about Pnin, I love Pnin the character. (I am also just in general something of a mother-type and this sort of character does me in. I love him :’( )

I said “mostly” remains good natured but as I’ve also said, the book is of a sadness and Pnin is sad. There are some truly heartbreaking moments when his pain is described or expressed, and at times complete with his Russian accent spelled out (in case you didn’t love him enough). 

One of my favorite things in media is a strong sense of place, those setting-heavy books and movies that could take place nowhere else. And I love characters who are rooted to a place, and I consider Pnin rooted- but to Russia, where he grew up and had to leave, where he can’t go back, where he can’t stop thinking about, and it’s so sad, he is misplaced, he isn’t home!!! This is another theme I love/connect to in books, being a rooted and anxious person myself- to know and love a home and then be taken away and kept from it... it is such an intense sadness and intense loneliness!!! (And again, this isn’t spelled out, Pnin doesn’t bemoan that he can’t go home, he loves America- but you see in the memories he has and the stories he tells that Russia is still his home.)

And yet he heartily tries to understand America and it’s so endearing, his effort is admirable... and I think that effort is also why I love him, the effort even in a situation that to me seems like the undeniable end- I mean, do you get that encouraging feeling from seeing characters survive your fears and anxieties and come out the other side still going, still loving? I think that’s what I’m getting at here. 

I don’t want to totally misconstrue the book as depressing (I just have a melancholic soul and temperament :) ) because again, it’s not just “of a sadness” but funny too- Pnin is entirely lovable and the workings of his mind are just plain amusing at times. The situational misfortunes he encounters are funny when he doesn’t suffer much because of them (as often he doesn’t). And I just think, because Pnin at his heart and in his soul is a good and hopeful and loving person, even though parts are sad, or the whole book could be sad, he keeps it from being depressing.

And the language!!! It doesn’t need saying that Nabokov is a master. The voice of this novel, the wording, it is truly gorgeous. And you can’t help but admire his wit for coming up with circumstances that couldn’t be more unfortunate, and then-

But I think also, as much as I clearly, for some reason, love and cling to the depressing side of Pnin’s story, the joy I feel when he is happy and successful and comes out ahead and is the bigger person in every scenario is unparalleled, I mean you really root for him the whole story and these moments are truly beautiful. While writing this I remembered the end of the story and could not stop my smile- I love him!!!! 

Watch me reblog this 10 times with “And another thing-” but this gives you the gist :) I hope you’ll read it! It’s a short book and the best one I’ve ever read!!!! I had sososo much fun writing this- thank you for the excuse to put down what I’ve been thinking ever since I read it!! I really think “Why is [x] your favorite book?” is perhaps the kindest question anyone could ever ask :)) And what is yours!?

(and edit & a PS: this doesn’t have to do with why I love the book but I must say, if ever a film or play or anything is made of Pnin I must be involved to cast Ralph Fiennes, who else, because I think he can embody all of what I’ve talked about above sooo perfectly and it’s too good of a casting move to not happen!!! I hope his agent finds this and does something about it, thank you)

[dunkleduck-blog]

What Is Your Name?

[ LOOK AT ME. WRITING BS UF SANS/READER. WOWIE. P.s. First attempt to write something like this. JUST AN EXCUSE TO WRITE ESTABLISHED MARRIAGE UF SANS/READER. English is not my first language. Please point out my mistake. I think I need to fix both characters interpretation too. Hnngh. ] Summary; You lost your job, you went to drink for comfort. The next thing you know when you woke up, you were married to a skeleton. And you have no recollection of ever met a skeleton before. * * * * * Chapter 1. According to your fortune cookie, today would be your lucky day. So much for lucky talk and belief but you know that was all empty bullshit. Just earlier you got fired for no reason whatsoever at all! Wow, where's this 'luck' when you need it the most? Your employer apologized for unable to pay you anymore but does getting your last payment counted as luck? You are not sure. At least, they were being polite and honest aside from giving a brief explanation and reasoning for their action. You sighed. Well, they got some points and... it was acceptable, reasonable even. After all, they are THE boss. The talk about the downfall and the instability of economy didn't seem to glue in your mind. Heck, you didn't even catch any provided informations at all. Not appealing at all. All you want to do now is to get drunk of yourself and clear up your mind. The deadline to pay your rent was just around the corner and you don't need to deal with that bullshit after you just lost your job. You can start for job-hunting tomorrow, right? Still got plenty of time. But tonight? Tonight is still young and getting all wasted sound good. You pulled your car right up into the first bar you spotted; Grillby's. Never heard of it before, but you are not even picky when it comes to drinking. You need the sting-soothing burning sensation of the good alcohol. Finding some comfort by drinking had seemed to be your habit when you started to work. It becomes more frequent when you started to switch from jobs to jobs. But it didn't matter, at least you are drowning yourself by drinking instead of talking it out. You never trust any of your colleagues or co-workers. The past stayed in the past. You rather not repeated the same mistake. You parked your car right next to a black Cadillac and strutted yourself in. Couple of eyes wildly wandered over you, your body but you could careless about it. Your mind was occupied with far much more important problems, you don't need to deal with this new annoyance feeling too. Five-six-seven strides and you found yourself in the stool right before the counter. And surprise by the fact that you were greeted by a fire-element monster. Yeah, those Monsters... Being trapped for God-knows how long and now their kind scattered across the surface, all over the world... some years ago, right? How old were you back then? 15? 16? You lost count. But then again, YOU don't even know that Monsters DO exist. How very ignorant of you. ... Oh. Now that you realized after taking a quick glance, majority of the customers were Monsters. Oh well. They DO serve humans too, right? Guess you either you walked out and make yourself look like an embarrassed fool or just order whatever on the menu. Because at this point, you don't really care anymore. The only thing that kept you still on your ground is your obnoxious ignorance self. And your mission to get drunk. Despite of fast your heart thumped, racing as if all this monster was going to - You ordered for a shot of vodka. The bartender seemed to get the clear order and he was gone from your sight. You didn't even bother to look or glance around anymore, eyes straight towards the cabinets, lined with various vintage-looking bottles. It didn't took so long and the bartender retreated with a bottle of Vodka and a shot glass infront of you. You started to drink. First shot, you could feel the burnt on your throat, gliding down. A slow opening but you were sure feeling good. Second and third shots, followed with a couple more. Your mind started to feel fuzzy and buzzed after you emptied half of the bottle. The glass was still in your hand as your flailed your arms around in a wobbly fashion, hitting the person next to you. You were no longer sober as you spoke inbetween laugh and tears. You just wanted some peace of mind, some luck and faith to believe; to believe there was still hope in your future, that you could still dream for a better future life. You didn't even wish to be in this life. Family problems, lack of friends, back-stabbing. Everyone just used you for their own advantages and pleasure, not to mention all the guilt-trip cycle. You practically cling onto the person next to you, and they seemed to hold you in place while you slobbering out your misery. Every words came out from your mouth wasn't exactly audible or manageable. Couple of curses slipped out too until you were out limp and darkness welcomed you. * * * * * You woke up by the lukewarm of the sun kissed against your skin. It was a nice tingly sense to be awakened to, except... You were pretty sure your apartment's window wasn't face directly on your right bedside. Eyes flicked open insteadly as you jolted out of the whoever-bed's-is-this. Practically scrambling yourself out of the bedroom, you found yourself donned in a crimson nightgown, made out of silk. It fitted nicely on your body, your right size. This is getting... creepy and weird. You could feel the pit in your stomach rushed back and forth violently, anxiety built up within. You just don't feel right. Last night was a total wreck, you drunk yourself to the core just because you lost your job. Wow, that's a new record. You don't even remember what happened on the latter. You just can't recall the event when you tried to think. As if a black hole domained it and ate the memories away, leaving you with blank empty answer. Common sense kicked in. Whatever bullshit happened, you just need to know where are you right now and THIS isn't your lousy apartment at all; you knew it for sure. As you descended downstairs, you found no one but yourself. Okay... What if this house was truly yours? Does the fortune and luck finally sided on you this time? That would be real great and fantastic. Maybe, you ARE real rich now. Hah, you thought. Metal spiral staircase, black in color just to match with the rest of the living room. It was as if some colour theme had played on. Black and white and red? It was least to your liking or so to say, much to your opposite. You are more the rainbow-type of person but you aren't complaining if this is your house. The wall painted in black, while the marble floor in white. Some of the furnitures in the other hand were varied inbetween black or white or red. As if someone just tossed whatever they wanted and they were super clean too. Must be a neat freak. But in all honesty, the living room is real huge. Is this some rich dope mansion? You found yourself wandered over the white cabinet with some picture frames -donned in black- on it. A couple of pictures taken from all the four seasons but the Spring caught your attention. You picked up the frame for a closer inspection. It was a wedding picture of... YOU and a s-s-SKELETON?! You looked down on your hand - and found a red band on your third finger. If this is a prank set up by someone, they had done a good job. You tried to pull off the ring but to no avail. It didn't even budged. You are married. Married to a skeleton. This must be a mistake. This has to be. You Calm down, ___. You must be dreaming. You will get up in no time. You pinched yourself... ... annnnnnd nothing happened. And ouch, why did you pinched that hard. Damn, why did you do it on first place. Still, you shook your head in disbelief. Take a deep breath, ___. There must be a... misunderstanding?? You don't know but you KNOW that this was never happened. Maybe you can explain what happened last night - Before your mind could trailed off further, your ears caught a faint conversation- more like an argument banter back and forth beyond what you assumed to be the front door. "dunno, boss. they just - passed out right there. so, i just leave them at home - " "STARS, SANS. OF ALL THE THING YOU SHOULD DO AND YOU DECIDED TO LEAVE THEM /ALONE./ GOOD JOB FOR NOTHING. I DON'T GET WHAT THE HUMAN SAW IN YOUR SELF-SLOTH-BEING. ONLY A MORON WOULD MARRIED TO YOU." Well, if you did took a quick glance of the state of the bedroom you just left, some socks were sure scattered about and a strong pang of mustard? But overall, it smelled stinks and you agreed with the loud voice. You can hear the jingled keys noise. Maybe that's your cue to hide. Wait. Why would you even hide yourself from someone that you - well, your 'husband'? Skele-husband? Well, you don't know anything about them, hell you don't even remember of ever married to a skeleton. But if you played it out nicely, maybe you can make yourself out and through. Yes, that's about the idea. Good one, ___. The door was about to open but you dashed upon it, gave it a HARD slam and with a quick lock of course. Click! ... That wasn't in plan. You can hear whoever behind the door, cursing and yelling. That was the second voice's owner. Also, you heard the owner of the first voice just laughed at the misfortune. "WELL, YOU MUST BE PLEASED FOR WHATEVER YOU HAD MADE HER TO BE THIS RUDE. INFLUENCE HER WITH YOUR CUNNING ANNOYANCE ATTITUDE. I EXPECT BETTER THAN THIS, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BROTHER." "chill, bro. i got this one. geez." Knock, knock. Silence. Was you supposed to open the door all nice? And that was what you exactly did but to your dismay, it jerked back on place. "ah, ah, ah, sweetheart. i hope you don't forget when it comes to a-door." That was awful and you snorted. But still, you are a little confused - well, HUGE confusion of what you should do. Until it hit you. This. Was supposed to be a knock-knock joke, huh? They knocked the door twice again for you. But you can also hear some impatient footsteps on the other side. Better make this quick. Knock knock. "W-Who's there?" "who." "Who... who?" "wow, i didn't know my bro got startled up by some owl on the other side of this door. guess the bird just ruffled his wings away."